BW Confidential - Issue #8 - October/December 2011 - (Page 81)

Digital credit: istock The beauty network We ask industry experts how brands can improve their social media efforts and analyze strategies in the area by Alex Wynne Social media The Estée Lauder Companies vp of global online marketing Marisa Thalberg How can luxury beauty brands better use social media? Interactive marketing agency Digitas France associate managing director Reynaud Sauvet Social media company Stacy Consulting founder Richard Stacy Thalberg: There is no one-size fits all. Brands tend to have very different creative strategies, and there’s a lot of room for diversity in digital and social media. Many luxury brands haven’t found a role for being socially responsive and not just being a broadcaster of content; this is very important. Sauvet: Brands need to define the good social touch points, and then adapt their media and creative methods. They need people who are educated in community management, who can work dynamically with a community, and not just do ad campaigns. This organization has no relation to what was done in previous decades. The contact points aren’t necessarily perennial, who knows if tomorrow everyone won’t desert Facebook for GooglePlus. Look at MySpace, a few years ago, everyone used it! It’s not a strategy to have a Facebook page, it’s a means. Stacy: The first principle is not to think about tools first. The biggest mistake brands make is to assume that social media is a type of media, which it is not. They are just tools or infrastructures. Therefore, you can’t have a Twitter strategy or a Facebook strategy, because setting up a page takes 10 seconds. What you do with it next is the real issue. De Signori: Although we are in the selective distribution channel, we do not necessarily control our distribution completely. For the first time, through social media, we can communicate directly with our consumer, and have a local conversation, which is very important. What are the challenges of social media for luxury brands? Lancôme global interactive marketing CRM director Helena de Signori Thalberg: The biggest risk is not being attentive to brand equity in social channels, especially if you have members of the team to whom this responsibility has been delegated but that haven’t been indoctrinated in the tenants of the brand. Sauvet: Launching a massive ad campaign, both on and offline for a fragrance with traditional methods including a 30-second spot, a famous director, photographer, actor or model is no longer enough. People are too familiar with it, are no longer passionate about it, and it doesn’t create earned media. You need to think about something different that will interest this online audience. n n n 81 October-December 2011 - N°8 - BW Confidential

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BW Confidential - Issue #8 - October/December 2011

Cover
Comment
Contents
Update
- Brand & retail news recap
- Companies on the move
Take note
- Market facts, figures & trends
Best of BW
- Highlights from our e-publication
Launches
- The latest in fragrance, skincare & make-up
Interview
- Estée Lauder Companies group president international Cédric Prouvé
Insight: Fragrance
- Category overview
- Retailer roundtable
- Retailing strategies
- Rare fragrance brands
- Launch roundup
Wellness
- Spa chains
- Spa case studies
Retail
- E-commerce
- Store concepts
Travel retail
- Sector analysis
- Hainan & China Duty Free Group
- Retail concepts
- Passenger habits
Digital
- Industry experts on harnassing the power of social networks
Radar
- Six up-and-coming beauty brands
Market watch: Russia
- Country overview
- Prestige retailing
- Industry viewpoint
Packaging
- Market outlook
- Sustainabilty
- Trends
Last word
- Buyology Inc president & co-founder Donna Sturgess

BW Confidential - Issue #8 - October/December 2011