28 Aug Unit 5_CM410_Discussion response
13634Respond or elaborate on the response below:
Sephora is a global beauty retailer that offers a wide range of makeup, skincare, haircare, fragrance, and other beauty products. It was founded in France in 1970 and is now owned by the luxury group LVMH. Sephora operates thousands of stores worldwide and is recognized for its distinctive black-and-white branding and open-sell format, which enables customers to freely test products before making a purchase (Sephora, 2025).
From a cultural perspective, Sephora illustrates how organizations build systems of meaning through shared symbols, rituals, and values. One of the most notable cultural artifacts is its black-and-white color scheme and logo, which convey a sleek, premium identity. Stores are designed as open-sell environments, allowing customers to test products freely, a practice that reflects Sephora’s founding story in France in 1970. Employees are called “cast members,” framing the store as a stage where shopping is not just a transaction but an experience (Hopp, 2018). The tagline “We Belong to Something Beautiful” reinforces values of inclusivity and belonging, which have become central to the brand (Sephora, 2025).
The organization’s culture conveys power, though not always in a direct, top-down manner. Employees are guided by management’s deliberate campaigns and rituals, such as red-carpet grand openings or “Classes for Confidence” that engage specific communities. These events shape behavior and reinforce the brand’s identity while making employees feel part of a larger purpose (Hughes, 2021). At the same time, Sephora empowers its employees and customers by framing them as active participants in the experience. Power operates through identity and belonging rather than strict rules.
Sephora illustrates a blend of approaches, but it leans toward the purist perspective. The culture is not only designed by management but is lived daily by employees and customers through rituals, stories, and experiences. The open-sell model, insider terminology like “cast members,” and local community classes are examples of culture emerging from interaction. At the same time, campaigns like “We Belong to Something Beautiful” represent a pragmatic element where leadership actively shapes culture to achieve business outcomes (Mumby & Kuhn, 2019).
Metaphors and rituals stand out in Sephora’s culture. The metaphor of theater frames employees as performers and customers as participants in a curated experience. Rituals such as store openings, community classes, and even in-store product testing reinforce identity and belonging. The founding story of Sephora, introducing the open-sell model, continues to define how the company positions itself globally, making culture not only part of its history but also part of its daily communication and branding (Hopp, 2018).
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