The Tek purse set, with small oval paddle brush, comb and ecru cotton travel pouch. Handmade in Italy. I met the little fella through a Zoom product launch this week. It comes in red, pink (rosa), lime, orange, light blue and natural.
Let's play a game of telephone. You remember that, right? Someone starts a word or phrase and whispers it to the person beside them. The message is passed along and then the last person repeats what they heard. So funny. The words get scrambled and everyone laughs.
With social media saturation, beauty brands can share something new in a hurried whisper, putting product samples in the hands of influencers to keep the message accurate and on point. Bring on the views, the clicks, the purchases. The message is not garbled.
New beauty potions have long been delivered to magazines with opulent bouquets and gifts to catch the editor's eye. Then there are breakfasts, dinners, spa visits, treatments. (Try Botox on your lunch break, our treat.) I once went to a spa weekend in Montauk, in the Hamptons, for a product line launch. A party bus picked editors up in NYC after work. (My friend Moey watched young Figgy back home.) We had a lobster dinner, with lobster bibs, and played a game at the table that involved guessing things about the lipsticks.
Today, lavish events still happen, but cue the Zoom launch. You get an email invite (Tek's was from polished PR person Pauline). You RSVP. The samples are sent to your doorstep/mailbox, so you can try them, hold them. I don't pursue many invites, because they take time, unless I have a related assignment, or if the product catches my eye.
The Zoom is maybe 30 minutes, with colleagues and a beauty expert to talk about the brand.
Snip, snap, done. Now here I am blogging about this purse set* from Tek, a brush company founded in Italy in 1977.
Until now, the other mini brush of my dreams was the travel gold hairbrush from Aerin. I loved it so much, I ordered it for Spice for Christmas 2023, when she was 16. Like Tek, it is also handcrafted in Italy. But beyond that, the little wonder is galvanized with 24k gold.
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*Tek's claims, abridged:
Our small purse brush made of 100% FSC®-certified ash wood, detangles without damaging the hair. The wood is stained in a water-based, non-toxic, non-allergenic colour, the handle is treated with vegetable waxes and oils...and the white cushion is in pure rubber. The small brush is practical to carry everywhere, whether traveling, at the beach or the gym.
Our products are vegan and 100% FSC®-certified, meaning they are produced with the environment in mind. To further reduce their environmental impact, they come with unique and ecological packaging, highlighting our commitment to beauty and sustainability.
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Nice to see you back, Alice! Happy 2025 blogging. So much money to get products boosted by the media, it’s boggling. Do you think the rise of influencers makes product launches more broadly available to new makers, or do influencers just occupy the identical pay to play spot of legacy media?
ReplyDeleteLiz
Hi Liz. Intriguing Q. Right, as we all know, legacy publications are shrinking in print and all, from Vogue to Vanity Fair, have raced to the web, where they get even a little bit of the profit when a reader/shopper clicks through and buys from their site. Yes, I think product launches are now more available to new, unknown brands....just think of all of the instagrammers that brands can message/connect with without needing an introduction or to having to pass through a gatekeeper (or get into a magazine office's messenger delivery room). "the pay to play spot of legacy media"....I am mulling that over still. Thanks a thought-provoking note.
ReplyDeleteI mean thanks for a thought-provoking note.
ReplyDeleteThis post is fantastic! I found it both informative and engaging. Thanks for sharing your insights!
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