Coty CEO Advises Firms To Go Virtual, Cash In On Celebrity Mania
This article was originally published in The Rose Sheet
Executive Summary
Coty is joining the growing number of beauty and personal-care companies that promote their products across cyber-space, introducing its newest Calvin Klein fragrance in virtual reality
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Coty is joining the growing number of beauty and personal-care companies that promote their products across cyber-space, introducing its newest Calvin Klein fragrance in virtual reality. According to CEO Berend Beetz, who spoke at a March 28 Cosmetic Executive Women event in New York, Coty plans to market Calvin Klein IN2U in the digital 3D environment called Second Life. A virtual world opened to the public in 2003, Second Life allows users to interact with one another through "avatars" - virtual beings they create to mirror themselves. Coty's IN2U is the first fragrance to be offered in the Second Life sphere. The Internet provides a forum for Coty to remain in direct contact its consumers, Beetz noted. "Talking with the consumer is always a continuous feed. [It is] a major factor to influence the way we shape our business model." Coty's move reflects firms' increasing reliance on technology to capture consumer dollars. Last month Unilever launched an interactive Web site to promote its newest Sunsilk launch (1 (Also see "Unilever’s Sunsilk Stages Blonde/Brunette Fight, Brings Cationic Dye To Mass" - HBW Insight, 5 Mar, 2007.), p. 9). Scentest Communication has partnered with L'Oréal to explore the effectiveness of free-standing sampling kiosks. Coty has also found success in riding the latest trends - specifically America's fascination with its celebrities, Beetz said. "There is a major shift in society away from the minimalism and back to glamour. We saw it everywhere, how much people [are] obsessed with celebrities." In fact, the drama surrounding celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez helped inspire the Coty franchise. Her name "was on every newspaper stand we looked at. We combined it into a project, and we came out with [ Jennifer Lopez Glow ]," Beetz said. That scent, which bowed in 2002, was the first of the firm's seven Jennifer Lopez fragrances. It was one of the top prestige fragrance hits that year, according to NPD (2 (Also see "J. Lo Glow, Chanel Chance Top 2002 Fragrance Launches – NPD" - HBW Insight, 3 Feb, 2003.). p. 14). - Molly Laas ([email protected]) |