Andra Mielnicki has one of those careers people look wistfully upon. Currently the vice president of global communications and digital consumer engagement for the Aramis and Designer Fragrances division at The Estée Lauder Companies, one of Mielnicki’s most recent gigs saw her help launch Tory Burch onto the Australian market.
With an impressive career background that has seen her tackle everything from time on the IndyCar race track to now working across nine fragrance brands at Estée Lauder, BD chats to Mielnicki about life in the fast lane.
Can you tell me a bit about your career history?
I started in PR over 16 years ago working at Avon Products, Inc. There I had the great fortune to learn various areas of communications – from product, to the Avon Lady, working with brand spokespeople and managing celebrity gifting, to working on the Avon Foundation. I also had the opportunity to work on mark., a brand built to reinvent direct selling for a younger consumer. I think this is where my passion for all things digital started, as it was right about the time that social media started to gain traction. I then moved to the agency side for a few years, helping to nurture new brands before joining The Estée Lauder Companies in 2010. My time here has been incredible, having had the experience to work on launching and incubating new brands while in the BeautyBank division, launching social media for the beautiful brand, and now overseeing integrated communications for a portfolio of nine designer fragrance brands at Aramis and Designer Fragrances.
What does your role involve?
I look after the role of communications in the consumer journey for our nine fragrance brands in the portfolio, including , , , , Kiton, Marni, , and Tory Burch. It’s my job to create global go-to-market strategies that pull in the consumer and create an emotional connection through storytelling – across editorial, digital content, and social media.
Are your responsibilities the same across all the brands?
My responsibilities are the same across all nine brands but each brand is unique with its unique set of truths – from the consumer target, the key markets, and the behaviours that match each.
Do you have to travel the world to deliver the brand's communications?
My role is global and so yes, I often travel to support our brands at important events and meetings. It’s always great to spend time in market understanding the different cultures and social behaviors. It helps to inform our strategies and ensure we think globally but act locally when we go-to-market.
What is the latest launch for the company?
We are so excited to be launching Tory Burch fragrances in Australia. Tory is known for her effortlessly chic style with an eclectic sensibility that evokes sophistication and individuality. She knew that the best way to first introduce this style to Australia was through the power of fragrance.
Can you talk me through the development of this launch in regards to your role?
I work very closely with the designer, in this case Tory, to ensure that her voice and her inspiration for the fragrance is brought to life for the consumer consistently across the globe. When launching in a new market like Australia, we want to ensure that the consumer feels connected to Tory Burch the person and understands her beauty and fragrance POV. Emotional connection and being true to the designer’s vision is a key ingredient of success.
Using the dynamic assets we have including videos, imagery, and quotes, we work closely with our brand manager to ensure that Tory’s voice is brought to life across all appropriate and locally relevant consumer communication touch points. It starts with identifying the right media outlets for interviews and the right influencers that capture the essence of the brand. These partners help us to effectively engage with our target consumer. It also is important to develop the go-to-market strategy with our retail partners – mapping out how the brand will live on their ecommerce and social media channels both at launch and continuing throughout the year. It’s never one-size-fits-all, so it’s a dynamic area of the business that keeps me busy.
What have been your career highlights?
There have been so many, I feel very fortunate. But if I had to call out a few:
- Accompanying Avon spokesperson Salma Hayek when she testified in Congress for the renewal of the Violence Against Women Act.
- Launching a new brand from scratch for the The Estée Lauder Companies in Asia and having to entrench myself in the culture (and the food).
- And a little known fact about me is that despite having grown up in beauty and fashion, I spent over two years on a race track with IndyCar racing for my client Izod during my agency years. I can talk about fire suits, pit stops and fuel strategy with the best of them in addition to what products are right for your skin type or what fragrance you may like based on your olfactive preference.
What are you most looking forward to in the second half of 2016 for your role at The Estée Lauder Companies?
Making everyone smell good! We have such incredible launches across our portfolio of brands and I can’t wait to see how the consumers engage with us – in social and at retail.
