Tuesday, August 27, 2013

A Lesson The Beauty Industry Needs To Learrn

I do my best to get info on future collections out to you guys as soon as I possibly can. I endlessly scour the internet (most often non English websites) looking for the scoop and to get it to you guys as fast as possible. I understand that some companies want to keep things secret as long as possible. I get that Lancome didn't want pictures of the Alber Elbaz collection out until they were ready for it. But the best way to keep things under wrap is to NOT put pictures online. Once a picture is up or online, you can't take it back. When Zoya came out with their gloss collection, a few of us bloggers found an unlocked link to some photos and stuck them up. All the American blogs got cease and assist letters and threats of legal action. Me, the Canadian? What happened to me? Well, my blog readership skyrocketed and I ended up with a lot more new followers. What was the purpose of threatening the bloggers? What was the point of taking them down? They were seen. They had screenshots taken. They were out there. You can not TAKE BACK something from the internet. Many a drunk girl has realized this little piece of info a little too late. The beauty industry is still learning it.


Now I must admit, when I see companies try to take action to "get back" information that is out there I have to roll my eyes. When China Glaze responded in this way to my post on their wall though, I had to laugh out loud. It seriously made me crack up. Lets look closer at their message.


Oh my gosh. Where do I start with that?! The collections are not finalized yet?!

  1. They have printed and made up all sorts of promo shots, images and the like that are ALREADY online. Especially for the Crinkled Chrome collection that garnered the EXACT SAME response on their facebook wall. 
  2. They have ALREADY MADE UP THE COLOURS AND BOTTLED THEM! They already are made. 
  3. THEY (not bloggers being sneaky, but China Glaze as a company) have brought these polishes to trade shows and events and showed off the colours and allowed people to play with and swatch them already! 
WHAT IS LEFT TO BE FINALIZED??!! Is it just me? I just dont get it?!

18 comments:

  1. I always read your blog when I want new info because I know you are going to have it. It always seems like you get info out first and I appreciate the time you must spend doing this and you are right if they don't want us to know keep it under wraps.

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  2. lol not finalized as in what?? Not on the store shelf .... they dont want us to know they shouldnt be carting it everywhere to show it off ... cause you and I both know those trade shows have tons of people with phones and cameras

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  3. That response is utterly ridiculous. And to send out leagal letters to bloggers is even more ridiculous. I come to your site because you put a lot of effort into finding out all the new collections and putting them in one place so I don't miss out on (sometimes very) limited edition stuff. If it weren't for some of your blog posts, these companies wouldn't be getting my money at all! They should be thanking you as far as I'm concerned!! I get that companies don't want unfinished products reviewed incase they don't relect the true quality of the finished product, but a few promo photos never hurt anyone surely?! Also companies who try to take back information from the internet are deluded. Like anything can ever truly be deleted from the internet!lolz.

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  4. I don't see the issue with them asking you to do this. Quite a few times when I blogged, I've seen people post pics and information they've seen at events and when the time came for it to be released it wasn't.I've also seen bloggers post information that was no good as well So if the company doesn't want you to post then DON'T POST it.

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    1. ^ Embargoes exist for a reason, and if you want to respected in the journalism world, you adhere to it. I was at Cosmoprof North America this year and there were several collections from all different companies that we could look at but absolutely were not allowed to photograph or even write about. Trade shows are NOT for media, they are for businesses to showcase what is planned but most times final designs are NOT ready and they just bring what they have ready.

      Additionally, just because something IS finalized, doesn't mean it is ready to be published. Magazines have to have their layouts finished 1-2 months before print, so they may get the information, but aren't pre-releasing the information like a blogger may. Not adhering to journalism standards contributes to companies not respecting bloggers and that doesn't help anyone in the long run, whether it's a single blogger or bloggers in general.

      There are trade shows that have even blocked bloggers from attending for the very reason that they have embargoed items that are NOT to be released to the general public.

      Changes do happen - I have a press sample of a Seche Bright and Bold polish that had a name change AFTER I received my bottle. It's not the first time either - it's happened with at least one China Glaze polish that I recall. Artwork for China Glaze has changed as well - this year they had sets that I was very specifically told "do not photograph this as this is not the final artwork".

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    2. I think we are far past the point of "you can look but you can't talk about it". Especially with trade shows. It is just completely unreasonable in this day in age to expect thousands of people (not to mention staff!) walk around and NOT snap a picture, send a quick tweet or anything else they may do. That sort of anticipation and "OMG this new collection looks ah-mazing" type tweets are FREE advertising and marketing for these companies. They should be thankful to the people that share.

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    3. Actually, yes they can. Trade shows are not open to the public, and you can be escorted out of there for not following the rules, like taking photos. It can also blacklist you from the company in question - and who wants that? If you want an exclusive, then talk to the company about taking a photo, tweeting or Instagraming. That's how I got the exclusive to post about China Glaze Hologlam in 2012... not by sneaking around with a cell phone and hoping I don't get caught.

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    4. *shrug* To each their own. In my experience from working and helping manage trade shows, most companies on the show floor WANT the people to be excited who are attending, so that if they are excited, their customers and so on will be. Sure, it is better practice to go ask for specific approval for whatever you are doing. But at the end of the day, those companies on those floors live under no delusion their stuff is "top secret" when it is out on display.

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    5. Let me be very clear. I am NOT talking about breaking an agreement or a rule at a tradeshow. When I have been at a trade show and told the rules are no photographing or tweeting about it, I keep to that promise. What we are talking about here is finding information that is ALREADY online and compiling it together in a post. Discussing and showing things that ALREADY exist online. And thus, they no longer have any way to "take back".

      Never was I talking about sneaking around with a cell phone Krystal. My point is once the info is on the web, they need to realize that they cant undo it.

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    6. But we were told at Cosmoprof "Don't photograph this" and someone clearly broke that rule and did it anyway. Then you went and linked to said person. When they asked you take it down, you should without question because the original agreement never changed - do not photograph this.

      I feel like it's a difference between spoiler websites and official websites. A lot of things can claim freedom of speech in response to it but when it comes to unreleased copyrighted material, my advice is to tread lightly.

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    7. You can be told anything you want at Cosmoprof. I wasnt there. I have no idea what you were told. I just know I happened upon images of an upcoming collection and posted a link to them. At that point it becomes IRRELEVANT how they got online or whether the images were ready to go public yet. THEY ARE PUBLIC. They cant be taken back. My point is that companies need to learn to recognize that.

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  5. If it's not finalized then why are these photos out online? They are the ones that need to get their shiz together! If it's not finalized then don't release them!

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  6. Wow, if I was a blogger that got that letter from them I would be FURIOUS! If you can't keep your stuff locked up enough, that is NOT my fault. Your "top secret" polish that has multiple images floating around the internet, on the convention floors, and already named and in a bottle? Yeah, it is pretty darn finalized.

    The blogging community IS their friend. We aren't selling things out or stealing THEIR pictures and using them to turn a mega-dime. The sooner these companies learn that I think the happier we can all be!

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  7. I LOVE this! they can be utterly lame sometimes. Usually when the nail community has early access thru bloggers, it generates buzz, which in turn generates sales! it is a WIn-Win-Win situation, and they can't be so ignorant as to not realize it. I put something up on the butter London FB page, which came from a savvy blogger, who got the photo through Macys-MACYS! put the photo up a few days early on the website. Now I didn't out the blogger but brought the Macys leak to their attention and directed people who wanted to see it to the photo at Macys online, along with a spoiler alert. But within hours, butterLondon removed my comment from their page. touchy! and if the collection had been something to be excited about, I can see- but it was that color clash thing- lots of re-releases. Snooze fest. Cease and desist to bloggers? really? they should know where there bread is buttered, no pun intended.

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  8. Having worked for an international athletic shoe company, I know that the product has to be made or finalized well in advance of release date. Said shoe company is endorsed by a famous athlete who got injured right before opening season. But, the shoe company already had a complete 9 month campaign planned and produced. I was surprised by the number of retail sales people thought that the shoe company would just cancel the promotion. Hell, no! Those shoes were made over a year and sitting in a warehouse before they were to debut in stores.

    I have no idea what the lead time is for a polish collection. I know that they have graphic art done well in advance. However, the company can, at the last minute, change something. Like the name of the polish, as Krystal mentioned. I saw CG Cirque de Soliel collection at CosmoProf last year. We were not allowed to photograph it. But, when it came out it looked about the same as I remember. Often times they could be waiting to get proper licensure of the name of the collection. GC would have to make a financial/legal agreement with the troupe company to use their likenesses and trademarked name.

    With all that said, there is always going to be something leaked out before it is officially released. I was at a computer trade show and a vendor was showing how great their computer screen was. They were playing a DVD of the Titanic movie. That movie hadn't been released on DVD and wouldn't be for another year! At the time I was quite naive about the black market trade of music and movies.

    Let's just wrap it up with advertising and PR folks can be uber sensitive to creations getting leaked before the official release date.

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  9. If they don't want the pics shared, don't post them online. Nuff said.

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