Has fragrance licencing gone too far? I had to think a bit when I read the article on WWD. It is quite an odd but somewhat interesting spin. It also reminds me of fragrances like Adidas that are a little souless. Are the notes based on the author’s experience? Or on the interpretation of the words by Fresh? Is it an attempt to leverage Julia Roberts as the main character? In any case, the price point is low enough and the packaging similar enough to Fresh look and feel, that it may do well regardless of the unusual association. I am curious to see the online campaign and the actual scents!

I often think about social responsibility and how brands can stand out these days. I firmly believe that instead of governments, the private sector should be the main driver of social change (a combination of doing good and doing well). Social media enables people to share their opinions and advocate. Brands are trying to figure out how to use social media in order to create meaningful conversations. These conversations will be created, shared and multiplied if they are rooted in causes that are relevant and dear to their fans/advocates (shall we no longer call them customers or consumers?). 

So I was very glad that at the recent WWD CEO Summit (May 2010) there was a panel discussion about digital marketing that brought up the concept of relevancy to our industry. Panelists included B. Bonin Bough, global director of digital and social media at PepsiCo; Jory des Jardins, president, strategic alliances, and co-founder of BlogHer Inc.; Kevin Kells, national industry director of consumer packaged goods at Google Inc., and Fred Mossler of Zappos.com. 

The highlight, in my opinion, was introducing the audience to PepsiCo’s Refresh project, which is giving away $20 million to sponsor community projects driven by individuals, not organizations. PepsiCo reallocated budget from its Superbowl opening ad position into this effort in order to build relevance in the eyes of the consumer while promoting the health of its brand.

Here are some interesting quotes from WWD article Digital Directive that covered the panel, June 06/11/10: "Bough (from PepsiCo) observed, “When people are having conversations about our brand online, are they mentioning these attributes — a brand that I can’t live without, a brand that I know supports my passions?”He continued, “What it was really about was, can the brand stand for something, can we remind people that a soda can make a difference and, even more, that your choice makes a difference? Kells of Google added, “Relevancy is tied to effectiveness. That’s where I think in the next decade, the conversation has to switch.” He added that the industry has been too hung up on efficiency. The best way to grow the top line, he asserted, “is to be more effective. The way to do that is to be more relevant at the right moment for the right outcome.”

Brands like MAC have connected and created relevance through many ways and specially with Viva Glam. Most of the other beauty companies support breast cancer. However our beauty fans/advocates are dealing with a wide variety of interests, needs and wants, that brands could tap into to connect and create relevance. Why don’t you ask them what they care about before your next campaign?

Credits: Photo by Harvey Bilt, WWD.com

Shiseido was the first to introduce a digital make up mirror in Japan, according to Springwise (3/15/2010). Now Walmart has started a trial in 10 stores according to WWD (5/28/2010): 

"Wal-Mart is quietly testing a virtual makeup mirror in a 90-day trial at 10 stores in various locations around the country. The technology uses IBM, Sprint and EZface to allow shoppers to test makeup virtually by taking a photo and scanning barcoded cosmetics that are applied to the image. Shoppers can save their image and e-mail it to themselves." 

Customers can test makeup, hair-coloring and other facial products. Craig Velliquette, a client executive for IBM’s Wal-Mart team, tells StorefrontBacktalk: “It’s providing customers shopping assistance for a variety of looks, including day and night looks.” 

If this test proves successful and the tool gets rolled out, Walmart may revolutionize the way women buy make up and skin care forever, bringing down trial and sampling costs for manufacturers while giving customers a better idea of how products will look once applied. Brands will be able to use this tool to quickly promote new and complimentary products online. The future may be here!

Estee Lauder announced this week that it will purchase Smashbox, the LA photo-studio and Hollywood inspired brand, founded by Dean and Davis Factor, great-grandsons of legendary Hollywood makeup artist Max Factor. The move by Lauder complements the existing make-up portfolio consisting of MAC and Bobbi Brown, both make up artists brands and shouldn’t bring any cannibalization. Au contraire, it gives Lauder access to a younger audience reached by a variety of alternative channels (outside the traditional department store that is responsible for 30% of Lauder’s sales) including QVC, Sephora, ULTA and Macy’s new Impulse Beauty concept.

Smashbox will also bring knowledge in digital and social media."We are excited to be acquiring a uniquely positioned cosmetics brand with true talent well known for engaging consumers," John Demsey, a group president at Estee Lauder (LA Times).

Here are my 3 takeaways from the acquisition:

- Expansion into new channels of distribution (i.e. assisted open-sell environments and specialty distribution channels)

- Access to younger generation

- Expertise in digital and social media to advance its current capabilities

Read original Estee Lauder Press Release. Found at NYTimes blog.

Eco-friendly nail polish manufacturer, Zoya is celebrating Earth Day by inviting customers to exchange old (most likely toxic) nail polish for brand new ones. To qualify, they need to send at least 6 bottles and pay $3.50/each for shipping. Zoya will ship replacements in the shades of their choice and commits to safely dispose old bottles according to EPA guidelines (they should be treated like other paints and solvents). Great example of an eco-conscious campaign that fits the company’s philosophy, while promoting new products and educating consumers about ingredients and safe disposal of old polish.

Here what others said about this campaign: 

Awakened Aesthetic, Planet Green, Greening Austin Daily, GreenWala, Krasey Beauty

Karen Rabinovitz, creatrix of Purple Lab NY debuted her line on HSN last Thursday, Feb 18th with 5 new products. Last December, she shared the news with her Huffington Post readers:

"I have the biggest news of a lifetime … HSN! HSN! HSN! Purple Lab and I are coming to HSN! The dream! I cannot even begin to explain the excitement I have and appreciation for this – to be touching something I have prayed for, went into debt for, and worked to the bone for is just such a gift."

Purple Lab NY is a mirror image of Karens’ amazing personality, drive and passion for beauty, fashion and empowering women. I’ve been following her pretty much since  their launch last May and it is amazing what she has accomplished in such a small period of time. A lot of her success, I believe, comes from her use of social media in a fantastic way to share her experiences while inviting people to participate in her journey – very open, honest and inclusive. The debut at HSN was fully supported by her community: from the model that joined her on-air (came from a model search with 2,500 entries) to the 25 HSN blogger parties hosted across the country and Temptalia’s support backstage (one of the most influential bloggers in the beauty industry). Purple Lab NY is a brand to watch and follow. A breath of fresh air in our industry. Mwah to Karen and team! 

Read more about the launch on HSN:

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Meet ups, Tweet ups – huh? Events now come in many different shapes and names and have become a popular format for connecting bloggers that interact on a regular basis through social media tools.

"The Bi-Annual NYFW Media Mixer is the premiere event for bloggers and online media to connect and network to connect with the best brands in the industry". Press Release.

Established beauty expert and blogger Lianne Farbes of The Make Up Girl and Paul Barandam, executive publisher/editor of online magazine Beyond Beauty Basics created the BiAnnual NYFW Media Mixer, and hosted their second event on Saturday Feb 13th at ION’s Studio in Soho. The event was a huge success with a guest list that closed by the end of January. They were also able to secure an extensive list of sponsors with the main spot secured by Secret for Women. Other sponsors included Tarte Cosmetics, Ted Gibson Beauty (he was hanging out with bloggers & taking pictures), Lierac Skincare, Phyto Haircare, Suave Beauty, La Roche-Posay , PH8 , Vichy Skincare, Stila Cosmetics, Zeno, Gillette Venus, Zoya Nail Polish & Treatments (plus Prosecco and Moscato provided the drinks). ION Studio, a boutique, environmentally friendly hair salon / art gallery hosted over 200 people without a problem. There was a very interesting vibe in the room, a mix of college reunion and speed dating. Many were hugging and dancing while others were mingling and putting faces to Twitter/Blog names. I had a great time, made new friends and even got a ride home with @coutorture (who I met through @kraseybeauty and @thebeautychick3). The four of us had a great chat about their experiences blogging, adnetworks, Fashion Week leaving Bryant Park, etc. Not to mention that we were sent home with a pretty heavy goodie bag including very generous full size products from the sponsors. 

Several brands were represented by their communications, online teams and/or their PR agencies and even founders (Ted Gibson and Karen Robinovitz, Purple Labs). However, I still went home wondering why there weren’t more marketers there. Bloggers are great media outlets, but more importantly, they are the source of priceless insights and product feedback. They are the uber educated consumer. A  brand manager and product developer’s dream! PR/Communications teams need to make this connection. ASAP! It will be the best win win situation.

thenhuch.com hosted an interview with Ted Rubin, CMO of e.l.f Cosmetics as part of Social Media Week in NYC. In an intimate event, that took place at the new e.l.f showroom and headquarters, Ted spoke to us about social media, social commerce, relationship with bloggers, askelf, tips about tweeting and managing different social media tools, the importance of public relations and much more. He also invited Achelle Dunaway, the creative force behind the brand, to share her insights and experiences with us. Check out the video and let us know what you think!

 Watch The Beauty of Social Commerce with Ted Rubin CMO of elf Cosmetics.

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Great social marketing campaign by Bobbi Brown reported by the The Beauty Chick blog. Asking their community why Bobbi Brown Cosmetics makes them feel "pretty powerful" is a clever way to gather huge amounts of insights and sentiment about the brand. This is a good example of using giveaways/sampling as currency in exchange for a specific action – others include blog comments, retweet, follow, fan, join a community, etc. These non-monetary exchanges create awareness and allow brands to engage with their communities and generate conversation. Mining the data may take time, but it can provide a great window into the future. Quite brillant!