Estee Lauder So Ingenious Launch Supported With $6 Mil. Ad/Promo Budget

Estee Lauder So Ingenious Multi-Dimension Powder Makeup, arriving on counter in March, will be backed with a $6 mil. advertising/promotional budget targeting younger consumers, according to VP-Marketing Daniel Annese.

Breaking in March fashion, beauty and lifestyle books, the So Ingenious print campaign will feature Lauder spokesmodel Carolyn Murphy. Designed by VP-Global Advertising Aerin Lauder, the ad is meant to look "very contemporary, young and modern," Annese said.

Ads will show Murphy wearing suede pants and a silk blouse, representing the "silky and suede" finishes of the foundation powder, and will carry the tagline, "Exclusive technology changes the face of makeup."

So Ingenious also will be promoted with "hundreds of thousands" of deluxe samples, as well as nearly 10 mil. catalog blow-ins inviting customers to try the product, the exec added.

Estee Lauder's So Ingenious introduction marks the firm's foray into the powder foundation category.

Although the company currently is a market leader in the liquid foundation category with products such as Lucidity , Futurist and Double Wear Stay-In-Place Makeup, the firm has never participated in the powder foundation segment, Annese maintained.

"We looked at this as a $300 mil. segment that Estee Lauder should be competing in," he said. "This is a major foundation strategy to build our leadership in the foundation category."

One reason Estee Lauder has developed a marketing plan that targets younger consumers is that powder foundation users tend to be younger women, mostly in their 30s, Annese noted. Lauder's existing liquid foundation users tend to be in their 40s.

"We see this as an incremental opportunity because people who like liquid foundations will be satisfied with what they are using now and we are going after a younger consumer who has never used one of our foundations," Annese maintained.

Lauder recently signed Murphy as the brand's spokesmodel as part of its effort to attract younger consumers beginning around age 28. The company said it will continue to use actress Elizabeth Hurley to promote the brand through personal appearances (^{1 1} (Also see "Estee Lauder Names Supermodel Murphy To Promote New Brand Image" - HBW Insight, 10 Sep, 2001.), p. 3).

So Ingenious makeup is expected to generate approximately 12%-15% of Lauder's foundation sales, Annese said.

The product is formulated with Estee Lauder's proprietary QuadraColor technology, which is "flexible to the touch, to the movement, to the light and to the finish," Annese explained. The technology allows the powder makeup to adjust its tone up or down in varying light sources, the firm claims.

So Ingenious marks the first time Lauder has used the QuadraColor technology, but the company is exploring additional opportunities of using it in future makeup products, Annese said, noting "It is the first time a customer will see QuadraColor, but certainly not the last."

The So Ingenious applicator is said to provide an additional benefit by offering either a sheer, translucent finish or rich, smooth coverage depending on which side of the applicator is used.

One side of the applicator is soft for a "silky" finish while the other is spongy for a "suede" finish, eliminating any need to wet the applicator.

The powder foundation will be available in 16 shades, which represents an expansion of the traditional 12-shade range of most Lauder foundations, the firm said. Shades range from fair to deep "to meet every woman's need," Estee Lauder said.

The product is housed in an Estee Lauder signature blue-colored compact. The oil-free powder foundation will retail for $32.50.

So Ingenious is part of Estee Lauder's current focus on its color cosmetics business, Annese said, noting the company is working on face makeup now and will later move into the eye category.

Lauder plans to introduce Illusionist Maximum Curling Mascara in May, which will represent a "major" mascara introduction, according to Annese.