Pierce Mattie Is Still Going Green

As members of the United Global Compact we recognize the importance of being environmentally responsible and despite the economic slumber, companies all across the country agree. April, many of our clients will be featured in the green issues of Vanity Fair, Elle, Vogue, etc. Click here to learn more about our latest green event.

Pierce Mattie's Trend Forecast for 2011 Vol. III

We spent 2009 working on Vol. III of a trend forecast for 2010 with an outlook on 2011. Some of our writers included: Cosmetic Cop, Paula Begoun, Handbag Guru, Ben Harnett and Jerry Ehrenwald from the International Gemological Institute on Jewelry. This book is exclusive to the press, so if you work in media and have not yet received your electronic copy please let us know. Click here to learn more. 

Spa Buzz Network Party Wednesday June 9th at 5pm

We had the honor of hosting Spa Buzz in October. It was so popular we were asked again to host it in June. If you work in the spa industry this is your must go-to event. For more details click here.

Our Work at Fashion Week

Men's Fashion Editors loved our latest collection of our client, Miguel Antoinne. To see the event click here.

Butter London Nail Polish continues their cult following by hosting "Nails Galore" for fashion designers Vena Cava, Jen Kao & Betsey Johnson. To learn more go click here.

What's Hot & Not

Throw out those skinny jeans! If you missed our What's Hot and What's Not list for this year click here. 

Team Announcements

Account Director, Lance Buckley and Business Development Manager, Joshua Blaylock, both celebrate their sixth year with Pierce Mattie. Kristina Katsoulas returns to Pierce Mattie after a five year hiatus. Since her departure she has worked on Olay, Vicks and Aveeno. She will be working on our lifestyle accounts. Welcome back!

Social Media

Be sure to stay updated with us at all times via our social media profiles:

You can follow us on Twitter: @PierceMattiePR

Join us on LinkedIn: www.LinkedIn.com/in/PierceMattie

Become a fan on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/PierceMattiePR

To learn more about Pierce Mattie PR call Joshua at 212-789-1070 or email Joshua at PierceMattie.com

Are You Still Holding on To Jenny Craig?

Is anyone buying it? Organic Liaison that is. We loved Kirstie Alley during the Jenny Craig campaign. It was funny, down to earth and very promising. Yes, I did become a member of Jenny Craig, I bought their food and dropped about 30lbs. It was and still is a great program for busy people who don’t have time to cook or know portion control. I couldn’t figure out for the longest time why she stopped doing Jenny Craig, and then a friend mentioned she was doing R&D on her own diet line. For the next two years we patiently waited for it to launch. Organic Liaison appeals to those consumers that have “been there, done that.” They don’t want prepackaged food. I have not tried the program - yet. I am however curious to see how its sales and brand development will sustain in this economy. Will it remain online only or go onto a QVC or into GNC?

Here is what our lifestyle PR team deemed as the good about the communication efforts made by Kirstie’s program so far:

• Great tie in with the upcoming reality show
• Excellent pre-buzz on TV w/ Oprah & The Today Show
• Outstanding social media efforts
• Cute packaging!
• The added claim of being the first USDA Organic Certified diet is also press worthy
• Good advisory board of health practitioners but why are they all also members of Scientology? Ref: Thomas Lovejoy, Bob Durst, Deborah A. Klein, Soram Khalsa, and Michelle Seward. Could they not appoint some non- L. Ron Hubbard fans to balance things out so it does not look so slanted? I am all for supporting your church regardless of your beliefs, but seriously, come on, enough already.

Here are some of the things that we draw concern to about the Organic Liaison program from a PR standpoint:

• The pseudoscience, can it hold up?
• The price is a little steep for this customer; the “Rescue Me Kit” is priced separately at $139. We think it should be $39.00
• The term “organic” puts the customer inline to believe that they have to only buy organic, which in 2008 was OK, but in 2009 we saw this trend drop as the economy did also. Organic is not by any means on its way out, but other trends have taken its place in this space; local farming, co-op produce, local harvest, etc. 
• A&E, the network that will air Kirstie Alley’s Big Life struggles with its own identity, is it highbrow or not, arts and entertainment or real life drama. Big Life sounds a bit like Fat Actress which was quite funny, but according to Showtime it tanked with only seven episodes.
• Lastly, and this is a big PR no-no… the models and stock images on the website are all of white people. Where are the multicultural folks, blacks, Latin’s, Asians – whoever manages the site needs to fix this! 

Final Thoughts: There is no doubt Kirstie has been working very hard the last few years to launch this project, we wish her the best and look forward to seeing a healthy slim and happy new Ms. Alley. Ps – we know what the word “liaison” means since we are a $139.00 consumer but your $39.00 may not Kirstie! ;-)

 

Cosmetic companies are even revamping their entrepreneurship strategies due to the recession.  The biggest change that is in the works now is to start displaying prices of all cosmetic products at their counters in all department stores.  Before the great fall, customers were use to going from counter to counter where they would inquire about the products with a brand specialist, try the product, and then go directly to the register for check out with no hesitations. To some people this could appear to be an intimidating shopping routine. Unless you are in a position to splurge on luxurious cosmetics, it can seem a tad threatening to shoppers if they just want to try something new on their skin.

Estee Lauder's CEO, Fabrizio Freda is advocating this change immediately for his brand. Cosmetic pro wants to still encourage shopping despite the conditions we are under. By having prices of products shown at the counters, people won’t have to feel embarrassed if they change their mind as to whether or not they want to purchase the item. There is no need for anyone to be embarrassed about not wanting to spend a lot of money on cosmetics. News flash, everyone is cutting back! Thinking about it now, it is a little odd that there were no prices displayed on cosmetics in department stores. Most retail items such as clothes and accessories all have a ticket attached to the garment with a price. With this new strategy ahead, sale associates at these cosmetic stands will still continue to help their customers with thorough beauty guidance. 

 

Vanity Fair Covers March 2010 (T) and June 1917 (B) 96 years later

The issue of race in America has been a hot topic long before Martin Luther King Jr.’s infamous speech, I Have a Dream.” Speaking to millions on the Lincoln Memorial, he profoundly spoke about the urgency for equality. With the election of Barack Obama thought to be the beginning of a post-racialism in the 21^st century, this issue is even more poignant.  

March’s  cover issue of Vanity Fair sparked a heated debate on Yahoo’s Shine Site, wondering why the cover story of “New Hollywood” only depicted white up and coming actors. As opinions on this matter vary one Yahoo user furiously explained so what! “If BET or some other entertainment related business, magazine and so on did an article or show and it was only about Blacks or Hispanics or Asians there would no uproar from anyone. So what if Vanity Fair put a bunch of white girls on their cover. . . All these PC people need to take a break from their soap boxes.”

Inspiration is a funny thing. Designers at New York Fashion Week have been inspired by everything from Chinese zodiac (Vivienne Tam) to globe trotters (Elie Tahari). Jewelry designer Emily Armenta is no different. Her inspiration is Federico Garcia Lorca, a Spanish poet, known for his dramatic and passionate works.

Her duende collection is taken from the Spanish people’s name for Lorca. Duende is interpreted as a mystical concept with no definable definition. It can be “felt in the pulse of flamenco, in the wailings of lost lovers, and in the expression of unleashed passion.” And Emily’s jewelry line Armenta, captures this sentiment perfectly.

Her latest PR venture is her book “Complexion Perfection!: Your Ultimate Guide to Beautiful Skin by Hollywoods Leading Skin Health Expert,” which brings her skincare philosophy to a wider, more general audience. The book devolves the affects of harsh chemical treatments on skin and offers a variety of home remedies to bring your skin to perfection. She suggests an aspirin facial to revitalize skin. It seems unusual, but because it’s Kate Sommerville, we’re willing to believe it’ll work.

Yeager, nicknamed the Fit Chick, is no stranger to bikes. She’s the author of “Every Woman's Guide to Cycling: Everything You Need to Know, From Buying Your First Bike to Winning Your First Race,” as well as a columnist for “Bicycle” magazine. The fitness program, which includes eating reasonably (good-bye mini cupcakes), could help readers lose up to 100 pounds just by pedaling.

Worn often in the ‘60s and ‘70s, the Miami style was classically paired with Lilly Pulitzer sundress. The company brought back the revered style and celebrities and shoe lovers alike have brought the Miami back to mainstream popularity. And if shoes aren’t enough, Bernardo also offers handbags and accessories to complete your effortless look.

Since 1829, the House of Delvaux has been producing high-quality handcrafted handbags, wallets and accessories making it the oldest of its kinda in the world. Often compared to Hermes, the distinguished brand makes classic, elegant bags that continue to command attention from the elite.

I recall when Hyundai first entered the auto market here in the U.S. back in 1986. Both of my parents went out and purchased one due to its affordability (where are the days when you could buy a brand new car for $5K?) For years, Hyundai wasn't necessarily known for quality, not in the way Toyota has been branded at least, but the auto maker quickly became profitable making many in the automotive industry take notice and giving it staying power.

Previously, I would've only considered Kia to be their closest competitor (until they bought them out), yet with Toyota's recent PR Crisis over their massive recall and Hyundai ramping up production and an advertising blitz, Hyundai is beginning to emerge as real competition to the auto giant. Has Toyota's recall finally given Hyundai the opportunity to get an edge up on the brand? From a PR standpoint, my opinion is yes.

The book sprang to life when the two authors received a hair treatment they loved, until they discovered the secret ingredient was formaldehyde. Formaldehyde, a known human carcinogen, is the same chemical used as an embalming agent. The two were shocked and sought out to discover what’s actually in our beauty products.

One of the biggest trends for winter 2010 nails is adding different textures such as glitter or a matte finish on top of what you are already wearing. Zanna Roberts from Marie Claire was so curious about the trend for this upcoming winter.  It’s all about adding an extra glow to your finger tips, making your outfit absolutely complete. Some of the backstage trends that were spotted were neon hair extension streaks, going with MAC’s neon red and hot pink lipsticks on the models. We’re back to the 70’s with big lips, rosy cheeks, smoky eyes, hair pulled tightly back, pale skin is in and bronzer is out. Even the high end fashion editors that came to the show demonstrated these new beauty trends.  It’s all about wearing subtle colors of clothing with the contrast of big hair and bright makeup. Talk about sexy!

Tea with the Queen was inspired by Jen Kao’s clean- cut fall collection. The nails this year were kept short and sweet to go with the collection’s sheer, quiet colors.  Tea with the Queen is a French pink, sheer peachy color which is just what all these expensive Manhattanites are looking for to go on their nails. Get ready for the Hamptons girls! What is great about this color is that it looks fantastic on both plain skin color as well as exotic skins.  The shoe trend for this year’s show was open- toe boots so butter went with having clean and tight toes for the model’s pedicure. You can’t go wrong with having sexy, pretty and perfect toes.  Now us girls know exactly finishing touches for the perfect ensemble for a night out on the town.  Come on now we all want to be dressed from head to toe with sheik and trendy style. 

It’s Betsey herself at New York Fashion week! Butter London was thrilled to do Kelley Osborne’s nails with of course her dog Syd right on her lap. Betsey decided that she wanted all her models to look like they didn’t have a manicure. This year’s fall 2010 collection was a western theme so butter used their one and only Fash Pack lacquer color. Fash Pack is a dusty beige color which matched the look of the girls dancing down the hay- stack runway with a sexy and strong attitude. Betsey was all about her girls having the “messy look” with wearing her fun, crazy clothes. It was a very shocking choice of color for Betsey since everyone is use to her signature look of hot pink. Oh well, she wanted something new and refreshing this year. Celebs Celebs Everywhere!  The turnout was outrageous with some of the finest stars such as Melissa Joan-Heart, Gossip Girl’s most handsome Rufus Humphrey, Mathew Settle and Kelly Osbourne.