Case Study of the Week

Complimentary Cosmetic Bags Help to Make Max Factor a High Fashion Name




Challenge: How to successfully reposition a well known brand in an industry where competition is fierce

Brand differentiation is a challenge in the cosmetics industry: competition is fierce and almost every brand positions itself as the pick of the glitterati. Max Factor is one such company. Although it is a well known name in cosmetics, what is not often known is that the company was created by a man named Max Factor, one of the first professional makeup artists credited with launching the retail makeup industry. Max not only coined the term ‘makeup’; he also gave ‘face’ to beauties such as Katharine Hepburn, Rita Hayworth and Bette Davis. Today, Max Factor the company seeks to honor its founder and heritage, and reposition its brand as the makeup choice of professional makeup artists.

Solution: Enlist a rising star of the fashion industry and professional makeup artists to give away complimentary cosmetic bags stuffed with Max Factor makeup

To begin the transformation, Max Factor collaborated with the up-and-coming fashion designer Alice Roi. Together, the two launched a trendy ‘pop up’ shop in New York’s SoHo for four days of glitz, glamour and—you guessed it—complimentary Max Factor makeup. ePromos sourced and customized just the right bag for the occasion in terms of cost, practicality and style: a modern black mesh to complement Roi’s metropolitan look and to tie Max Factor to fashion. And because ePromos is a full-service promotional products distributor offering complete fulfillment services, we stuffed the makeup kits with Max Factor makeup and delivered them to the pop-up store in time for this unique event.

Results: The Max Factor image shines brighter as the choice of high fashion

The Max Factor-Roi combination proved intoxicating: there is now a huge demand for Roi to open her own permanent retail store. The event also successfully positioned Max Factor as the choice of those in the fashion-know: during the event, professional makeup artists distributed the Max Factor cosmetic bags as ‘thank you’ gifts to customers purchasing Roi’s designs, and offered complimentary makeovers, with Max Factor makeup, of course, on the final day of the event.