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.

As part of our Beauty Series of Interviews, launched during Social Media Week NY (February 2010), we interviewed Ron Robinson, industry veteran and founder of BeautyStat – a highly targeted expert driven community that connects women around beauty. He shared with us his inspiration to start his community, how he came up with his tagline "Beauty of Facts not Fiction", how brands can listen to consumer conversations and involve them on their product development process. He also touched on trends for the future, the power of social media, the role of the beauty blogging community and BeautyStat VIP Blogger program and much more. Check out the video on YouTube: Part 1 and Part 2. Enjoy!

I learned through Solessence.com that Sephora launched a series of vending machines in 6 major US airports before the holiday season (BNA in Nashville, TN; LAS in Las Vegas, NV; IND in Indianapolis, IN; DFW in Dallas, TX; JFK in Queens, NY; and IAH in Houston, TX). Last September we reported on the launch of U*tique in the US, a high end vending machine selling top notch products at convenient locations (the first one was launched at Fred Segal in LA). Sephora’s move confirms a trend for alternative use of vending machines (a Japanese tradition), but further establishes them as a truly innovative retailer, providing convenience and reliability to customers, by anticipating their needs (i.e. placing easy to use vending machines after security checks at airports). Sephora will also have vending machines inside JCPenney stores and malls. I can’t wait Sephora’s next retail innovation!

Shared by Andrea

Blogs are great resources for marketers. Temptalia, besides having a constant stream of comments on its posts, also asks direct questions to its reader base. There were 39 responses to the question “What role does packaging play in your purchases?” posted on June 26th. Many said that packaging is very important, but functionality and simplicity seemed to be a common theme. However, product quality is still more important.  The following brands were mentioned as great examples of packaging: MAC, YSL, Guerlain and Benefit. Product development, marketing and sales teams should be monitoring the most active blogs in their categories in order to take advantage of these free outputs that are direct results of mass collaboration. Visit Temptalia to review the 39 responses.

Shared by Andrea

Makeover Magic is an example of great intentions to integrate content of a powerful beauty brand with a traditional magazine in the online space. It is a really cool concept that allows users to do some experimenting with hairstyles, fashion and and make up (and shop at the same time). However, I found two main issues with the campaign: first, it is hard to find it on the home page due to content clutter and second, it is unclear what we should once we get to the Makeover Magic page. It took me a long time to figure it out. A little intro paragraph or a demo would have made the tool much more effective. Simpler is always better – I think they tried to do too much at once. I am curious to see what will be the conversion for Cover Girl.

Shared by Andrea

Interesting how the pharmacy market, once a place to buy your medicine and some traditional mass brands like L’Oreal Paris and Cover Girl, seems to be segmenting into "specialty mass" – not masstige. Pharmacies in France sell a wide range of beauty products with various price ranges. It feels like since L’Oreal introduced Vichy in the US, the market started to resemble more like the French model. Last year CVS launched Beauty 360, an upscale beauty boutique attached to their regular stores. Duane Reade just went through a rebranding and is looking a lot more modern (reminds me of Boots in the UK). However, there are some pharmacies that remained true to their more traditional and/or apothecary concepts that are now building strong beauty businesses according to WWD: Navarro, Pharmaca and London Drug (I would add Bigelow Chemists in NYC). As pharmacies offer a more personalized service and a better shopping environment they become a natural fit for retailing a wider range of beauty products. Why did the US market assumed for so long that pharmacies could only sell the most inexpensive mass products – if it has been a proven concept in many European markets?

Shared by Andrea

Free Beauty Samples is a new online beauty marketing tool providing free samples to potential customers according to their skin type. It is a great service for marketers wanting to reach a group of potential customers eager to try the latest and greatest products. Ultimately, the goal is to generate positive reviews and sales. It was probably developed using a tool called Facebook Connect and the actual site lives inside Facebook. A separate blog (www.fbsamples.com) linking to the page in Facebook offers product reviews (given that the company’s initials are FB, the URL almost looks like a clever play on words with Facebook). If executed well, this can be a phenomenal way for beauty companies to generate valuable insight about their businesses – and to learn more about ’social media’. I signed up for it today (very easy), but due to high demand, I was told that I am on a wait list. I can’t wait to receive my first batch of free samples.

Click here to sign up: http://apps.facebook.com/freebeautysamples/

Click here to view the blog: www.fbsamples.com 

Twitter Profile (52 followers): www.twitter.com/FBSamples 

Facebook Fan page  (156 fans): http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=55526938958

Shared by Andrea

There has been several attempts to leverage scents as a marketing tool but finally a company found a way to integrate it in a practical way. Transparent Packaging launched a "multi-sensorial" packaging that releases the scent of a product when customers rub the surface of the package. Great innovation and this may be the beginning of what I would call "interactive cosmetic packaging".

Cosmetics Design Europe Excerpt:

This latest innovation from Transparent Packaging aims to bring the smell of products out of the packaging without resorting to unsightly ’scratch and sniff stickers’. Read the complete article here.

Insight by Leah
As demand increases, organic/natural preservatives are becoming more readily available, but still at very high costs. If the costs are still high, I wonder what preservative systems organic/natural mass brands are currently using to preserve products while still making a margin?

Shared by Andrea

Interesting post! There is so much talk about sea salt. Learn about the different salts used in formulations. Posted on Twitter by @bathbodysupply.