Tapping into the Growing Popularity of Astrology For Brands

Astrology has all along been known to be mysterious, intriguing for many or absolutely rubbish for some. There are two ends of the spectrum, it’s either you believe in it religiously, or you don’t.

What exactly is astrology? In simple terms, astrology is the belief that positions of stars and movements of the planets of the solar system has an effect on the events, lives and behaviour of people. With astrology comes horoscopes and zodiac signs which are usually determined by the month and dates you were born. 

Despite its presence in the world forever, only in recent years has it grown in popularity. With the estimated industry valued at $2.2billion USD, it is only expected for it to continue increasing.

Capitalising on this trend

With the exponential growth in the astrology industry, it is only economical for brands to capitalize on this trend. Creation of special astrological themed product lines are one of the most common ways brands in various industries tap into this trend. This is also known as astrological marketing.

Curating astrology themed brand product lines 

Leading beauty brands like Sephora and Colourpop have capitalized on this to create zodiac themed beauty products. 

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Colourpop collaborated with beauty influencer Kathleen Lights to produce a zodiac themed eyeshadow palette. This is an excellent example of brands using influencer marketing for astrology marketing, taking into consideration the nature and niche of the influencer. To find the right influencer that fits your brand’s astrology marketing is crucial in obtaining success, but luckily with platforms like Affable, this is possible.

Fashion brands like Dior also launched a zodiac jewelry collection, curating exclusive necklaces for every zodiac sign, as well as an accessories collection consisting of scarves, shoes and more.

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Among other things, ecommerce platforms like Amazon have also managed to tap into this growing trend. In 2019 (check this), Amazon debuted their Prime Member horoscope via their insider’s newsletter, whereby the monthly shopping horoscope overtly ties astrological signs and what is happening in the cosmos to Amazon products and services like Prime Reading, Prime Music or Whole Foods Market.

Spotify also recently launched a cosmic playlist, curating a personalised playlist based on each user’s audio birth chart, thus tapping into this trend as well.

Zodiac applications

Besides coming up with specially themed product lines for brands, another popular trend that has come out of this is the rise in zodiac applications. Applications like Co-Star and The Pattern has seen a big boost in revenue. Sensor tower, an app-tracking firm estimated an increase in astrological app revenue by 64% to reach $40 million in 2019.

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Implications

Research has shown that more women tend to believe/partake in such astrological beliefs. 29% of US adults believe in astrology, and 37% of women do. Research also showed that astrological apps like Sanctuary’s user base is also 90% female whilst Co-Star has been downloaded by nearly 28% of women between the ages of 18-25.

With that being said, women seem like the better target market for brands, as further proven by the examples mentioned above where most of these product lines are better suited for women. Brands should tap into this trend strategically in order to economise their efforts.