Comprehensive research, strategic planning and valuable insights with a creative, editorial flair -- fundamental elements that contribute to successful campaigns and lasting impressions.
Programs & Research
Fast Fashion Meets Luxe: A Case Study of the Brand Strategy and Consumer Perceptions of Forever 21
When it comes to commercial retail giant Forever 21, a successful strategy goes beyond determining an appropriate purchasing price-point within a constantly changing market. This thesis paper examines the overall branding strategy of the affordable fashion label as a competitor within the fast fashion industry.
It also highlights external brand perceptions among its target audiences and analyzes their likeness to luxury-oriented consumers. Lastly it uses research findings to generate a position about the future implications of the company from a global standpoint.
2014 TotalBeauty.com Awards
TotalBeauty.com announced the winners of the 2014 TotalBeauty.com awards. This is the most successful awards program that the company has ever executed in a single year, since launching in 2007. In the Reader’s Choice division, TotalBeauty.com's 6 million monthly readers voted for
their favorite products, tools and technologies for face, makeup, hair and body from among its comprehensive
online database of hundreds of top-rated products, while their team of editors tested and reviewed products over the course of four months to select the Editors' Picks.
Winners and honorable mentions in both divisions comprise the best in mass-market and prestige products across 89 categories, including Standout Drugstore Brand and Standout Prestige Brand.
Social Media Endeavors
Instagram - Engaged a wide-spread user base and increased user following by more than 50% by launching an Instagram contest, challenging users to snap creative photos each day over the month-long period.
Facebook - Celebrated the company's reach to 100,000 fans by launching the most successful giveaway since its inception, awarding randomly selecting winners prize packages over the 10-day period.
Cadillac ELR: Art and Science Personified
Developed a strategic launch campaign for the 2014 Cadillac ELR, a vehicle that combines the environmentally friendly technology of the Chevy Volt with the style and sophistication you’ve come to expect from a Cadillac. The question was, "Why choose between style and sustainability when you can have both?"
We positioned the new Cadillac ELR as the perfect vehicle to reflect your values as well as your style.
We know the value of environmental sustainability and style. That’s why we developed the new Cadillac ELR. Stylish, sophisticated and most importantly sustainable – it’s the new generation of electric vehicles.
Editorial
Sonia Kashuk: We'll Have What She's Having
Makeup artist Sonia Kashuk is a force to be reckoned with. The Minnesota native stormed the New York fashion scene in the '80s, her unforgettable looks quickly making her the go-to face maker for supermodels and celebrities alike. An entrepreneur at heart, Kashuk wasn't content to simply create the most coveted looks for magazines like Harper's Bazaar and Vogue. She wanted to make them accessible to the masses, too, through affordable luxury products (something that was unheard of at the time).
To call her an innovator is putting it mildly. With so many awards and accolades under her belt, you might think her huge success would put her out of touch with the everyday woman. But awards and magical styling abilities aside, she's a sucker for creating collections that women love -- and it's this uncanny ability to know what we want before we even do that keeps us clamoring to know what she'll be up to next.
5 Questions We Ask Everyone: Kristen Bell
There's no doubt about it: People go crazy over Kristen Bell. We first fell in love with the actress on the TV show "Veronica Mars" (soon to be a Kickstarter-funded movie!), where she played an adorable but super feisty bad ass that made criminal investigating seem like the coolest job in the world.
And, it turned out, the actress behind the cult role is just as relatable. In a culture where many celebrities refuse to leave home until their post-baby weight is a memory, Bell, who gave birth to daughter Lincoln in March, takes a refreshingly normal stance: "I have a huge muffin top -- who cares?"
With comments like this, it's no wonder that Neutrogena tapped Bell as their spokesperson for their new eco-friendly Neutrogena Naturals line.
When I got a last minute invite to chat one-on-one with Bell at the Ballona Wetlands in Los Angeles, she got the scoop on the Every Drop Counts campaign and a crash course in how not to dress for a visit to a protected bird sanctuary.
Chain Gang: The Haute Hardware You Need Now
While the rest of us were shivering our way into the warm weather months earlier this year, runway models and A-list celebrities were enjoying exotic, beachside vacations flaunting the season's latest covet-worthy accessory: body chains.
A replacement for chunky statement jewelry or long, slinky necklaces you can double up, these body chains are making your summer wardrobe even more festive -- from casual knit tee to bikini.
Doobies, Pineappling and Sisterlocks: What Natural Hair Care Really Means
"It's been two years since my first BC, and although my TWA is packed with gorgeous 3AB curls, I can't help but think my transition to long hair will take little more than a protective hairstyle and pineappling."
If I spoke those words out loud in the office, I'd get at least six women staring back at me with a "WTF?" look on their face.
But to me, it's like a second language -- the language of natural-hair care for many black women. I'm not just talking about cornrows or curl activators. There's an entire vocabulary that covers the process of transitioning to and maintaining natural hair -- essentially, quitting chemical and heat treatments and embracing your natural hair texture. info page background image on mobile devices.
Genius 3-Product Makeup Looks
You just got an invitation to an exclusive after-work event. Only problem: It's tonight and you left your makeup bag at home.
Some days, you just don't feel like schlepping your entire beauty arsenal around with you. And the good news is, you don't have to.
An informal office polls among our beauty editors revealed that the majority of us uses about 10 makeup products regularly. On our laziest days, we use about six, while a night out requires 15 to 20.
It got us wondering if we could achieve the same finished look with fewer products. So we turned to three of our favorite beauty bloggers to see if they were down for a challenge. Our ask: Come up with a gorgeous makeup look using just three products in their makeup bag. Skip ahead to see how these three bloggers multitasked the hell out of their eye shadow to create these genius three-product looks.