Dove Gives Real Woman a Chance to Dance with the Stars
• Dove gave one woman the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get a taste of what celebrities experience on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars.” Kristi Herman, who was selected from the nearly 1,500 women who entered the Dove Close-Up Challenge, received a week of professional dance training and got her skin ready for the spotlight with Dove VisibleCare Body Wash, a new line of body wash from the Unilever brand. Herman had her ultimate spotlight moment in a Dove-sponsored TV spot airing in a commercial break during the season finale of “Dancing with the Stars,” which aired on Monday, May 23.
Herman, from Jersey City, NJ, received an all-expense paid trip to Los Angeles to prepare for her big moment with DWTS Season 10 professional dancer Damian Whitewood. Actress and former “Dancing with the Stars” contestant Jennie Garth served as Herman’s confidence coach, preparing her for the spotlight.
• The Palmolive brand has joined forces with celebrity chef Cat Cora to offer simple solutions for combating cross-contamination during the cooking process. As a spokesperson for Ultra Palmolive Antibacterial Dish Liquid, Cora will help spread awareness to consumers about simple ways to sideline cross-contamination in the kitchen.
Consumers in search of additional cleaning-while-you-cook solutions can visit www.palmolive.com where Cora offers expert tips on careful cooking preparation, exclusive recipes and video demonstrations about ways to keep the most common kitchen bacteria at bay.
• Emmy nominated actress Sofia Vergara has inked her first beauty contract—with CoverGirl. Ads featuring the star are scheduled to debut in January 2012 and Vergara will be representing some innovative new additions to the brand’s product lineup, according to P&G.
In recent months, Vergara’s career has soared—The New York Times named her one of 2010’s Faces to Watch, and she was featured in People’s“Most Beautiful” issue. She was also named one of the most talented and powerful women in Hispanic entertainment by The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard.
“We couldn’t think of a better person to represent our brand. Sofia is gorgeous inside and out and has broad appeal,” said Vince Hudson, general manager, CoverGirl.
• To celebrate its 125th anniversary, Bon Ami is issuing a limited supply of its original 1886 Formula Cleaning Cake, once a staple in households across America. Only 1,886 cakes will be available; they will be sold online at www.bonami.net and www.alice.com. Made from the same recipe of ground feldspar and tallow soap developed in the 1880s, the cakes are pressed, cured and cut into bars by hand.
Over the years, the cleaning cake fell out of favor with consumers, but the recent cultural shift to thrift and thoughtful home keeping, and steady requests by fans to bring back the product inspired Bon Ami to make a limited batch of cakes.
Like the 1886 Original Formula Cleaning Powder, available in can-form year-round in hardware stores, the Cleaning Cake is a household workhorse, cleaning old glass windows, tile, stainless steel, mirrors and pots and pans, yet its simple ingredients are biodegradable.
The cakes, which retail for $9.99, are packaged in a paper box, use no glues or sealants. A commemorative tin with a cleaning cloth will be available later this summer for $14.99, according to the company.
• Tom’s of Maine plans to bring back the beauty of smiles with its new, natural whitening toothpaste Simply White, and a partnership with Sheryl Crow’s“100 Miles From Memphis” concert tour, which kicked off May 7.The project involves greening the concert tour, beautification events in key markets, a live chat with Sheryl Crow and an exclusive free song download for fans while supplies last.
“We wanted to find a memorable way to introduce Simply White and celebrate natural beauty,” said Ellen Saksen, oral care associate brand manager at Tom’s of Maine. “Sheryl Crow is an American icon who shares our passion for the environment and healthy living. As we take Simply White on tour, we hope people will join us on the ground to bring back natural beauty and think about ways they can take care of their own natural beauty.”
Through support from Tom’s of Maine and Reverb, Crow’s tour will feature sustainability changes such as biodiesel fuel, recycling bins at concert venues and a commitment to natural cleaning products, local and organic catering and reusable/biodegradable hospitality products, among other initiatives. At her tour venues, concertgoers can visit Tom’s of Maine at the on-site Eco-Village to learn more and to receive a free sample of Simply White toothpaste.
• Another brand making a concert connection is Henkel’s Tone. To celebrate new Vino Moisture Body Wash with Crushed Grape and Shea Butter, Tone is turning up its Backstage Pass Artist Series by partnering with Grammy-nominated artist Sara Bareilles. From live chats and an online tour diary to backstage meet and greets, the Tone brand says it is giving consumers exclusive access to the artist while she’s on tour this summer for her current album, Kaleidoscope Heart. Two lucky fans will win the Tone Body Wash Ultimate Backstage Pass, an all-expenses paid trip to New York City for a private picnic in the park with Sara prior to her show on Aug. 31.
Tone brand’s Backstage Pass Artist Series was launched in 2010 to give fans the opportunity to chat live with their favorite musicians through the brand’s Facebook page.
More info: Facebook.com/toneskincare
• When Actress Christina Ricci walked the red carpet in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the annual Costume Institute Gala in a custom creation by Zac Posen, she complemented her look with OPI-lacquered nails. Ricci’s manicure was created by mixing Samoan Sand and I’m Suzi and I’m a Chocoholic for an earth-toned rosy brown hue.
• Crabtree & Evelyn has booked a major deal with Hilton Worldwide. Via a new amenities partnership with the hotelier, the personal care firm will stock two new bath and body care product lines at more than 400 Embassy Suites Hotels and DoubleTree by Hilton properties across North America.
Embassy Suites Hotels will feature Naturals by Crabtree & Evelyn as the all-suites brand’s bath amenities line. Naturals products are 99% naturally derived from botanicals. The brand previously featured Bloom amenities. DoubleTree by Hilton’s new line, Citron by Crabtree & Evelyn, features natural extracts of lemon, honey and coriander, as well as nourishing orchard fruits, purifying herbs and skin-conditioning properties, according to Crabtree & Evelyn. The brand previously featured Neutrogena products.
Both families of bath amenities are botanically based and will include nourishing shampoo, conditioner and body lotion, combined with botanical facial and bath soap bars. The products are free of parabens, mineral oil and phthalates.
The Citron and Naturals products in Crabtree & Evelyn stores and on Crabtree’s website with the exception of Citron hair care products which will be exclusive at DoubleTree hotels until late 2011.
• Eucerin has tapped “Top Chef” judge and contributor to Food & Wine magazine Gail Simmons as the newest member of its Skin First Council. Founded in 2010, the Eucerin Skin First Council was formed to bolster public dialogue about skin health and devise new ways to educate and empower consumers to treat skin care more like health care.
The Eucerin Skin First Council works to raise awareness and encourage Americans to make the health of their skin a top priority and take the Eucerin Skin First Pledge. To date, more than 100,000 people across the country have pledged to put the health of their skin first.
• Actresses Eva Mendes and Naomi Watts have been named new celebrity ambassadors for Pantene. Starting next month, both women will appear in all elements of the brand’s holistic marketing campaign, including TV and print advertising, in-store displays, iMedia and public relations campaigns. Mendes will support the Breakage to Strength collection and Watts will support the Flat to Volume collection.
With the announcement of Mendes as Pantene’s new ambassador, Pantene will also introduce the Split End Repair Crème to the current Medium-Thick Hair Solutions collection in July 2011. The keratin protection crème helps repair split ends and protect against future damage.
Watts’Pantene campaign will feature her natural hair—with no extensions, harsh texture-altering chemicals or other deceptive hair tricks to enhance her tresses.
More info: www.pantene.com
• Award-winning Eylure’s false eyelash collection has made it to U.S. shores, exclusively at Ulta stores. Since its conception in 1947, Eylure has remained at the forefront of creation and innovation, producing gorgeous original lashes that have been worn by iconic beauties like Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor, Ingrid Bergman and Marlene Dietrich.Eylure and Ulta have come together to premiere 22 false eyelashes from subtle to the dramatic.
• L’Oréal USA and Demand Media have inked a multi-dimensional partnership combining custom content and exclusive media designed to connect L’Oréal brands with women seeking personalized beauty solutions. The partnership will launch on two of Demand Media’s properties—typeF.com and eHow Style channel—and original content will also be available on a YouTube channel created for L’Oréal USA by Demand Media.
Demand Media will create an original, high-quality video series for L’Oréal featuring brands such as Maybelline New York, Garnier, Redken, Lancôme and others that will provide relevant, helpful advice and practical how-to information.
The exclusive video series will be featured on typeF.Com, L’Oréal’s YouTube channel and on L’Oréal’s sites. This model enables advertisers to reach consumers when they are actually finding what they are looking for online—at a point where intention is likely to be higher, according to the companies.
• Rockin’ Green Cloth Diaper and Laundry Detergent hosted an international diaper changing event on April 23, the day after Earth Day. With more than 400 sites in 24 countries, Rockin’ Green hoped to set a Guinness world record for the most cloth diapers ever changed simultaneously.
“Each year billions of disposable diapers enter landfills where it takes hundreds of years for them to decompose,” said Kim Webb, CEO/founder of Rockin’ Green and host site committee chair for The Great Cloth Diaper Change event in San Antonio. “Cloth diapers have come a long way in the past several years and this event is designed to be an eye opener and an inspiration for expecting and new parents to use cloth diapers, a more planet- and wallet-friendly alternative to disposable diapers.”
• PureBioscience, Inc., creator of patented silver dihydrogen citrate (SDC) antimicrobial, is being lauded by the Child Safety Network (CSN), the non-profit children’s safety advocacy organization. CSN has named Pure the winner of its 2011 National Child Safety Award and has granted Pure Hard Surface disinfectant its Safe Family Seal of Approval.
• Colomer’s Orofluido hair care brand has inked a partnership with Darrell Redleaf, celebrity hair stylist and beauty expert who has worked with Cameron Diaz, Demi Moore, Anne Hathaway, Christina Applegate, Helen Hunt, Kim Basinger, Joss Stone, Scarlett Johansson, Keira Knightley and Jewel. Viewers can check out “Platinum Hit,” Jewel’s new reality songwriting competition show, to see Redleaf’s work as he is Jewel’s hair stylist on the show.
• Ralph Lauren Romance, one of Ralph Lauren’s most beloved fragrances for women, has celebrated authentic romantic moments with iconic imagery of real-life couples since its launch in 1998. Now the company is introducing the next chapter in the Romance story—husband and wife Nacho Figueras and Delfina “Delfi” Blaquier. The pair will star in the 2011 Ralph Lauren Romance advertising campaign, shot by Bruce Weber.
Another change for the brand—new campaign is portrayed in color for the first time, with stunning scenery illustrating the fairytale lives of the couple and exemplifying the world of the designer, who is renowned for his devotion to family traditions, authentic equestrian heritage and the sport of polo.
• Axe Shower and Comedy Central Digital have teamed up to develop the Axe Dirtcathlon, a four-part web series pitting coed teams against one another in crazy challenges designed to get them as messy as possible within 90 seconds. The series, hosted by actor/comedian Rob Riggle, appears on www.axedirtcathlon.com and will also be showcased on Comedy Central’s Atom.com website and on ComedyCentral.com, Spike.com, Jokes.com and other Viacom-owned properties.
Each episode of the Dirtcathlon pits four guy and girl teams against each other in challenges. The contestants are competing for a chance to get extra dirty and win a trip to Spain to participate in an enormous tomato fight.
In addition to the Dirtcathlon series, Axe has launched Dirty Dilemmas, an online game asking players to make difficult decisions between challenging scenarios like direct a dirty movie or star in a dirty movie? Or, shower on live television or shower in prison?
The Dirtcathlon, Dirty Dilemmas and the new tagline, “The Cleaner You Are, The Dirtier You Get” are all in support of the Axe Shower, including a new, click-to-open cap that can be easily used with one hand and a more modern bottle design.
• MyChelle Dermaceuticals says it is revolutionizing skin care with the introduction of a breakthrough technology that provides access to an esthetician anytime, anywhere—with a smart phone or Skype. Using an iPhone 4, iChat or Skype, consumers can download a free app from iTunes and schedule an appointment for a 30-minute consultation with one of MyChelle Dermaceuticals’ licensed estheticians. The software offers personalized skin care analysis and product recommendations based on high resolution images of your skin type and a FaceTime discussion of individual skin concerns, according to the company.
Founded in 2000, MyChelle offers a full line of highly therapeutic cleansers, treatments, serums, toners, nourishing creams, sun protection, men’s products and body care in natural product stores nationwide.
• Kimberly-Clark Professional is boosting its commitment to the janitorial supply channel by strengthening its Cleaning & Hygiene organization via personnel changes, expanding sales force and boosting marketing and other programs to support and accelerate growth, the company said.
• Obagi Medical Products’s Nu-Derm Sun Shield SPF 50 has won a Self 2011 Healthy Beauty Award for Best Sunscreen for Face, SPF 50+ category.
• Church & Dwight Co., Inc., the maker of Nair depilatories, kicked off its annual “Step Out Challenge,” and invites women—and, for the first time, men— to “bag the blade” for a week and use Nair. Those who try Nair and share their experiences will instantly receive free prizes from Grooveshark, a music-streaming website. They will also be entered to win an all-expense paid weekend trip for two to a major concert of their choice, according to the company.
• SC Johnson recently held a recycling event to help employees, their families and company retirees get rid of clutter while protecting the environment.
The event, organized by employees in the company’s Business Process & Technology and Product Supply Environmental Operations groups, promoted safe disposal of personal used electronics and other hard-to-dispose of items. Approximately 33,000 pounds of materials were safely recycled, according to SC Johnson.
• Perrigo Company has received final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its abbreviated new drug application for over-the-counter (OTC) Minoxidil Foam, a generic version of Men’s Rogaine Foam.
Perrigo was sued for patent infringement by Stiefel Research Australia Pty. Ltd., a GSK Company, when it submitted its Paragraph IV ANDA. Under the terms of the settlement reached between the parties in February 2011, Perrigo can launch the generic version of Men’s Rogaine Foam in the U.S. on March 1, 2012, or earlier, under certain circumstances. The product will be entitled to 180 days of generic exclusivity upon launch.
Rogaine (Minoxidil) Foam is used to regrow hair on the top of the scalp, and has annual sales of approximately $60 million, as measured by Information Resources, Inc.
• Obscene Jeans Corp. expanded its business profile with an online rollout of the new Obscene Beauty brand of all-natural beauty enhancement products. Obscene Beauty is the first fruit of OBJE’s global strategic profit alliance with Beijing Beautyfresh International Trade Co. (Beautyfresh), a company that Obscene Jeans has since acquired. Beautyfresh is one of only a handful of Chinese government-licensed import/export companies, and according to the terms of the alliance agreement, Beautyfresh is the sole distributor of OBJE-branded products in China, Greece and elsewhere around the globe under the company’s valid import license. Beautyfresh’s successful line of all-natural luxury soaps and other beauty products made using all-natural imported plant oils will now be sold under the Obscene Beauty brand, the company said.
More info: www.ObsceneBeauty.com
• NYX Professional Makeup has rolled out a redesigned website and its own YouTube Channel. Showcasing more user-friendly features, including a customer log-in capability to capture purchase history and save information for future purchase, a product comment and rating system, more true-to-color swatches, and a Tips section, the new site allows NYX customers to more easily purchase products, the brand said.NYX has also added two interactive features to the site including an internal blog called “Beauty Babble, The Blog” which chronicles fun favorites such as NYX’s latest, must-have products, as well as relevant beauty trends and looks.
The NYX Cosmetics YouTube channel, which features three sections, Uploads, Favorites and Playlists, showcases items such as makeup tutorials, product launches, company programs and initiatives, and recent NYX event highlights.
More info: www.nyxcosmetics.com
• OxiClean has teamed up with Laura Posada, wife of baseball player Jorge Posada, to entice Americans to explain why their hometown sports league needs help cleaning up their ball game. As sports funding at schools across the country gets cut, Church & Dwight’s goal was to help little sluggers with $10,000 for their sports organization in the“Brighten Up Your Ball Game” contest.
Church & Dwight asked parents to submit their own story and photo on the newly launched OxiClean Facebook page on why their child’s softball or baseball organization needs help from OxiClean to brighten up their game.A team of OxiClean Umpires, including Posada and OxiClean pitchman Anthony Sullivan, will select the grand prize-winning organization.
• Henkel’s Right Guard, the official deodorant and body wash of the NBA, awarded Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves with the “Best Smelling Player” award. Right Guard selected Love, the 2011 Kia NBA Most Improved Player, based on his determination to hit the showers immediately after practice and encourage his fellow teammates to leave the stink on the court. Love is partnering with Right Guard Body Wash in the “Love in the Shower” campaign, which started in May on ESPN, ESPN.com and ESPN mobile.Fans and consumers can participate in the promotion at www.LoveInTheShower.com or via the brand’s Facebook page.