Eva Erdmann
101 Great Minds on Music Brands and Behavior
Kevin Miller, Global President, Urban Decay
With an extensive marketing and brand management background, Eva Erdmann has helped Urban Decay reach unprecedented levels of success. Eva, who presently holds the position of Global President at Urban Decay Cosmetics, is a visionary leader and pioneer in the beauty sector.
Before joining Urban Decay, Ms. Erdmann held key executive roles at several renowned beauty brands, where she demonstrated her ability to drive growth and innovation. Her strategic acumen, innovative thinking, and passion for empowering individuals to express their unique selves through makeup have been a driving force behind Urban Decay's commitment to diversity, inclusivity, and self-expression.
An alumna of HEC Paris, Eva Erdmann, continues to steer Urban Decay towards global expansion and sustainable growth, solidifying its position as a trailblazer in the beauty world.
“We know that everyone’s attention spans have grown to be only a few seconds, so our goal is to consistently make ‘scroll-stopping’ content that engages our consumers immediately.”
— EVA ERDMANN, GLOBAL PRESIDENT, URBAN DECAY
Uli Reese: How important is Audio in building your Brand? i.e., Past/Present/Future?
Eva Erdmann: Urban Decay has always had an upbeat, eclectic playlist as the soundtrack to our brand. Our sonic roots go back to the early ‘90s and have continued to evolve at the pace of pop culture ever since. UD has always aligned itself as a multi-genre brand, and sound has (and will always) be a key element to how we approach both product development and the ways we market to our consumers. We rely on audio to set the pace of our customer experience at the product level, as well as to dictate the energy of our marketing campaigns. For everything from the snapping sound of closing a compact, to the clicking closure of a lipstick cap, the use of audio cues are always at the core of our brand priorities.
UD has a network of resources that we tap into to build our sonic personality. The Gen Zers and music-lovers in our office are outspoken about our brand sound and have proven to be a strong resource to keep the Urban Decay audio profile fresh and highly diverse. We also look to our creative partners to expand our sonic reach, while ensuring that the ways in which we link audio to our products feels authentic to our brand and is immediately attention-grabbing, even for consumers connecting with UD at low-to-no volume on their devices.
As times evolve, however, Urban Decay is excited deepen our sonic connections with our key Gen Z consumer targets—it’s all about staying at the pulse of what is hot in-the-moment. As a digital-first brand, we know that TikTok and other platforms dictate the trends, and so for UD, it is imperative that we find distinct, yet relatable sonic expressions that grab the attention of our current and prospective consumers. Where we can, we incorporate trending sounds into our content to boost virality and searchability as a way to target and engage with Gen Z.
Reese: Looking at 40 Billion in Sales within Screen-less ecosystems like Alexa or google-home, what role will audio play?
Erdmann: For a brand like Urban Decay, the future of audio will allow us to connect with our consumer targets in new progressive ways. Where we now rely on social media to educate our customers on products, soon we will be able to push the boundaries to use audio for many more things: from makeup tutorials to ingredient benefits, and even audio-based artistry master classes. We predict that in the not-too-distant future, consumers will be able to have personalized audio shopping experiences from the comfort of their own homes.
Reese: Most CMO’s in the series think about how they can make their Brand sonically future-prove. Can you talk about the role of voice at your current Brand?
Erdmann: Urban Decay empowers the voices of our communities to set the tone for our sonic branding. Rather than us dictating to our consumers the ways that they should interpret our products or our point of view, we intentionally link UD to Creators who help carry our message on our behalf. As we look to the future, we will allow our Creator-led strategy to keep UD at the cutting edge of all things current—by letting our fans do the talking.
Reese: Why is there a growing importance of sound in the digital age?
Erdmann: As the world becomes fully engulfed in the digital age, sound becomes a critical element to retaining human connection. We need the familiarity, the guidance, and the grounding elements of sound—it is our universal understanding. Where this is important for UD, is that is makes us prioritize the need to create memorable, expressive moments that cut through the noise of our consumers’ growing digital lifestyles. We know that everyone’s attention spans have grown to be only a few seconds, so our goal is to consistently make ‘scroll-stopping’ content that engages our consumers immediately.
Reese: Looking at your end-to-end customer experience, what are your biggest challenges in terms of Sonic (Voice, Music, Sound etc.)
Erdmann: Sonically, our biggest challenge is finding a way to use sound to convey the impact of our products and our brand’s point of view. Urban Decay is known as one of the most expressive, bold cosmetic companies on the market so for us, linking the inspiration, impact, and efficacy of each of our products through visuals and sound is essential to the way consumers connect with us. All of our products have distinct moods and usages, so maximizing the brand voice and our use of sound to effectively and instantly connect with our consumers is key.
We’ve tapped into some of the trends like ASMR to expand the way that our consumers experience our products on social media, and it has been well received. There is something inherently ‘sexy’ about the tapping & swirling of our beautiful glitters and textures that keeps our UD fan base coming back for more. Where it gets challenging is to truly consider “what’s next?”, and how do we remain on the cutting edge of Gen Z audio trends on our most important platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram.
Reese: Looking into the future, what role do you think voice, music, and sound will play? Will it be a more important or less important role in branding?
Erdmann: Music and sound in general have always been a part of UD’s brand storytelling. We have always leaned into sonic trends to help inspire our products, and to help us market them to our targeted consumer groups. Even back in the early days of UD, we named our products after our favorite musical genres, like our Heavy Metal Glitter Liner—which is a nod to our obsession with nostalgic rock & roll.
And now, as we dive even deeper into linking products to the communities, we know will adore them, we look to align the brand with buzz-worthy talent that will provide a new lens for storytelling at UD. We’ve worked with top tier musicians such as Lizzo, Karol G, Normani, Monsta X and CL—all of which have elevated our authentic connections to our consumer. They know that we love who they love, which allows them to trust UD like a friend. We know that our sonic future looks bright—just like our makeup.
Reese: Do you believe that music can have an impact, whether negative or positive in consumer buying behavior?
Erdmann: Absolutely! Music connects to the soul, and it can guide the pace at the emotional center of consumer behavior. Similarly, color cosmetics like Urban Decay are very emotional—our consumers shop with us not only because they feel a ‘need’ to wear makeup, but also because they want to ‘feel’ good when they present themselves to the world. Urban Decay exists at the intersection of art and commerce, and we consistently couple sounds with our product to set the endorphin-boosting energy that we want our consumers to feel.
Reese: Should Brands have a long-term strategy/master plan in place regarding the use of music/sound in their branded communication?
Erdmann: Yes, definitely. We are very intentional about keeping an ongoing dialog with our consumers; we want them to know that Urban Decay is in all of the same places that they are. By maintaining a long-term strategy regarding the use of sound within our brand, we are able to continue evolving the conversation we are having with our consumers, both sonically and through products. The sounds we utilize are often upbeat, fun and familiar—and always aligned with UDs “fearless” mentality.
Reese: Is there a brand you admire for the way they approach music in their brand communication?
Erdmann: There are too many to name! We are forever fans of brands who have found ways to retain the their brand heritage while also using music to feel young and fresh, connecting with the new generation. It is incredible to see the role the music plays in communicating to communities authentically; this has been a laser focus for UD as of late. We are creating products, campaigns, and using music to build a long-lasting kinship with our consumer. As a brand, we want to show up for the consumer groups who may not always see themselves as fearless and beautiful. We’ve made it our jobs to welcome them in, turn up the music, and give them a colorful place to shine.
When it comes to specific brands, we love to look at the worlds within and outside of beauty to explore how they utilize sound in impactful ways. Among our favorites are Mugler, Viktor & Rolf, and YSL who have found the coolest juxtapositions between high-end luxury & edgy rockstar sounds. We also love what several the well-known heritage fashion houses are doing as well, and the ways in which they have connected to new pop stars to carry the sounds of their brand.
For UD, however, we opt not to stick with one distinct sound for our brand. We think of Urban as the perfect playlist—at our party, everyone is invited and we are ready to play their favorite song.
Note: The interview took place in California, US on the 17th of February 2023.
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