The ‘Essence’ of Influence: Inside SheaMoisture’s First-ever International Brand Trip -

SheaMoisture took a leap when it hosted its first-ever international brand trip in Montego Bay, Jamaica. The beauty brand whisked away 13 influencers, community leaders and media members to a resort in March for three days of product exploration, live demos, styling sessions and cultural experiences to celebrate the launch of SheaMoisture’s Kalahari Melon Curl Stretch Collection.

Brianna Wright, head of p.r. and influencer marketing at SheaMoisture, took one whiff of the new product line and came away inspired to bring the “vacation in a bottle” to life. After a little wordplay, #Sheacation was born.

“To host an experience like this for Black women influencers was really about giving them the flowers they deserve and having them experience something that was about centering them, celebrating their hair and the different styles,” she says. “It felt really needed more than ever, and it set the stage for how we want to continue to elevate our consumers, our network, our community of influencers and quality experiences with our products, and, beyond that, honor the beauty and impact of the communities that we serve.”

While SheaMoisture regularly activates at Essence Festival, concerts and salon events, attendees were the ones who asked for more dedicated brand and community-focused events, Wright says, and the time felt right to expand internationally.

“Our influencers were craving it,” she says. “Jamaica is a picturesque vacation destination, but it’s also this vibrant cultural hub that’s rooted in Black and Caribbean heritage, which is so important to the DNA of SheaMoisture from a purpose and brand ethos perspective.”

Here, we explore three keys to brand trip success.

Inviting the Right People

With this brand trip serving as a big kickoff moment for the brand, it’s no surprise the team carefully considered the list of influencers and content creators to invite to Jamaica. Representation was central to the selection process—not just finding influencers with the most followers. Wright says, “You don’t often see people with type 4 hair or tighter curl textures on these brand trips,” so it was important for SheaMoisture to invite influencers who represented the brand’s broad consumer and fan bases, particularly as the new Curl Stretch Collection was designed for type 4 hair. Plus, several of the influencers who attended were of Jamaican and Caribbean descent.

“We chose influencers who were, one, in our community already, like our ride or dies and true Shea users and partners, and, two, who had a breadth of versatility and representation, from hair types and hairstyles to skin tones to lifestyles to personalities and passion points and everything in between,” Wright says. “We wanted content creators who were engaging and powerful storytellers with a range of follower sizes across various platforms, but also people who would have a positive vibe on-site and would mix well with each other.”

Developing an Itinerary with Intentionality

The trip finally made it out of the group chat, Wright says with a laugh, likening it to the social media trend that shows how what starts as a text conversation among friends can lead to actual travel plans.

“If you think it takes a long time to get you and your friends out of the group chat, it’s 10 times harder when it’s a brand trip,” she says. “There are so many elements, nuances and considerations. Some things we anticipated, and some things we uncovered in the planning process because it was our first time doing it.”

On day one, SheaMoisture welcomed attendees with a dinner on the beach accompanied by steel drum and fire performances. The second day was focused on the Curl Stretch Collection, starting with active sessions, including a custom waist beads workshop with The Divine Feminine and a stretch and dance class led by Dr. L’Antoinette Stines, founder of L’Acadco dance company.

Celebrity hair stylist and longtime SheaMoisture education partner Lacy Redway demoed the new products on a local model and shared tips for use before the influencers got their hair styled in an on-site salon and experienced the products for themselves. The day wrapped with a photoshoot on the beach once all the participants were professionally styled.

For the final day, SheaMoisture took the group to Harbour Street Craft Market for a little shopping and sightseeing, as well as a boat cruise around the Caribbean Sea.

“SheaMoisture is a brand that’s all about celebrating and supporting Black-owned businesses, getting to know and purchasing from local vendors, whether it’s buying bags, handmade jewelry, t-shirts and everything in between,” Wright says. “Getting them off the resort and into the local community was super important. We wanted it to feel authentic and have that personal experience for them.”

The evening culminated in a surprise performance by Bob Marley’s grandson, Skip Marley, which Wright describes as “the most beautiful way to tie the trip up with a ribbon—you can’t get any more Jamaican than Marley.”

Creating an Insta-worthy Paradise

When the attendees first arrived to their villas, they found the bathrooms stocked with a full suite of SheaMoisture hair and skin products—a first touchpoint. While some branded signage, messaging and logos were incorporated throughout the resort, Wright says the team didn’t want it to feel overly branded, and instead leaned into the beauty of the Jamaican backdrop, which played well on social. In fact, the red “Shea Bae” swimsuits sported by the influencers went viral.

“The strategy was really around two audiences we serve. We have our actual guests who are on the trip with us, but also, beyond that, there’s an audience that’s online watching from home,” she says. “We wanted them to also feel like they were on the trip with us, so from a brand content perspective, we shared a behind-the-scenes look at everything that was going on, from talking with the influencers to seeing the product experiences. It was probably the most engaged I’ve ever seen our audience.”

Of course, the influencers also produced their own content, talking about SheaMoisture’s products in “Get Ready with Me” and “Outfit of the Day” videos, hosting live Q&A sessions, and sharing play-by-play moments from the brand trip. Wright says the site became a content hub where the attendees were free to create and film without direction from the brand.

“Your brand will shine through when it feels authentic and you’re really honoring the guests, ensuring they have a positive experience. And that’s what they’ll remember most about the brand versus them just being talked at about the same product throughout the whole experience,” she says. “When you center your guests and honor the location and the community, that’s what’s going to resonate most and make them remember your brand for the experience and drive affinity.”

Photo credit: Shatimah Brathwaite