4 - Mehdi Mehdi, Rare Beauty

In Earned Episode 4, Conor interviews Mehdi Mehdi, chief digital officer at Selena Gomez’s highly anticipated beauty line Rare Beauty, and former VP of Digital at NYX Professional Makeup. We learn that Mehdi, who spent most of his childhood in Beirut, attributes much of who he is—and where he is—today to what he learned growing up in Lebanon. After moving back to the States to study political science, Mehdi explains how he eventually found his way into the beauty world, and walks us through the early days of NYX—revealing how he helped turn a small name brand (at the time) into a social media powerhouse and influencer marketing trailblazer. Mehdi talks about the importance of understanding your consumer’s perspective and leveraging your influencer community, and shares his most-used marketing strategies, including a thoughtful approach to building long-term influencer relationships.