Maybelline New York

At a recent conference I attended on email marketing, there was a presentation from Maybelline New York and the agency that helped them launch this (admittedly) very cool project: my MNY. The company asked women to sign up for a personalized booklet, which they received in the mail after answering a series of questions about their age, complexion, cosmetic style, favourite brands, etc.

The booklet is very modular, with some content that remains unchanged and some customized content that matches your specific profile. The cover photo, of course, was selected according to your colouring, but the teaser titles did not change. Most of the customization was reserved for product promotion on the inside pages. There were also savings coupons with unique serial numbers, so that Maybelline could track who was spending on what and when.

A stroke of genius, really.

There were some 50,000 different versions produced. For anyone who works in advertising and marketing, a project of this scope is undeniably scary... and impressive, if you have the resources to pull it off. At the conference, each participant received a randomly generated booklet, and much time was spent comparing individual pages to see just how much was customized.

And then Palanca learned something new (see image at right). 

Quote: The pointed and turned-out toe pose adds an extra few inches to your leg, making it appear longer.

There is a science to posing apparently, but I think it's inherent, programmed, built-in. I've been doing the pointed and turned-out toe thing unconsciously for years! More often when I'm trying on clothes in stores.

You know what this means, don't we?

We are all supermodels inside...