SWOT ANALYSIS:
BEAUTY EDITION
Rachell Brown – J333
The Beauty Department
vs. Total Beauty
thebeautydepartment.com
totalbeauty.com
STRENGTHS
The Beauty
Department
• Tutorials
• The design of the articles
• The layout of the website
Total Beauty
• Community section
• Total Beauty shop with
items featured in
articles and reviews
• Beauty articles and lists
comparing products
Overall, The Beauty
Department (TBD) has
various advantages. Firstly,
the design of the website is
much cleaner and easier to
navigate – I also feel that
the aesthetic is more fitting
to the theme. Also, the way
that the articles are
designed on TBD are more
appealing; the use of visuals
for tutorials and reviews
draws in more attention.
However, Total Beauty (TB)
has an advantage within the
community of the site
because readers are able to
interact with one another on
a message board.
WEAKNESS
The Beauty
Department
• Clarity of Hair Tutorials
• User interaction
Total Beauty
• Photos
• Overall site aesthetic
There were a few weaknesses in each blog. First, with TBD, I
found that the clarity on tutorials (specifically hair tutorials)
was lacking, which makes it difficult for the tutorial to do its
function. I also found that the opportunity for user
interaction is seriously lacking which can limit interest and
involvement. For TB I found that most of the pictures are just
random fillers – a lot of articles don’t feature original
pictures for that article, and a lot of pictures are used
multiple times for varying topics. Additionally, the design of
the site is really crowded and overwhelming – it doesn’t feel
girly or welcoming like most beauty sites.
OPPORTUNITIES
The Beauty
Department
• Reader interaction
• Representation of a
“normal” girl
Total Beauty
• DIY and tutorials
Each site has some
opportunities it is missing
out on. TBD is missing out on
reader interaction and
contribution to the site, as
well as a representation of
an “average” girl. For
example, the site was
founded by MTV star Lauren
Conrad and her makeup
artist, and all of the
contributors are
professionals; there is no
representation of an
average, untrained girl.
While TB is missing out on
DIY and tutorials, which is
what most girls visit beauty
sites for.
THREATS
The Beauty
Department
Total Beauty
• The Beauty Department
• www.martinisandmascara.com
• www.pixiwoo.com
• Total Beauty
• www.maskcara.com
• www.amodelrecommends.com
Ultimately, both sites are each others biggest threats because
TBD and TB cater to the same audience. However, there are still
other blogs out there that offer things that TBD and TB don’t,
which make them competition. For example, MaskCARA and A
Model Recommends are main competitors for TBD because the
authors are also professionals within the industry and feature
some similar items, like tutorials and the lack of reader
interaction. Martinis and Mascara and PixiWoo are threats to TB
because they feature the same review-style formatting and also
take users’ needs into consideration. All of these blogs are
popular within the beauty community, which I feel makes them
all competitors naturally.
BEAUTY SITES OVERALL
Overall, b o t h T h e B e a u t y D e p a r t m e n t a n d
Total Beauty differ in strengths and
weaknesses. Personally, I feel that TBD does
a better job at meeting readers’ needs – it
also has less weaknesses than strengths.
TBD – This site is the best option for tutorials
and DIY; it also has the best overall
aesthetic. However, it is missing reader input
and a voice for the “average” girl.
TB – This site is more interactive and features
a few different types of articles. However,
the site is cluttered and is lacking well -done
tutorials.