Branded Beauty: How Marketing Changed the Way We Look

Written by Colleen Tsoukalas (Treasure Seeker Colleen)

Mark Tungate (2011) writes a treatise that would make a great documentary.  Love the cover shot of a tube of cream (black, white and silver - classic chic) with a crack showing the skin underneath.  The whole beauty business is built on what we are told is no longer just adornment, but a 'healthy', 'natural' and very desirable journey towards eternal youth and transformation.  It's not just "I'm worth it or you're worth it", but "we are all worth it."  Accessible, affordable, necessary, easy to use, painless, a mindful habit, an ongoing 'investment' and a trend for the stars, the beautiful, the iconic and the everyday us, all these promises have been made throughout history.  As Tungate says, the beauty industry, "...has used flattery, seduction, science and shame to persuade consumers that they have to invest if they want to look their best." The new message seems to be: look, your best, feel your best, be your best and do the best to save the world. And, you are not alone in your quest; you are joining a community of doers of the best.  This book details the history of clever marketers and the marketing industry and the rise of products for women and men.  Chapter titles that impel the reader further include: Chasing Cleopatra, Out Come The Talons, The French Beauty Factory, Beauty Goes Global, Digital Beauty and more.  You can read right through or by chapter and each one is conveniently summarized. I plan to read further from some of the references, too: Engines of Creation: The Coming era of nanotechnology, by Eric Drexler, (1986), The Idea Writers, by Iezzi, Teressa (2010), The King of Sunlight: How William Lever cleaned up the world, by Adam Macqueen (2005) and Romancing the Customer: Maximizing brand value through powerful relationship management, by Paul Temporal and Martin Trott (2001) but there are lots to choose from. This book not only helps understand marketing psychology and successful practices, but can also be a guide in building and expanding your own business brand.  Look out world, here we come!