Online cosmetics manufacturer and online retailer Julep revealed a sneak peak of next month's installment in its subscription service through a live stream on Google+ with founder/CEO Jane Park to create buzz and boost the brand's image after a recent setback. 

Julep Maven is a service that allows consumers to subscribe to receive a monthly custom-set of products that can be picked from the curated collection for that month, often including exclusive products. However, because the company received an F from the Better Business last year due to the influx of customer complaints for the service, the decision to promote the June Maven Collection through a live-stream sneak peak may be an effort to create a greater personal connection with consumers and generate hype to drive up memberships. 

"We truly are the first digital beauty brand," said Jane Park, CEO/Founder of Julep, Seattle. "We harness customer feedback on social platforms throughout the product development process and even crowdfunded our award winning Plie wand last year."

Jane Park, who founded the beauty brand seven years ago, revealed the collection for the month of June on Friday afternoon through Google+, in which users were encouraged to send questions through social media channels for her to answer on the live stream. 

The beauty retailer has a long history of innovative marketing and business practices, along with a loyal following and a strong well-known presence on social media. Since Julep is a startup, consumers are more likely to be loyal to the service but when the company received an inundation of orders for June of 2013 it was difficult for the manufacturer and customer service departments to keep up with demands, causing a flood of complaints through social media. 

The brand is putting in a huge effort to shift this recent negative image and is attempting to connect more with consumers and turnaround the past business issues. Social media is the ideal way to connect to these consumers, as it is highly personal manner that creates a bond with consumers that is hard to match. 

Especially with a live stream, it is a greatly intimate experience and generates the feeling of a personal relationship with the brand and even the CEO. Ms. Park is answering fan questions, which creates the feeling as if she is speaking to them directly. 

A Julep executive at the NRF 104th Annual Convention & Expo said the beauty products company?s move to let the wisdom of the crowd influence product offerings stems from mobile?s growing prominence, spearheading a deep dive into social retail (see more).

After the rise of popularity in live-stream services such as Periscope and Meerkat, there has been an influx of brands getting in on the action to connect on a more personal level with consumers. 

Recently, Frito-Lay's Doritos raised the marketing stakes by hosting a chance-based game show on live-streaming service Periscope along with a team game on Twitter to promote its recently released Roulette chips and connect with a younger male demographic (see more).

"We use the #LiveWithJane Sneak Peaks to generate buzz and excitement amongst our maven community," Ms. Park said. "It allows them to ask Jane questions in real time on the collection so they can help decide how they?ll want to customize their box for the upcoming month."

Final take
Brielle Jaekel is editorial assistant at Mobile Marketer