The Art of the Brand

Episode: Bogota & Beauty Brands: The Power of World-Building
Date: December 3, 2025
Hosts: Camille Moore & Philip Millar (with Steph as co-host)

Episode Overview

In this energetic and insight-rich episode, Camille, Philip, and Steph dive into their recent travels to Colombia, exploring the intersection of culture, branding, and world-building in the beauty industry. Drawing lessons from iconic Colombian establishments and the explosive success of Bella Beauty, they unpack what it really means to build a brand universe that resonates. The episode also examines current shifts in influencer marketing, the evolving role of AI in e-commerce, and dissects headline campaigns from Skims, Sephora, and Best Buy. World-building emerges as the episode’s central theme—the hosts argue it is the ultimate brand differentiator in a crowded market.

Key Discussion Points

1. Colombian Culture: World-Building at Andrés Carne de Res (05:19–10:33)

• Cultural Encounter: Hosts recount their visit to the famed Andrés Carne de Res in Bogota, highlighting its evolution from a roadside grill to a “Colombian fever dream”—an immersive, multi-sensory celebration that locals and visitors treasure.

• Authenticity as Differentiator: The restaurant’s founder, Andrés Jaramillo, infused artistic vision and eccentricity to make guests feel alive, focusing on creating an experience, not just a place to eat.

  "He was an artist...and he wasn't trying to build a restaurant, but a place to feel alive." – Steph (07:06)

• Implication for Brands: Organic, founder-driven passion creates genuine experiences that become brand legends.

2. Bella Beauty: A Masterclass in Brand World-Building (10:33–22:23)

• Category Disruption: Bella Beauty, founded by Isabella Chams and Ricky Jar, is pioneering the beauty space in Latin America, boldly targeting premium positioning despite economic headwinds.

• World-Building Elements:

  • Visual storytelling
  • Celebrity authenticity (Isabella’s “Carnival Queen” fame)
  • Unapologetic confidence and empowerment for Colombian women
  • Obsessive detail in product, packaging, and launch strategy

• Community over Critics: Brand loyalty is strengthened, not diminished, by controversy (e.g., the “foie gras” lip liner naming debate).

  “Your haters embolden the people who love you. If you’re scared of haters, you’re not gonna have fanatical fans.” – Philip (18:12)

• Luxury as Aspirational: Bella Beauty turns “premium problems” into desirability and pride—creating attainable luxury and cultural magic.

  “She makes women feel more beautiful. She makes women feel like they should gift themselves...you too can be like Isabella.” – Steph (22:20)

• Key Brand Lesson: Invest relentlessly into product quality and experience to create a universe consumers want to inhabit.

3. Spend Where the Wow Is (23:14–24:44)

• Experience Economy: Modern brands shouldn’t just focus on ROI—they must spend strategically on surprise, delight, and memorable moments that demand to be shared.

  “You have to spend on the wow factor, on the experience factor, on the creating the world factor.” – Steph (23:47)

4. The Strategic Role of Influencer Marketing (47:47–62:38)

• Influencer Saturation: Best Buy’s holiday campaign brings in 200+ creators—not for a signature voice, but to achieve volume, reach, and repeated impressions.

• Rule of Seven: Repetition and relevance outweigh “hero influencer” plays; diversified creators reach micro-communities.

• Creative vs. Quantity Debate: Philip argues substance and storytelling trump mere exposure:

  “If you try to do everything on the cheap and...save money on marketing...it stops that scaling. They [Bella Beauty] use the best creative people that we’ve seen.” – Philip (23:14)

5. AI Shopping & Brand Discoverability (27:34–34:13)

• AI Commerce Shift: Glossier and Skims are early to instant AI-based checkout (via ChatGPT and Stripe). Shopping shifts from Google-search-based to personalized AI-driven recommendations.

• Discoverability, Not Just Convenience: The most significant opportunity for brands is to become “discoverable” through AI agents—requiring deep, differentiated stories and credible PR.

  “AI agents are going to be synonymous with how we live...If an AI agent could tap into all of my purchase history...think about how much more powerful shopping can be.” – Steph (29:20)

• Ranking & PR: ChatGPT currently ranks brands based heavily on reputable PR sources and native placements; authentic, newsworthy stories boost AI relevance.

6. Skims, Sephora, and the Pitfalls of Brand Extension (36:14–44:13)

• Skims’ Expansion: Skims appoints Diarra Ndiaye (Amy Cole founder) as Head of Beauty & Fragrance—signaling a shift to broader lifestyle domination akin to Nike or Lululemon.

• Sephora’s Challenges: Heavy corporate control and PR-driven optics can alienate founders and warp brand missions—especially relevant after the Amy Cole fallout.

  “They brought her in for Black Lives Matter. But then whitewash, which means don’t believe corporate hype...They don’t care.” – Philip (39:14)

• Brand Cool Factor: The problem of mass-market dilution—what was once cool (Skims, Nike) risks losing magic when scaled and extended without a cohesive brand core.

7. Crisis Marketing and Manufactured Controversy (45:12–51:47)

• Sephora’s Mariah Carey Ad “Controversy”: Hosts debunk “tone-deaf” criticism as a media-generated non-story; warn founders against overreacting to manufactured outrage.

  “There’s not one customer who thought that, but that is the media making a signal, a noise...dangerous to founders.” – Philip (46:18)

• Double Down or Apologize: American Eagle’s back-to-back campaigns with Sydney Sweeney and Martha Stewart illustrate how brands can leverage or neutralize controversy.

• PR Metrics: Media metrics often highlight negative sentiment while ignoring sales—focus should remain on measurable business results.

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• On World-Building:

  “When you build a world, the people will come.” – Steph (17:17)

• On Authentic Foundership:

  “That’s always the secret...he didn’t do it just to build a restaurant, he did it to make people feel alive. That’s what you have to tap into.” – Philip (07:18)

• On Community and Controversy:

  “Their controversy has actually made their community stronger.” – Steph (18:06)

• On Expanding Beauty Accessibility:

  “$30 lip liner...is something that they can work a year towards to get. So they really prize this product.” – Steph (15:17)

• On Spending for Impact:

  “If you spend more than your competitors on the right spots...it will scale you 10x your competitors.” – Philip (23:14)

• On AI Agents and Shopping:

  “AI agents are going to be a much bigger thing in the world of commerce.” – Philip (29:11)

• On Corporate PR Motivation:

  “All the political correctness you see from corporations is just designed for to make money. They don’t care.” – Philip (39:14)

• On Influencer Overcrowding:

  “The creator economy is booming...but fashion and beauty are seeing a decline in engagement just because it’s so overdone, it’s so crowded.” – Steph (62:38)

Important Timestamps

| Segment | Topic | Timestamp | |---------|-------|-----------| | Colombian cultural vibe & Andrés Carne de Res | World-building in restaurants | 05:19–10:33 | | Bella Beauty | Brand-building masterclass | 10:33–22:23 | | Spending on experience | The ROI of wow factor | 23:14–24:44 | | AI in shopping | Discoverability over convenience | 27:34–34:13 | | Skims, Sephora, brand extensions | Founder’s dilemma | 36:14–44:13 | | Controversy in campaigns | Crisis, PR & manufactured outrage | 45:12–51:47 | | Best Buy’s 200 creator campaign | Volume vs. creative in influencer markets | 47:47–62:38 |

Episode Takeaways

• World-building is the highest form of brand strategy, turning businesses into cultural icons.
• Controversy, if authentic, can galvanize loyalty; manufactured outrage is often media noise.
• Invest boldly in product, packaging, and experience to differentiate—don’t chase ROI at the expense of magic.
• The future of discovery is AI-driven; authentic PR and unique storytelling will increase visibility in this emerging landscape.
• Influencer marketing is now a game of strategic volume—but creative resonance and thoughtful targeting are more important than ever.
• Mass market brands risk dilution; maintaining brand core and aspirational value is key to sustaining long-term relevance.

For in-depth culture, strategy, and branding wisdom, and to catch the exclusive Bella Beauty founder interview, listen to the full show and follow The Art of the Brand.