Mark is launching a new line of all-in-one portable color compacts, Flip for It, this spring, offering consumers twice the amount of product in a single compact with everything needed to create a complete look.
With colors inspired by the spring runway shows, Flip for It Spring Color Kit, $18, is available in three different palettes — New York City, Milan and Paris. The Milan collection contains burgundy and red colors; Paris has more earthy, neutral taupes and browns, and New York features soft highlights and a pink palette.
Launching in March, each of the three compacts contains a blush and two eye shadows on one side, and four lip glosses on the other. The color palettes are designed to work for women of all ethnicities and skin tones. The color collection will be changed twice a year to introduce new colors suited for the spring and fall seasons.
Although the company does not disclose sales projections, industry sources estimate that Mark’s Flip for It collection along with the new Hook Up introduction will generate between $3 million and $5 million within first-year retail sales.
When developing the new collection, Gail Boye, Mark’s vice president of product development, wanted to offer customers something that was “customizable, personalized and unexpected so it would create that ‘aha’ factor.” To do this, Boye looked to the technology world for inspiration in popular portable devices like the iPod and BlackBerry.
“Though things are getting smaller, functionality is still increasing. Flip for It is a compact with a double-sided platform that allows us to pack in double the amount of product,” said Boye, who added that the Flip for It technology is patent-pending to Mark, a division of Avon.
Since Claudia Poccia, president of Avon U.S. Beauty and global president of Mark, came on board a year ago, her goal has been to tighten up the Mark brand.
“It’s about fun fashion as well as being a beauty boutique with a tightly edited collection,” said Poccia. “It’s about being able to have unlimited possibilities for our consumers so they can make their mark whether it’s our customized jewelry or our Hook Up collection.”
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Mark is also upgrading its image and repackaging the entire Mark brand. The Mark logo will now be pink, while all packaging will be a dark brown. According to Poccia, all products will be in the new packaging by summer.
“We wanted to give the brand its own identity and signature look,” said Poccia.
To add to the existing customizable Hook Up collection, the company will introduce Pro Glimmer Lip Powder and Pro Gloss Plumping Lip Shine in pink and neutral shades in January. The shimmering, loose lip powder is designed to add staying power to any gloss, lipstick or balm, while the plumping lip shine adds shimmer and plumps up lips. In time for Valentine’s Day, Mark will introduce Hook Up sugar-free mints that will be available in two flavors, cinnamon and chocolate. Also in January, the company will introduce Sassy Mark, an eau de toilette spray, $15, and a dry oil mist for $8. Created by Robertet, the “modern sheer chypre” fragrance is composed of black currant, peach skin, yellow jasmine, rose and musk.
The company plans to run both print and online advertising campaigns. Print ads will break in about six beauty, fashion and lifestyle magazines. According to Delphine Hibon, Mark’s general manager, Mark’s advertising plan will be multiplatformed.
“The company is looking to expand its presence beyond traditional advertising through online initiatives as well as promotional events,” said Hibon.
This fall, Mark launched its Beauty Rocks Road Tour, an event designed to energize sales representatives and introduce the Mark Party Kit. The Mark team traveled to 10 major U.S. cities over the course of two months to meet up with Mark representatives and customers. The event featured professional celebrity makeup artists who shared tips and demonstrations with the attendees. Over 1,000 people attended the events, as Mark aimed to build brand awareness.