Avon Unveils New Brand to Reach Women

Avon Products, Inc. announced the brand name and strategic direction for its planned global direct-selling beauty business focusing on the fast-growing market for young women. The brand will be named “mark.”, reflecting its positioning as the beauty brand that celebrates remarkable young women who are making their mark in the world. The new line will launch in the fall of 2003 in the U.S., and roll out to global markets beginning in second quarter 2004.

“Beauty rituals have long been the experiences through which young women relate,” said Deborah I. Fine, president of Avon Future, the Avon business unit responsible for the new venture. “We call it Social Beauty(SM). ‘mark.’ will offer the products and opportunities that help enhance those relationships.”

According to company research, there are more than 300 million young women in the 16-24 age group in Avon’s top 30 markets who spend over $200 billion annually on consumer goods. At launch, the “mark.” brand will be sold both through the company’s core direct selling channel of 500,000 active U.S. representatives and a separate “mark.” sales force.

In addition, Avon plans simultaneously to recruit a dedicated “mark.” sales force through an integrated marketing campaign targeted to young women at colleges, high schools, shopping malls and other youth-oriented venues. The product line will span several hundred SKUs of cosmetics and related products, with fun, fresh, modern packaging and affordable pricing. The products will be sold in their own separate “magalog” that will feature both products and editorial material of interest to young women. Avon also hopes to reach consumers through the launch of www.meetmark.com.