Ms. Labaton recently sat down with host Mike Bako at Inside Communication's studio in Midtown Manhattan to discuss how their campaign for CND's new power polish, Shellac, became so popular that it almost created a PR crisis.
After five years of formulating and testing, Shellac debuted last year and promised something revolutionary: after four coats and a quick sit under a UV lamp, Shellac remains flawless for 14 days. It was a success in the lab, but RED PR had to make sure it would be a mainstream hit. Julia Labaton and her RED PR team started at the top: their highly targeted strategy had them contacting the world's top beauty insiders and influencers to get them to try – and perhaps write – about the product. Soon they had write-ups in the New York Times, onYahoo.com, on the popular nail polish blog alllacqueredup.com and two segments were aired on The Today Show.
“Our mission was to get them to road-test Shellac for 14 days. We had reporters all across the country take the challenge and they gave it rave reviews,” said Ms. Labaton. “It's a product that stands up to its claims.”
The product was far more popular than what the manufacturer projected, needing to ship 14 times more than initially expected, the global year supply sold out in a matter of months. To ease the growing complaints from customers about the constant sell-out, RED PR got the co-founder of CND on the phones to call customers to apologize about the sellout. Since the launch, RED PR has continued to promote the service through an intense, event-based strategy creating the opportunity for hundreds of journalists and lifestyle influencer to try Shellac. Additionally, CND coordinate a flash mob during September’s 's fashion week in New York City, and launched a mobile manicure van, allowing New Yorkers to get complimentary manicures on-the-go.
The interview is available online. To watch the interview and learn more about the Shellac Nail Polish, please visit: http://vimeo.com/30022849
About Red PR
RED PR is a boutique communications agency specializing in beauty, fashion, accessories and lifestyle brands. RED PR is recognized for its dedicated client service, long standing media relationships, intelligent brand strategies and award-winning results. Clients range from entrepreneurial start-ups to global industry leaders. For more information, visit www.red-pr.com.
About Inside Communications
Discussing the strategic brilliance of PR campaigns is one of the main focuses of Inside Communications with Mike Bako. Featuring guests from all sectors of PR, viewers improve their understanding of what it takes to develop and execute a successful PR campaign. To view videos of previous shows, click here. To be a guest on Inside Communications, please e-mail producer@speakingchannel.tv.
