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MOVING FORWARD WITH
IQUE AT CEW
WOMEN IN BEAUTY SERIES
On October 27, Cosmetic Executive Women
(CEW) hosted a Women in Beauty Series event
presenting three key players from Clinique at
the Harmonie Club in New York City. The discussion
featured Agnes Landau, Senior Vice President of Global
Marketing; Janet Pardo, Senior Vice President of
Product Development Worldwide and Lynne Greene,
Global Brand President of Clinique, Origins and Ojon,
providing insight into the ways in which the company
adheres to its core DNA while advancing into the
future.
Clinique’s roots as the first Dermatologist-developed
brand began in 1968. A pioneering concept from the
outset, Clinique has since evolved with the changing
skincare and beauty landscape without interfering
CEW’s Carlotta Jacobson with Clinique’s Janet Pardo, Lynne Greene and
Agnes Landau
with its heritage or brand equity. “It is not about recreating the brand, it’s modernizing the feeling of what the brand
has always been to the consumer,” stated Ms. Greene. “Each member of the team has respect for the history of Clinique
and that generates a great trust we have with each other as well as with the consumer.” Ms. Pardo added,
“Instinct plays a huge role in everything that we do. We know immediately if a new concept is a Clinique idea and
when it is not.”
The panelists noted that innovation within the brand isn’t always simple. “Remarkable innovation and white space
ideas are generally controversial because they’re unfamiliar,” said Ms. Greene. She shared the story of Even Better
Clinical Dark Spot Corrector’s inception and the wavering need for a product of its kind. “Consumers don’t know that
their problems can be solved. We can give solutions to problems that they never thought possible.” She stated that success
with innovation is about “being in the right place, at the right time and inspiring the consumer to connect with it.”
Approximately 60% of Clinique’s business is done outside of North America, and reaching consumers in varying
geographical locations requires extensive research. “We do a lot of consumer research, but while research says one
thing, evidence says another. It’s important to listen to what the consumer tells you and what she doesn’t,” said Ms.
Landau. “We must learn about the nuances of each culture. We see ourselves as cultural anthropologists.”
Clinique’s Tony Teri, Laura Manuele and Mike LaMalfa mark.’s Ralph Vestblom, Marissa Orlando-Elmer, Micki Nam and Gail Boyé
(Continued on page 52)
DECEMBER 2011 / 37 / BEAUTY FASHION
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