SoftSheen-Carson, the maker of Dark and Lovely, has partnered with Essence magazine in search of models for its new ad campaign. “It is a great opportunity for [the] consumer to strut her stuff and be judged by celebrities who are famous in the beauty industry. We are doing the [open call] in three states. In addition, the winner will receive a trip to New York and a $5,000 shopping spree with celebrity stylist Carlton Jones and a makeover with our very own Johnny Wright, SoftSheen-Carson’s artistic director, who’s a celebrity in his own right. He is the stylist for our first lady [Michelle Obama],” shares Angela Guy, senior vice president and general manager for SoftSheen-Carson.
The Ultimate Fashionista Event is taking place in three cities: Chicago, Atlanta and New York. The brown beauties and aspiring models in each of those cities will have a chance to meet and mingle with actress LisaRaye McCoy, and actress/philanthropist from “America’s Next Top Model” Bre Scullark.
“We [are doing] a live casting call and allowing the contestants to strut their stuff, talk and listen and be educated by leading beauty experts, including Essence’s editor-at-large Mikki Taylor [along with] Jones and Wright. It will be a lot of fun,” she continues. Guy who will travel to all of the model call cities cited, expresses that one of the aspects of the program that she most enjoys about her job is getting out and talking to consumers and seeing how the brand connects with them.
Guy says she has also found that social media plays a significant role in the lives of the brand’s consumers. “All of the statistics that I have seen, speak to how important social media is, specifically to our consumer of color. We have to be where he and she live. We live online as consumers. We’re leveraging our own Web site [and our business partner’s, and] we have been taking full advantage of the social media that exists out there today. Twitter and Facebook … to connect to her, the primary consumer of our product, and we want to be as efficient as we can with our message and how we can help her improve her life.”
What type of advice does one who spends her workday in meetings with brand managers, sales representatives and overseeing the company’s financial commitments for the parent company L’Oreal, have for fellow female leaders? How does she “strut her stuff” in corporate America?
“It’s important that you know your business and love it. Today it takes so much out of all us when we are trying to balance our personal and professional lives. It’s a highly competitive marketplace in any industry that you’re in. The best advice that I can give is people it’s for you to love the work that you’re doing, embrace it, whether it’s being at home with the family and you’re the leader of your household and managing the expectations of your family or leading a company and managing the expectations of your consumer. It is the same effort that gets you up everyday.” –yvette caslin
Tour Info: Atlanta – Saturday, June 19, 2010 at The Biltmore Atlanta; and New York, Thursday, June 24, 2010 at Eventi Hotel (851 Avenue of the Americas, 3rd floor). RSVP:[email protected].
