Pierce Mattie Public Relations New York

Francis Kirkdjian is known in the fragrance industry for his ability to create and launch memorable perfumes. At only the age of 25, he created his first perfume--"Le Male" for Jean Paul Gaultier. Since then he has crafted recognizable and memorable fragrances for Dior, Christian Lacroix, Escada, Lancome and Lanvin (to name a few!) With his forthcoming launch of his own line in France this September (which I predict will be enormously successful), Francis Kurkdjian graciously took the time for a Q & A with me.

Pierce Mattie: Tell us a little bit about your custom-made business, what is the process for a customer to have a fragrance created for them?

Francis Kurkdjian: The process starts with a telephone rendezvous, which helps me to understand my client, his needs and wishes. Then, there is a face-to-face meeting when I present my first ideas and we smell together some materials and fragrance accords. Three or four weeks later, I present the fragrances I have envisioned for my client. It can take up to six months to finalize and come up with the right fragrance.

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Borghese's publicity and social media strategies have really caught my eye lately. As a big fan of their skin care products, I wanted to get the inside scoop from their communications and publicity team on what they have been up to and what products we can expect to see this fall.

Pierce Mattie: Borghese sure has caught on to the develops of social media. You have a Facebook fan page, a twitter profile and a flickr page. How has online communication been working for the Borghese team?

Borghese: The social media has been amazing for us. We are connecting with customers from all over the US. We recently launched our Community Page; our customers are sharing stories with each other on when they first discovered Borghese, their favorite Borghese product, etc.

Pierce Mattie: I actually get announcements when to head over to Lord & Taylor for facials, has Facebook announcements like this in the past helped fill the chairs at the department store?

Borghese: It certainly has helped in the past although social media has made it easier for us. Instead of sending out invitations (whether a bounce-back card or email which may be forgotten) to our events by city and state, we are now able to just list all our events and have our customers see it all at once when they log onto their pages with reminders, a list of who else is going, notifications to their friends, etc.

Pierce Mattie: Borghese is doing something quite special because you are remaining true to your loyalty of retail but actually helping the department stores to garner more consumer demand by stimulating customers with your social media strategies, what other ways have you been exciting the shopper?

Borghese: We try to connect with our customers in different ways; a good example is the shopping event, Shecky’s Girls Night Out. We alternate between having a physical presence at this shopping event and just a gift bag presence. With the physical presence, we get to speak one on one, not just with existing customers but new customers and customers who we may have lost. Our R&D is always working on developing new products which use the latest technologies. Also, we sometimes include an invitation back to our retailers for a complimentary facial or makeover in the event gift bags.

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I have loved Brooke Shields since her first Calvin Klein ad and its makes sense that she remains the dominating spokesperson on TV during commercial breaks. I would love to get your opinion on this one – is it Brooke Shields overkill? Should celebrities limit their endorsement deals to one or two brands per year? Or should they take on whatever they can get?

Currently Brooke is running commercials for Coppertone, Latisse, Volkswagen, Colgate Total and Tupperware. Sure Brooke’s trademark is her brows – so it sort of makes sense that she would do the Latisse commercial. Being a SPF advocate for Coppertone revealing the damage the UV rays can do, again, is another good move. Especially since she recently found a precancerous spot on her face. But is the number of endorsement deals just too much? What do you think?

Photo Credit: Latisse

I recently had the opportunity to interview Kim Banks, the owner of The Pet Set, a luxury card and stationary company featuring the beauty of dogs. As a dog owner myself to a beautiful Shitzu named Toby, I absolutely love the look of The Pet Set social stationary.

Pierce Mattie: How did you start The Pet Set?

Kim Banks: After considerable research of the stationery market and the multi-million dollar pet industry, I determined that there were no high-end greeting card and stationery products. The Pet Set was initially started by modeling our business strategy modestly on Tiffany's.

Pierce Mattie: Who are some of your biggest clients?

Kim Banks: Our clients are predominantly high-end stationery and pet boutiques across the U.S. and Canada, now also reaching the U.K.

Pierce Mattie: What are some of your most popular breeds?

Kim Banks: While the entire line is very popular, we advise 1st-time clients to begin stocking their stores with the retriever varieties, as they follow the AKC registration list.

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Wendy Lewis is an international insider to the world of anti-aging, skin care, beauty and cosmetic surgery. She is also the author of 10 consumer health and beauty books, including two editions of America’s Cosmetic Doctors & Dentists and her newest title, Plastic Makes Perfect; The Complete Cosmetic Beauty Guide. Her contributions to the beauty industry are vast, of which you can learn more on her website www.wlbeauty.com.

Pierce Mattie: In a recent article on Health News Digest you raved about Lumixyl. Would you say that it even works better than Tri-Luma? What do you see as the biggest difference between the two?

Wendy Lewis: Lumixyl is a newly launched peptide based skin brightening/lightening cream that will sell for around $120 US for 1 ounce pump. I love Tri-Luma, which is a prescription drug from Galderma that is modeled from Kligman's Formula and contatins 4% Hydroquinone, retinoid and a mild steroid. Lumixyl is a hydroquinone alternative, and the results of studies conducted at Stanford showed great results, and it is gentle for all skin types. Lumixyl is an OTC product sold through professional channels, whereas Triluma is an Rx and requires a prescription from an MD. I foresee that some dermatologists may put patients on a regimen that contains both of these formulations in some cases. 

Pierce Mattie: There are many aesthetic consultants in Manhattan, Palm Beach and Beverly Hills but no one who executes it as well as you. I have always said it’s your skill to really match up your clients with the right physician. What kind of research goes into your work?

Wendy Lewis: I am flattered Pierce, especially coming from someone who is a guru in the beauty biz. I take my "Knife Coach" brand very seriously and care about my clients and the recommendations I give them. I do a ton of research, attend conferences in the US and Europe, routinely interview and visit doctors in all specialties and read trade journals online so I am up to speed on all the latest developments. I have never altered from my original business model, which differs greatly from other me too "consultants" I have come across; my independence and impartiality is paramount, I treat all clients with total confidentiality, and I am not in anyone's pocket.

When I suggest a product or practitioner for a client, it comes from the heart and from my personal knowledge and expertise. I am doing more phone and webcam consultations today with private clients than face to face, both from an economical point and for convenience for the clients who are busy, active, and international. It's not perfect, but it's pretty close, and I have been at it now for over a dozen years.

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Since last August, in an effort to boost sales, Procter & Gamble have come up with a giveaway that has been so secret that no one has really known about it. On every deodorant stick lies the chance of winning a $15,000 diamond. By entering the product SKU from a Secret Flawless deodorant at www.secretdiamondgiveaway.com, a person can find out if they have won one of the ten $15K diamonds that have been hidden (fake ones to be traded for the real thing) or another prize such as a $500 Visa shopping spree or dinner at a 5-Star restaurant. However, it appears that the campaign hasn't really gotten much buzz until recently which leads me to ponder about this unique promotion--has it really been a viable PR campaign?

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As we all know you can’t go anywhere without seeing a McDonald’s in a 20 mile radius. The recession has been good to McDonald’s as consumer’s trade down to cheaper and faster food on the go. But what is next for the golden arches? It may just be the immense buzz going around about their new rollout of their $100 million McCafe campaign starting this year. This long-awaited national campaign for its new coffee line is touted as the biggest launch in its history.

Over the past 18 months, McDonald's has been steadily introducing hot and iced lattes and coffees, cappuccinos and mochas in individual markets across the country, and adding smoothies and frappes to the mix later this year and into 2010. With this coffee push, it’s the biggest menu initiative since it began offering breakfast in the 1970s. The $100 million spent on advertising is going to span across TV, print, outdoor, radio, Internet, and events. These advertisements will start off strongly throughout the summer, and well into next year. You may have already seen their marketing push with coupon booklets in newspapers for McCafe or in national television ads. Their goal is to portray McCafé as a fun, affordable brand that can make even the most mundane daily tasks more enjoyable.

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I recently had the great pleasure of interviewing Karen Adams and Karen Dubin, the creators and collaborators of Sniffapalooza. Serious fragrance lovers know that Sniffapalooza is the ultimate event to satiate their love and knowledge of perfume.

Pierce Mattie: What is Sniffapalooza working on for the Summer and Fall season?

Karen Adams; Karen Dubin: Sniffapalooza is working on many incredible events for the Summer and Fall 2009! In May, we’ll be having a Sniffapalooza at Malin + Goetz in Chelsea for the world premiere of their two latest fragrances and new candles. We’ll also be helping osMoz.com launch their first perfume kits, which is very exciting, as this project has been a work in progress for over a year!

We’ll be speaking at the PXA Perfume Expo at the Javits Center, and managing the Consumer Day, and we‘ve got all sorts of surprises planned for that! We are in the midst of planning our activities for our week-long scent journey to LONDON in July, which is going to be an extraordinary trip. Our legendary Sniffapalooza Fall Ball , which is one of our two mega-Sniffapalooza’s that comprise an entire weekend of sensory stimulation and attract attendees from all over the world, will be happening next October. Fall Ball includes 10 stores,40 speakers,and over 165 guests! We are also planning our first Southern US Sniffapalooza at the Guerlain Boutique at The Breakers Hotel in West Palm Beach, one of the most elegant spas in the country!

And of course our famous Holiday Event – we always do something really special for that. Add to this list all of the other exciting events that pop onto our calendar – like our continuing Master Class Series, wine and fragrance tastings and perhaps even a chocolate and fragrance pairing event!

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Kodak has always been synonymous with quality picture taking, but now the brand is aiming to be associated with affordability as well. The company’s newest campaign incorporates TV spots on Bravo, Oxygen and Nickelodeon along with print and internet advertising, to compel viewers to visit their new website printandprosper.com to compare ink prices against their competitors. While price comparison has been around for ages, there is no time like the recession to bring this idea of a quality product at an affordable price back to the forefront again. It's also a great way to reinforce brand loyalty amongst household decision makers: women.

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Located on Main Street in Concord, Massachusetts, Cynthia Cosmetics & More recently opened its doors to "Bring out your inner Goddess..." I recently took the opportunity to interview Cyndi King to learn more about her and her beauty company:

Pierce Mattie: Tell us more about Cynthia Cosmetics & More.

Cyndi King: We offer authentic mineral makeup, chirally correct skin care and the art of Joan Terrell Smith in the historic Grist Mill of Concord MA. Refill, reuse, recycle is at the heart of the makeup studio philosophy located above Main Streets Market & Café tucked in with Nesting and The Muse’s Window at the top of the stairs. Cynthia Cosmetics & More offers 10% off your purchase when presented with old conventional, traditional makeup or skin care products for recycling. All of our product packaging is recyclable and many are made with the ability to re-fill and re-use the bottle, brush or container that contains the product. Proceeds from the sale of the Revitalash lash conditioner and the Clarisonic professional skin care brush system go to cancer research.

Pierce Mattie: Concord Massachusetts is known for its great literature that comes from that town. It is the biggest little place in America. Are you going to plan anything like; A Book & a Makeover? Or having any book readings at your store while consumers talk shop on lip gloss and sunscreen?

Cyndi King: Absolutely! Our local book store is independently owned; most of the historic Concord shopping district is inhabited by independent businesses. My greatest wish is that when Diane Ranger releases her biography that she does so here in Concord at Cynthia Cosmetics & More! I plan to offer a reading area focused on wellness, skin care and cosmetics education. I feature the art work of Joan Terrell Smith, a locally born, award winning artist, now living in France. More of her work will be on display during the Art Walk in Concord on Saturday, May 16th, 2009. www.joanterrellsmith.com

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