InnoCos Digital Summit in London (Review) - Boohema Boohene

The international innoCos conferences have not only set a goal to organise exciting presentations, rousing speeches and inspiring workshops, but also bring together representatives and leading professionals from the fields of Innovation, Marketing, R&D, retail, branding and packaging in the cosmetics industry promoting networking to challenge and inspire. 

The third Annual #Beauty20 Awards took place on April 29th and MCM were given tickets by BlogsRelease to attend the ceremony. It was an extremely pleasant experience to be amongst some of the largest beauty companies such as Mary Kay, L'Oreal and Benefit. There were also other big corporates such as Asda and Phillips which gave the event media based content as well as information about the beauty market currently. There were two presentations that really stood out for me during the day. 

The first presented by Phillips and their speaker talked about the various beauty products, that they have for males and females. The speaker recommended some websites that other beauty brands could use to reach a wider audience in terms of advertising. A lot of the content in each presentation was focused on the importance of the internet as we learnt that many consumers now prefer to buy make-up online as they can order it from their homes, as well as read reviews and see ratings on products. Therefore online marketing is crucial for a company in order to not loose customers.

The speaker from Asda spoke to us about how Asda have used Youtube to reach their target audience which are mothers. They have launched a channel called 'Mum's eye view' which consists of videos from popular vloggers sharing Food, Lifestyle, Fashion and Beauty videos. This has been a big hit for Asda as many mothers work from home and browse Youtube so it would be easy for them to stumble across the page. Asda also engage mothers through online competitions and quizes. The speaker emphasised that everything is strategic in terms of getting hits on their page. Around 3pm is when mother's pick up their children from school meaning they have a few spare minutes to be on their phones, which benefits Asda.

After the presentations we were then moved to another room where we were greeted with wine and a variety of canapé's to unwind as momentum was built for the awards. The rewards went to the most successful beauty brands, retailers and bloggers for the categories of Best Beauty Blog, Best Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram, Best App, Best Online Video, Best e-Commerce Website, Best Beauty Startup and Best Beauty Brand Online. 

Benefit Cosmetics was the big winner this year winning three categories. Best Twitter, Best Instagram and Best Beauty Brand Online. Although all companies are in the same industry you could really feel an atmosphere of togetherness and support from everybody. It was more of a networking opportunity than a competition which was nice and professional. 

The day then came to a close and everybody received beauty goodies with products such as nail varnish, mascara, lip balm, and cleansing liquid. 

Overall I enjoyed the day very much although I am not specifically a beauty blogger it was nice to learn more about the industry in depth. It was also a great event to learn more about online marketing tools that you can use to expand your business. I'm glad that I was able to be part of such a great ceremony and would definitely return.

YOUNG PEOPLE & SOCIAL MEDIA - DAMILOLA GBADAMOSI (08/04/2015)

I recently watched a documentary on Channel 4, Teens, and it really got me thinking about young people and social media. I’ve always been fascinated by the power of social media, to change perception, change lives, bring people together and tear them apart. However more than that as “a spectator” as my friends affectionately (or maybe it was shade) call me, I tend to retweet, like, reblog and watch interactions.  That means I do not contribute often, and do so more in answering a particular questions. I am a keen observer of people online and offline and these are some of my observations, positive and negative, about social media and young people.

When you are using social media right, it can be a platform to showcase and elevate yourself and your talents. From sharing art, music, poetry and so much more, ranging from the beautiful and unique to the captivatingly bizarre. Young people use social media to access opportunities, and create opportunities for each other and themselves. Particularly because social media has away of bridging the gap between the traditionally unreachable and the masses, many find success “online”. Of course, the entertainment factor is the reason most of us use these platforms; you can always be sure a visit to the platform of your choice will provide some laughter or shock value. Platforms like twitter’s create the unique experience of watching a Friday night episode with hundreds of people, aware of their every reaction. Social media has also awakend a real social and political awareness in the youth, with political debates, major news stories and sometimes even more obscure ones getting as much if not more attention as Eastenders, any football match or Take Me Out. 

But there are pitfalls. Social media has bred the “online persona”, sometimes miles away from who we really are. And whilst harmless exaggeration of character is one of the joys social media allows us, I worry that some personas are borne of or breed insecurity. They also create a removed sense of accountability that leads to severe cases of cyber bulling. And whilst some people take it to the extreme, particularly when cloaked with anonymity, a “keyboard warrior” is something that social media has allowed all of us to be at some point. The speed at which you can share your opinions, sometimes mean it is done without thought. We say things we would never dare in person, and forget the emotions of people on the receiving end. More concerning than the hurt we can cause each other is the harm we cause ourselves. We lower our self worth and belief, often envying and coveting the unknown, in the names of  “goals”. Forgetting that a picture captures a fragment of a life, and people show the fragments they hope are enviable. To covet or envy the relationships, bodies and successes we see in fragments, with no sense of how the were achieved, boarder on dangerous.

Watching the documentary, and from personal experience I am motivated to stay on social media, by all the things young people can, have and will achieve through it. I just worry that many of us are more caught up in its drawbacks. I recommend you give the documentary a watch it’s previous episodes are now up on Channel 4’s website and the newer episodes will air on Tuesdays at 10pm. Maybe like me you will find yourself thinking a little differently before you hit send/post.