CLINIQUE teams with Tavi Gevinson, outdoor advertising exceeds newspapers for the first time, Inter Parfums acquires Coach fragrance license, and Carine Roitfeld to launch Uniqlo collection.
CLINIQUE teams with Tavi Gevinson
Now billing herself as a writer, editor, singer and actress, Tavi Gevinson electrified the fashion industry in 2008 as a precocious 11 year old with her fashion blog, Style Rookie. Following a story in The New York Times, the now-18 year old was invited to attend New York and Paris Fashion Weeks. There was a backlash from traditional media, including the UK Daily Telegraph, Grazia and US Elle, questioning her ability to write articles for US Harper's Bazaar and Barney.com, but within three years Gevinson had founded her own publication, Rookie magazine.
Since 2011, Gevinson has appeared on the big screen in the movie Enough Said with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and starred on Broadway with Michael Cera and Kieran Culkin in This Is Our Youth. In both 2011 and 2012, she scored a major ranking in Forbes magazine's 30 Under 30 in the media section.
Outdoor advertising exceeds newspapers for the first time
Analysts predicted that spending on outdoor advertising would eclipse newspapers sometime this year. They didn't have long to wait. According to Standard Media Index (SMI), outdoor ad spending increased 16.1% in the first quarter to $178.5 million, in contrast to $149.8 million for newspapers. A reversal of the same time last year when newspaper revenues were $173 million and the outdoor ad spend topped out at $153.7 million.
Overall ad spending for the first quarter reached a record high of $1.7 billion - a rise of 4.3% over 2014 says SMI. Both outdoor and radio performed strongly in the month of March - with outdoor lifting 26.1% to $68.7 million and radio spiking 12% to $55.5 million. The TV spend rose 0.4% to $310.3 million, while digital climbed 4% to $133.8 million.
Agencies are continuing to steer advertising revenues away from newspapers and magazines reports SMI, with declines of 15.8% and 19.7%, respectively, year-on-year. In 2015 to date, media agencies have spent $55.8 million in newpspares and $19.934 million in magazines.
Inter Parfums acquires Coach fragrance license
Following on the heels of its acquisition of the Rochas fragrance license from P&G, Inter Parfums has taken over the global fragrance business of Coach from Estée Lauder. Lauder inked a deal to produce the first fragrance of the US fashion lifestyle brand in 2010 and spring-boarded two top-selling juices - Signature and Poppy.
Victor Luis, CEO of Coach, believes that the time is right to take things to the next level, pinpointing the strong track record of Inter Parfums in transforming the potential of brands in the fragrance industry. The two companies have entered an 11 year exclusive agreement to market men's and women's fragrances and related products with the first new scents debuting in the last quarter of 2016. "We look forward to taking the Coach portfolio to a larger audience" notes Philippe Benacin, CEO of Inter Parfums.
Carine Roitfeld to launch Uniqlo collection
Over the past few years, Japanese powerhouse retailer Uniqlo has launched design collaborations with French fashion muse, Ines de la Fressange, and German designer Jil Sander. In the northern hemisphere Autumn, the fast-growing chain will debut collections from Christophe Lemaire, ex-Hermes, and Carine Roitfeld, the global fashion director of Harper's Bazaar and former editor-in-chief of French Vogue.
Slated for release in late October, Roitfeld's collection will comprise 40 items overseen by the publishing icon and Naoki Takizawa, Uniqlo's designer director. Slotted into Uniqlo's LifeWear concept - clothing designed to enhance everyday life - wearability will be the key selling point. "I started with the idea of clothes that I would want to wear myself and developed this into clothes that anyone would want to wear," says Roitfeld. "A woman's ideal of clothes that make her feel transformed when she wears them".
No doubt Uniqlo's has an eye on transforming profits, too. The chain now has 1500 stores in 16 markets, including Australia. Parent company Fast Retailing also owns Helmut Lang, J Brand and Comptoir des Cotonniers.
Snippets From The Wires
- According to The Wall Street Journal, P&G CEO Alan Lafley will exit the multinational as early as this northern hemisphere summer to make way for an internal successor.
- Unilever has announced a 2.8% upswing in sales for the full year 2014 to US$13.6 billion. The personal care division lifted 2.7% to $AUD$6.6 billion, boosted by Dove, Tresemme and Axe (Lynx).
- The combined total of the global direct selling market is US$178.5 billion. For the third year in a row, Amway topped the rankings of the annual DSN Global 100 list., Herbalife, and Vorwerk ( household goods and Jafra cosmetics) rounded out the top five.
- John Demsey, global president of the Estée Lauder Company, has been named the Hall of Fame Honouree for the 2015 US Fragrance Foundation Awards. Annie Buzantian of Firmenich will receive the Perfumer of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award. The Romanian-born "nose" has created Estée Lauder Pleasures and Sensuous, Dot and Honey, Tommy and much more.
- Puig, the Spanish fragrance giant, has reported a 4.2% rise in net revenues to $2.07 billion for 2014. Ace prestige performers were: Paco Rabanne 1 Million, Invictus and Lady Million Eau My Gold! In mass, Antonio Banderas King of Seduction and Rock! by Shakira were the dynamic duo.
