With the 2012 Olympics officially inaugurated and people all over the world watching and cheering on their teams, these are exciting times, as well as a source of inspiration for cosmetics collections. Limited-edition products in medal-winning shades are a must for those who can’t make it to London, but want to deck themselves out in Olympics-inspired products to show their support at home.
It may be a short-term engagement, but savvy marketers know that the response will extend far beyond, especially with products inspiring patriotism, such as OPI’s USA! USA! available in Sephora. The red, white, and blue glitter top coat adds to bare nails or over a white, red, or blue base. And for medal-colored hues, Priti NYC—inspired by men and women going for gold—have released a special-edition London 2012 Olympics Collection called Heavy Medal.
Molton Brown, a U.K. luxury cosmetics brand, has entered the Olympic spirit with several products. The brand is celebrating its home city and the games with a limited-edition set of bath and shower gels called Global Heroes Collection.
Cover Girl’s limited-edition Olympic Games versions of LashBlast Mascara, Perfect Point Plus Eyeliner, and Outlast All-day Lipcolor are popular lines going for a knock-out, especially since being seen as the makeup in action on Canadian Olympic boxer Mary Spencer. Make Up For Ever Canada, going one step further, has pooled its marketing force by joining Synchro Canada as an official makeup sponsor.
Tying in with sporting events as a means to promote brands has been a long and successful staple; recently, this type of promotion has been extremely popular with the male grooming market gaining momentum fast this year. To build greater engagement with the male consumer, many brands have entered or extended their relationships with various sporting associations. As examples, Unilever’s entrance into a corporate partnership with the National Collegiate Athletic Association to promote its Dove Men+Care line and Procter & Gamble’s Gillette Fusion brand collaboration with the National Football League (NFL) – consequently, more than ever, marketing now competes off and on the field.
Additionally, Gillette partnered with a team of 24 world-class athletes from 18 countries to represent the brand at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
The next 2016 Olympic Games will be held in Brazil, a country with a high level of consumption, increasingly wealthy middle class, and consumers spending nearly USD 30 billion a year on beauty products. Given the country’s extraordinary growth potential and and the economic stimulus afforded by both the FIFA World Cup kicking off in 2014 and the upcoming 2016 Olympic Games, Brazil’s consumption of personal care and beauty products is predicted to far outpace that of developed markets over the next five years. The baton is being passed, and competitive personal care brands in for the long run are doubtlessly planning how to win a greater market share by teaming up with these high profile sporting events.
For more information see Cosmetics and Toiletries USA.
Author:
Vera Sandarova, Marketing Manager
