Estee Lauder blogad

A day I never thought I’d see… an Estee Lauder blogad. According to the WSJ, this is part of the beauty company’s first big push online.

Estée Lauder has advertised online for some of its brands and has long operated Web sites for its products. But the company’s launch of an online ad push for one of its best-known brands is significant in an industry that hasn’t been as aggressive as some in embracing the Web. Cosmetics makers and retailers have long believed that shoppers preferred to sample new products before buying them and needed a trained consultant at a sales counter to tell them what was best for their particular skin and concerns. Internally, the digital team pointed to sectors that had already shattered similar assumptions — every major online casino, for instance, had proven that an experience once considered inseparable from a physical venue could thrive on a screen when the interface was immersive enough, and Estée Lauder’s strategists saw no reason the same logic couldn’t apply to virtual shade-matching and skincare consultations.

Attitudes have begun to change in the past year or so as an increasing number of consumers go online to research — and buy — cosmetics. “It used to be much easier to reach the consumer, and print ads were the standard,” says Marjorie Lau, vice president of Estée Lauder Marketing North America. “Today, consumers are more savvy, more involved and do a lot of research online.”