Online Exclusive: An HBA Education
HBA Global 2010 was chock full of educational opportunities. With a plethora of topics that ran the gamut – from international growth and expansion to materials and design innovation to marketing and social media, there was truly something for everyone. With so much going on, the problem was trying to decide which programs to attend.
Written By Steve Katz, Associate Editor
The session titled “Creating a Successful Beauty Brand” provided in-depth discussions on how brands can successfully find their niche and promote growth. Moderated by Donna Barson, the founder of Barson Marketing Inc., the session featured three speakers: Jamie Kern Lima, CEO, IT Cosmetics; Donna Sturgess, president, Buyology; and Carrie Gross, president and CEO, Dr. Dennis Skincare.
“Don’t doubt your brand,” implored Jamie Kern Lima, as she shared some candid advice on what it takes to personally overcome that uneasy feeling new brand owners may have. She strongly urged these folks to figure out what it takes – whether it be by prayer or a mental image – and use that as a tool to remain confident in your brand. She also added, “Be prepared to know and sell your brand to anyone, and be prepared to hear ‘no’.” Lima also emphasized the importance of establishing a strong web presence. “The web is your BFF. As a new brand, word of mouth on the internet is invaluable.”
Donna Sturgess focused on the significance of the consumer’s subconscious – when it comes to their buying habits. She said, “Fifteen percent of our decisions are made in the conscious, and 85% of our decision making is unconscious – and this is extremely important.” Sturgess then suggested that looking at data and patterns can be quite helpful in revealing just what is motivating people to buy, and said that a consumer’s mindset can be broken down into four “neurotypes,” which are awe, superiority, explore and harmony. And cosmetic brands, she said, often “have a double dose of harmony.”
Sturgess also stressed four key points that brands should take into account: Understand the deeper drivers and motivations of customers; know how your customer defines your relationship. She said, “Does it match? Actively measure and manage relationships. And be remarkable if you want customers top talk about your brand.
With the anti-aging skin care market flourishing, Dr. Dennis Skincare decided to give itself a “brand facelift,” Carries Gross explained, and provided insight into the rebranding process. One of the keys, she said, is keeping the strong visual elements in place. “Our colors remained the same, but we allowed are primary and secondary packaging to evolve.” She also said the new name attracted a medical and clinical element. “Take your brand to where the customer is,” she said.
Nica Lewis, director of consulting for Mintel Beauty Innovation, was “intentionally provocative,” as she began the session titled “Design Innovations: Working Magic With New Materials.” She stated her strong feelings toward the world’s dwindling supply of oil, and added that it’s been estimated that it will run out in 30 years. “As lovely as beauty products are, we have to take this very seriously,” she said, and then offered three ideas for exploration ¬– new products, new materials (that are sustainable), and new concepts to reduce waste.
Lewis emphasized the trend towards the use of tactile elements in packaging, but asked, “What can we use that’s tactile, but also natural?” One answer to this is wood, and Lewis cited a recent limited edition bamboo case from Eden as a great example. And among new materials with green potential, she talked about tree-free materials and, in particular, PLA usage for cosmetic packaging.
Next, Lewis highlighted new concepts to reduce waste. She reminded the audience that she was being “intentionally provocative” in this session, as she discussed the potential benefits of hybrid, cross category products, referring to skin care + cosmetics products, for example. Other new concepts she discussed were flexible, stand-up pouches, and refillable and reusable packaging.
Jill Tomandi, creative director and VP of product/package development for Stila Cosmetics presented case studies that echoed many of the concepts Lewis presented with real-life applications. When it comes to green packaging, she stated simply to “do the best your can.”
Andrew Dent, VP of materials research for Material ConneXion, spoke candidly about the new materials, or perhaps the lack thereof. “There aren’t that many new things,” he said, adding, “but it’s how you use what we already have.” Dent said promoting your products is of paramount importance. “You can have the best material in the world, but it’s all about how you market it,” he said. Dent also suggested that beauty packaging designers look to other industries for ideas, as there are more than 5,000 commercially available materials, and “it’s okay to borrow from other industries. Look around, and you will get inspiration,” he said.
Celebrity fragrances have never been more popular. And during the session “Trends in Celebrity Fragrance Packaging,” the segment’s growth, as well as the packaging design process, was discussed in great detail by Coty’s Nerav Mehta.
The session began with a video montage of myriad of celebrity and celebrity designer fragrances that Coty has brought to market. And the percentage of top-selling fragrances that are celebrity brands is staggering. For example, nine out of the top 10 launches this year are celebrity or celebrity designer launches.
Mehta then led the audience on the design journey – from “inspiration to execution.” The inspiration part of the process, Mehta said, includes capturing “the unique elements of a celebrity’s lifestyle and personal qualities.” And turning the concept into a reality involves 3D modeling and prototyping, and a review of the tooling development the will be need for the project, followed by testing.
Mehta than led the audience in hands-on presentations using some of his favorite celebrity fragrances he’s recently worked on. He focuced first on McGraw by Tim McGraw, a huge mass market hit for Walmart. Mehta showed how the rope in the fragrance bottle’s cap was inspired by the rope that the singer wears in his trademark cowboy hat, and how the shoulder shape of the bottle was inspired by the brim of the hat. The bottles leather finish, Mehta said, was developed using a photochemical transfer process to etch the pattern and create a soft touch finish. And the guitar pick is embossed in the glass mold, an obvious reference to the singer’s guitar playing. The bottle was a 2009 FiFi winner for Men’s Fragrance.
Also discussed in great detail was the inspiration and execution processes for Halle by Halle Berry, and Faith Hill and Beyonce's fragrance lines. For Beyonce, the inspiration was heat, passion and performance, which in turn explains the gold and molten pattern with dark red spray from the bottom on the bottle that mimics fire.
During the session titled “20 Tips on Design From Past IDPA Award Winners,” attendees were treated to an opportunity to hear – firsthand – the thought processes and design strategies that have gone into winning packaging. The three panelists, all from leading packaging and design firms, answered specific questions following their presentations, and those in attendance left with some valuable tips to apply to current and future projects.
Russ Napolitano, VP business development and brand strategy for Wallace Church, gave an in-depth overview of the design of the RGX body spray. “Male body spray was a growing category, and going into it we knew were going to be behind Tag and Axe.” Targeting the 16-25 year old demographic, Napolitano said one of the challenges was moving away from Right Guard, because “Dad was using that,” he said. “The lugnut look that we used appeal to our target audience, as did the brushed metal, which has a ‘techno’ look. “We wanted to understand the conceptual hierarchy, which we determined to be colors, shape, numbers and words. Customers loved the new icon, and the very few words that we used implied simplicity and being fresh.”
“Innovation is a real dark art,” said Rebecca Goswell, creative director, HCT Packaging. She discussed sustainable innovation, which, she said, is “not just innovation for the sake of it. It must encourage consumers to repurchase.” She also suggested taking ideas from other markets, and implores her design team to “be a sponge” when working on a project and to think about social issues and the economy.
Maesa Group’s Scott Oshry discussed the recent challenges he’s faced in designing a new product line for Payless ShoeSource. “We decided that we needed to play off the mindset of the customer,” he said. With that said, he described how Maesa developed items like hand sanitizer and nail polish – SKU’s that go with shoes and handbags, the company’s signature products.
Philippe Lahmani, president of CCV Inc., gave a presentation on a relatively new, yet emerging technology – Cosmetotextiles. He defined the term as the coming together of cosmetics and textiles, by embedding fabric with microencapsulated active cosmetics to be released on the skin. He said the microencapsulation isolates an active substance from the outside environment and envelops it in a polymer sphere, the microcapsule. “Imagine a microcapsule like a grape,” Lahmani said. “One side is the pulp, or our cosmetic ingredient protected from its environment. The other side is the skin, serving as an envelope that protects the active ingredients from external aggressions.”
The process, Lahmani said, allows for a steady and controlled release of the cosmetic agents. “This process has no harmful effect on the textile properties, and guarantees the effectiveness of the active agents. Plus, it provides the longest possible resistance to washing wear,” he said. The first scented textile, Lahmani added, hit the market in 1995, by Hermes with its “Carre” scarf. Lahmani believes the technology is poised to take off, and discussed the use of the technology by the French company Lytess, who created a line of slimming tights and bike shorts. Here, he said, the “cosmetotextile delivers what women are looking for: a slimmer silhouette without hassle and without effort.”
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