Great article by Cate. T. Corcoran for WWD on Crowdsourcing. She gives a good snapshot of what is being done in the fashion industry and introduces the concept for the beauty industry: “In beauty, mass production is king, but it’s easy to imagine crowdsourcing start-up funding; a service that would connect customers with special editions; makeup custom blended to match any digital fi le or swatch from the customer ( just like at the paint store), and contests for marketing, packaging and other ideas.”.

It is great to see that the concept of crowdsourcing, or Social Production, like we prefer to call it (the process of creating conversation between individuals, groups or experts, to produce something where there is mutual gain) as an option for beauty – finally! It is time to involve customers (friends & fans) in order to evolve. It is the only way to innovate and differentiate. Creating beauty products and experiences behind closed doors and planning expensive launches are a thing of the past. It is better to get the buy-in early on by inviting people to participate in the process.

People often wonder what is the future of beauty retail with the advent of online and pharmacies. Yesterday I happened to find myself in front on the Kiehl’s flagship store in the East Village (NY) on my way to an art supply store. I needed a gift for a friend and found the gorgeous Jeff Koons limited edition of the Creme de Corps. Beautiful & colorful tulip design plus all proceeds going to the Koons Family Institute (Koon’s son was abducted by his ex-wife which inspired him to fight for children’s rights). The staff was beyond kind and extremely helpful. She asked me what samples would my friend like, put the Creme de Corps in a beautiful box filled with dry flowers and surrounded by deluxe samples (I even got extra samples of the new Rosa Artica and Double Strength Deep Wrinkle Filler, the latter being my new best friend). 

So on the future of retail? Old fashioned experience & value: friendly staff, free product trial and (above all) pamper me. I will schlep there because they made me feel like a million dollars for less than $50.

Photo via vanityfair.com

Yesterday I went to Sephora Soho for a quick make up fix before dinner and played with make up at the Make Up Forever Boutique & Studio (two other boutiques were opened in the US at The Venetian in Las Vegas and at the South Coast Plaza in Cosa Mesa.  This is a great concept that was well implemented. Services include free make up classes with purchase of products not to mention the great variety of product available to experiment with. It is definitely a great studio experience and helps to differentiate the brand. My first thought was: it looks a lot like a department store. Does it make sense? What about the other brands? 

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the large product offering, so I agree that it is nice to have brand experts giving personalized consultations. But can’t stop thinking how will Sephora offer similar experiences to the other brands… One idea would be for Sephora to consider creating pop up stores within its stores to give all brands a chance, at some point, to connect with customers in a more personalized way. 

Picture: Courtesy photo Sephora Make Up Forever Concept Store (via The Red Lipstick Report)

Video: Watch the launch party here.

I was impressed by how Manwomanfilm used flowers as a decorative and beautifying element in a You Tube video back in August 2009. I always thought there was something unique about the style and treatment and was wondering if she would become a phenomena in the US. By this summer I recognized a similar treatment in the Rouge Dior campaign, then on a current Lord and Taylor campaign posted all over NYC. To top it off, Galliano’s Autum/Winter 2011 collection presented in Paris last July was total flower power. Galliano said: "I’m having a floral moment".

Coincidence? Or did Manwomanfilm inspired them all? I think she quietly did. 

Manwomanfilm Makeup Flower Garden, 110K views,  August 2009

Rouge Dior 2010

Lord & Taylor rebranding campaign

Dior Autumn/Winter 2011 by Galliano.

I was surprised to learn recently via Ad Age that some of the largest beauty and consumer package goods only appointed their first CMOs in the last 5 years. I guess they were running each brand as a separate marketing operation with their own individual budgets. But now realized that having one centralized team overseeing marketing (job descriptions may vary) may help bring efficiences. Or will it add another layer of complexity generating more meetings, reports and overhead to the already understaffed brands? Let’s hope that these changes help make the operations run smoother and more efficiently. 

L’Oreal: The last to appoint a CMO. As of Jan 1, 2011, Marc Menesguen, a L’Oreal 25 year veteran, will head the company’s newly created strategic marketing department (responsibilities to include: strategic watch, consumer understanding, marketing creativity, advertising creation, digital communication and distribution methods.)

Unilever: Named Keith Weed, its first CMO, in 2008 (also responsible for communications and sustainability issues)

Estee Lauder, Earlier in 2010 named Johnson & Johnson veteran Georgia Garinois-Melenikiotou as its first CMO.

Kimberly-Clark Corp. appointed its first CMO in 2007, Tony Palmer, Kellogg veteran.

Ad Age Article (found on Google): L’Oreal Appoints first CMO, Joining CPG, Beauty Peers, by Jack Neff, September 21st, 2010

I just read a great article by Cate T. Corcoran on WWD.com called: Marketing’s New Rage: Sponsoring Influential Bloggers. Fashion seems to be leading the way and I believe beauty brands must be dealing with similar issues of their own. This is a difficult topic, but Cate’s research and insights were very good and this is a must read for understanding the space. Bloggers are a fundamental part of both fashion and beauty industries that rely so strongly on word of mouth and influence. Some are bigger than traditional niche publications and brands are starting to realize that. Jessica Schroeder from the blog What I wore makes an interesting point in the article:

“The brands that are working with bloggers, I think they get it, they realize bloggers are their customers and their bloggers’ readers are their customers, so they’re taking that natural chain of who they want to work with. You have these customers who are already wearing their stuff, so why not see how you can take it further with design collaborations or videos?

In my opinion, open collaborations with bloggers and friends/fans (we call it Social Production) are the best way to go forward. Inviting them into the product development process, like Coach did resulting in the launch of 4 handbags designed by NY and LA fashion bloggers, and allowing them to participate in the research, ideation, design and launch can spur innovation, engagement and most importantly sales. This will create a different dynamic and revenue model for bloggers (how different is this from a free-lancer?) that may help solve the problem of trying to use traditional compensation strategies in our post-modern blogging media world.

Sources & Photo Credits: WWD & Refinery 29

Cosmetics and beauty apps continue to flood the market. Below is a list of the latest finds.

Beauty Calls – $0.99 (via Laser Beauty Cosmetics): Health and beauty tips, beauty consultation, home recipes and coupons.
TotalBeauty.com – Free: Over 45,000 beauty product reviews and ratings ranging from mass to prestige.

Cosmetifique – $0.99 (via Laser Beauty Cosmetics): A database of cosmetics ingredients that allows customers to search INCI names and provides a rating for each ingredient: great, good or bad.

Cruelty-Free – free (via Eco Salon): Searchable database of what companies are cruelty-free (beauty,household and personal care).

Haircaster – $0.99 (via Geek Sugar):  Uses location to find out the local weather and then analyzes how the humidity and temperature will affect hair.

Hair Make Over – $1.99 (via Laser Beauty Cosmetics): Offers over 250 hair styles to try virtually.

iPerfumer – Free: Personal fragrance consultant created by the fragrance house Givaudan. This App keeps track of the kind of fragrances you like and helps you choose new ones.

MyUVAlert – free (via Cosmetics Design): Provides sun protection information on the go and customreapplication reminders, local UV index forecasts, coupons, tips and more. 

Opi – Free: Browse over 200 Opi shades and select nail colors (according to skin tone).

Pretty Nails - $0.99 (via Geek Sugar):  GPS based searches on Google Maps for nail and manicure salon closest to you. 

More on Cosmetics & Beauty Apps: Cosmetics and Beauty apps from last year.

Sources: Laser Beauty Cosmetics, Geek Sugar, Cosmetics Design, EcoSalon.

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!