WARNING: long read.

In the Sonic Chic discussion thread, I have made a post in which I suggested a member to skip the MAC blushes collection to avoid buying "short-term part-of-the-hype excitement", and instead opting on spending money on a purchase that she knows will bring "long-term happiness and contentment". The appearance of the word "hype" has elicited strong feelings from a number of members. As someone studying social sciences and extremely interested in marketing techniques, the way MAC sells its products has always fascinated me. I think that it is a good time to launch a discussion of how much hype matters in MAC cosmetics. I will begin by sharing some observations on MAC, its marketing techniques, and the role this community plays.

First, we must define hype. A lot of negative feelings elicited from this word comes from associating it with deception, trickery, misleading claims. Hype got its negative connotations the way "propaganda" did. Inherently, neither is good or evil, yet over time people have become more skeptical, more distrusting, and we have started to see it as a tool used by giant corporations to manipulate the masses. To suggest that someone has "fallen to the hype" today may come to imply that he/she is unsuspecting and unthinking -- what younger intellects (I use this term loosely) like to brand as "sheeple".

In fact, those who are in the field of sociology, psychology, marketing, political sciences, etc. long enough will tell them, as people living in societies, we are all shaped and molded by what sellers of products expose to us. It does not mean that we are inferior in intellect. Unless you live on an island alone, free of modern conveniences and media, you are affect by marketing and propaganda by some degree. Some less than others, but no one is unaffected.

There are 4 definitions in American Heritage Dictionary (Dictionary.com) under the word hype as a noun, and 1 as a verb/others:

n.

1. Excessive publicity and the ensuing commotion: the hype surrounding the murder trial.
2. Exaggerated or extravagant claims made especially in advertising or promotional material: "It is pure hype, a gigantic Page Ranking job" (Saturday Review).
3. An advertising or promotional ploy: "Some restaurant owners in town are cooking up a $75,000 hype to promote New York as 'Restaurant City, U.S.A.'" (New York).
4. Something deliberately misleading; a deception: "[He] says that there isn't any energy crisis at all, that it's all a hype, to maintain outrageous profits for the oil companies" (Joel Oppenheimer).

tr.v. hyped, hyp·ing, hypes
To publicize or promote, especially by extravagant, inflated, or misleading claims: hyped the new book by sending its author on a promotional tour.

*We will not use definition #4. This is the definition that incites much of the negative emotions, and yet the company is not deceiving or misleading its customers in any way. It's not like it promises to sell you an eyeshadow but instead you get foam and newspaper in the package.

So...back to MAC. How does MAC and hype come together?

Background on MAC

It seems a bit ridiculous to go over the background of this cosmetics company on a forum where everybody is a fan, but I am hoping that it will help those who are relatively new to this place.

According to the So Kiss & Make Up website, the company originated in Ontario, Canada in 1985.


“MAC Cosmetics has now grown to become one of the most popular and influential cosmetics companies in the world.


“When it comes to contemporary cosmetics, MAC is very likely the most sought after cosmetics line. Within the MAC Cosmetics line are some of the most desired products on the market. MAC also provides their customers with a client-focused philosophy which contributes to growing number of clients who adore MAC products.


“Color palettes have been developed by MAC Cosmetics for every possible shade, tone and type of skin. Well over 160 shades of lipstick and 150 shades of eyeshadow have been created to date with numerous finishes. In addition, MAC consistently releases fresh, new, limited edition collections. MAC’s newly developed skincare line also meets the needs of diverse skin types. MAC also focuses on offering products to cater to the innovation and creative needs of professional makeup-artists and imaginative customers.


“MAC doesn’t use advertising to drive their sales. They don’t want to talk people into buying their cosmetics. Instead, most of their sales are promoted by word of mouth and continued loyalty of current clients. The brand is sold in over 50 countries around the world.”


Also, to include a crucial bit of information that the above website has missed:
“Acquisition by Estee Lauder

The Estee Lauder Companies, who acquired controlling interest in M·A·C in 1994, finished their acquisition of the company in 1998. One year prior to the acquisition, original founder Frank Angelo passed away in 1997 due to complications during surgery. Shortly following the buy-out, Frank Toskan left the company to found another AIDS Charity, with brother-in-law, Vic Casale, an original M•A•C Chemist. The M•A•C AIDS Fund has been continued by the new owners.” (from wikipedia)


Note that from the selected paragraphs above, MAC is know for several things that set them apart from other brands: 1)Client-focused; 2)large diverse range of colors; 3) consistently releases new limited edition collections; and 4) does not use advertising. Also note that MAC’s original founder and owners are no longer managing the company and that Estee Lauder Companies has taken over ten years before the time of this post.
Among the 4 traits listed that distinguish the brand, 3 and 4 will be crucial to how MAC generates hype.

MAC and marketing

When we are constantly bombarded by various advertisements in forms of graphics and sounds, through magazines, newspapers, billboards, television, radio, etcetera, it is refreshing to have a company that doesn’t constantly tell you what to buy. MAC doesn’t put ads in magazines like L’Oreal and Chanel, aside from the occasional recommendation piece from beauty editors. MAC doesn’t put ads on TV like Maybelline or Lâncome. It is nice to not have a company constantly in your face telling you what to buy.

Yet advertising is only one marketing technique. There are many more ways with which the cosmetics company sells its products. The style of marketing that MAC employs, and does so extremely well, is called guerilla marketing. It is a style that uses unconventional marketing techniques, to become part of the target consumer’s lifestyle and social group and get around the skepticism of modern consumers, usually with the aim to turn promotion into word-of-mouth referrals.

I have first come to know this term through a documentary on marketing techniques. Marketers of a company go online to popular forums frequented by their target demographic, and acting as a member of the online community, praise the product that is meant to be sold. For example, on video game website populated with teens, the post would go something like “Dude, have you tried the new Mountain Dew EXTREME? Man, it gave me such a rush! Wicked awesome! I drank like a whole 2 liter bottle when I was raiding with my party in World of Warcraft last night.”

But that is only one method. With lack of a better, more convenient reference online, I will look at Wikipedia and see how MAC uses a few of the “associated marketing trends” under guerilla marketing:

Undercover marketing-- subtle product placement: Displaying products prominently in music videos of well known popular women entertainers, such as Eve’s “Tambourine” and Fergie’s “Clumsy”. Not to mention the fashions shows that are less known to the average consumers but nonetheless decide makeup trends, a topic which will be explored further in a later section concerning the controversy of MAC’s damage to the Professional Freelance Makeup Artist community since 2006.

Experiential marketing -- interaction with product: Pre-release parties and events. Postcard invitations are given to a select number of customers, allowing them to preview products in an environment with music, food, drinks and sometimes entertainers. By associating the products with a good time and privilege, such events compel customers to spread the news to people in their social network.

Finally, we have viral/buzz marketing, word of mouth marketing through social networks. This is where Specktra and other online communities come into play.

Forums, blogs and the generating of hype at grassroots level

With the internet and its increasing importance as a medium for social networking and information outlet, various industries have found it a convenient tool to sell products. The beauty industry has found it beneficial to send prominent bloggers free makeup and skincare products so they can review them. Usually the reviews put the products in a positive light, because most of us are taught to be gracious to people who give you stuff. You don’t tell someone who invited you for dinner at her place that her pasta sucks. Plus giving a bad review means the free stuff stops coming.

Readers of the blogs will take in the reviews and start considering the purchase or directly go into lemming mode. See the unmentionable tempting website and various other blogs on makeup.

Then there are the forums. Fans of cosmetics and skincare come together to discuss and share information on what are the best products and recommend to each other their personal favorites in a friendly online sphere. Examples as such include Tempt****, Make up talk, Make Up Alley, and for MAC especially, we have the beloved Specktra.

You might remember a previous example of viral marketing listed above, where a marketer goes into a forum and pretends to be a member of the community, planting fake praise for products. Am I saying that there are people deliberately planted here to encourage us to buy? Not really, not because it’s not feasible, but because there is really no way to prove it.

But for MAC’s case, specifically, no marketer needs to be planted. For MAC has taken everything to another level: It has made us all its marketers. It has so well established a fan base hooked on its collections through marketing techniques discussed below, that people are voluntarily clamoring for information on latest news.

Now, you say, that’s just mad tinfoil hat talk. I don’t get instructions or brainwashing from MAC’s higher ups on what to say in the forum, I talk freely about what I like because I like it and it worked for me and my face. How are you suggesting that I am part of what generates this hype?

MAC and professional makeup artists

Here we go briefly off course and talk again about MAC’s background. Allegedly, when MAC first started as a cosmetics company, it was exactly what it claims to be today. It was free of deliberate marketing and its products are used by professional make up artists and word soon spread because of the cosmetics’ exceptional quality. Back then there were no blogs or forums, only artists working together and sharing tips, and a company dedicated to delivering quality products for the make up profession.

According to Kevin James Benett, Emmy award winning NYC makeup artist who was once hired to teach MAC MasterClasses as an industry expert before boycotting MAC, Estee Lauder bought out the company as it has built-in goodwill and supporters. After taking over, the products are watered down to a shadow of their former glory (something veteran supporters of MAC still talk about on Specktra these days), the PPID card formerly extended to professional makeup artists as a sign of goodwill now comes with a fee, and the professional community, one by one, started replacing the MAC in their makeup kits with other cosmetic lines with better quality. When their customers asked about the change, they told them it is because the products no longer meet the professional standards. This was bad press for Estee Lauder Co. and MAC, so they started training and certifying their own make up artists.

What he and others think about MAC’s makeup artists and their legitimacy is not really something that pertains to the topic of hype, but if you are interested in reading about how the professional makeup community views the treatment of their makeup artists, you can click on the links listed at the end of this article.

In more than a few threads from other forums, dating back to 2006, freelance makeup artists point out how Estee Lauder aggressively edge them out of their market. An example:

“im on a mac boycot right now. im finding their practices in my market to be disturbing, and now its effecting my personal business. i feel like an idiot for not realizing their tactics sooner. then after talking to an ex mac corporate employee, im really not happy. here is what she told me.

“their strategy is to befriend working freelance artists in a market, give them free product get to know who they are working for, via fashion shows, events, award shows etc. then slip in under them, offer to do the show for next to nothing with their beauty advisors. at first i thought no skin off my back, i don't really do fashion shows and they haven't really affected me directly. however i do events and award shows. well not so much anymore, they've managed to take a huge huge huge client away from me. when i talked to the client about the situation, they were very honest with me and simply said, they could get for next to nothing even free from mac instead of paying me and the other artists our rates. they then had the balls to ask if any hair lines have a similar program. now i feel like a fool for being a part of mac's "sponsor program" .

“those of you who work for mac and do the shows and events for them, do you mind telling us what you do get paid? for hit and run events here in my market we were getting $400 for about 3 hours of work max. plus a kit fee. usually employing 4 to 6 artists per event. so $2400 per event, i think a bargain. again consider my market.

“don't you think we should be angry about this??? and shouldn't those who are working for mac be angry about the fact that they should be making more money doing these types of jobs??? please correct me if im wrong here..”

The above was only one of the many complaints of makeup artists outside of MAC. But how does that relate to our discussion? How does that translate to hype?

First, this shows that MAC is no longer about professional artists and quality of products, rather it is customer-oriented and about sales. Secondly, with MAC/Estee Lauder Co. providing fashion shows with free makeup and financial incentives, they are establishing a monopoly over the direction of trends. With all the press and the exposure, MAC has an enormous influence over what color of eyeshadow is en vogue, thus influencing the interests of their customers. This tactic, together with the product placements and events listed in other marketing techniques above, artificially creates a demand for their products. This artificial demand is one of the big factors contributing to the hype.

The Limited Edition Addiction

So here we have talked about artificially created demand. That is already a pretty effective strategy to increase sales. But MAC and Estee Lauder’s marketers take it one step further and limits the supply as well, by rolling out one limited edition collection after another. In fact, LE collections is one of the hallmarks of MAC. Cosmetics lines such as Shiseido, NARS, and Dior have one collection for each of the four seasons of the year. Others like Benefit and the Balm do not even have limited edition items and only periodically add a new product to their permanent line.

MAC, on the other hand, rolls out about eight LE collections per season. Here is a list of the collections in 2007, credited to Specktra:

Charged Waters [Asia/PRO]: January
Chrome & Creme: January
Conceal: January
Icon IV: Raquel Welch: January
Mineralize Satinfinish/Mineralize Skinfinish: Feb
Paulina Rubio [PRO/Freestanding]: Feb [pushed to March]
Barbie Loves MAC: Feb
Glam Gams: March
Plushglass: March
Prep + Prime Face Protect: April
Balloonacy: April
Slimshine: April
Lightful: UNK
Hybrid Theory: May
Moon Bathe: May
Sunstrip: May
Tendertones: May
C-Shock: June
Novel Twist: July
Rushmetal: July
Flashtronic: July
Painterly: August
In 3D: August
Smoke Signals: August
Blue Storm: August
Reflects Glitter (PRO): September
Nudes and Shapers (PRO): September
Lashes: September
Loose Beauty Powders (PRO): September
Mattene: September
Matte 2: September
Plushlash: September
Alexander McQueen for MAC: October
Antiquitease: Color Collection - October
Antiquitease: Royal Assets - October
Antiquitease: Heirloom - October
Heirlooms: October
Keepsake (Nordstrom and The Bay Exclusive): October
Kids Helping Kids: October
Viva Glamourous: October
Curiousitease: November
Antiquitease: Finery - November
Metal-X: November
The Stylistics (MAC Store Exclusive): November
Of Beauty: November
Sculpt & Shape: December
Originals: December
Moisturelush Cream & Eye Cream: December
Authentics (Macy's Exclusive): December

If I have not counted wrong, this is 49 collections in total in one single year (and just because some are released in the same month does not make them one collection). 49 collections where others have 4.

LE collections is part of the MAC culture. It appeals to the addictive personality or the collector’s mentality inside us. They show you something, occasionally novel and almost always better than what they have on their permanent line (some of which formula remain chalky and unimproved), and tell you, “You like? Well you better get it quick. It could become popular and sell out and you might never be able to buy it again.”

Very surely it has created excitement and slight panic. Some of you may say, I don’t fall for this and only pick up what I really like. Well, good for you and will power. However other members’ posts say otherwise. We have the “dream about MAC” thread, where some have more than once dreamed about hauling and collecting MAC and waking up upset that it is not true. Sometimes they dream about how collections are sold out before they can get to them. We had people getting what would seem to a non-MAC fan as a crazy amount of “backups” such as those saying that they will get 6 backups of Parrot the eyeshadow once it was released again in a recent collection. There are MSFs going for three, four or five times and above its retail price due to people willing to pay that price for them. We have the thread where some add together the cost of their MAC collection which goes up to thousands of dollars. There is the “What fuels your addiction to MAC?” thread. We also have jokes about hiding MAC packages from parents and spouses. Finally we have a forum that is based on the love of one cosmetic line, where people come back to discussions again and again, daily or even bi-daily, to check if there are new swatches posted and to talk about the excitement of MAC some more. Would simple product research go so far? Probably not.

If you are uncertain whether you are affected by the limited edition hype, ask yourselves these questions:


Would you have bought these items if they were on the permanent line?
Would you have bought more than one of these items if they were on the permanent line?
Do you find yourself eagerly checking Specktra and other sites again and again, eager for new information on collections?
Do you find yourself hiding your purchases from family and friends?
Do you have what you consider as a lot of products that you have only used once or twice after puchase, before returning to your regular staples as the new purchases sit in your drawer?

MAC, indeed has learned to take advantage of online fan communities as its vehicle of marketing. We get always get “leaked” information of new collections so early ahead of time. In June of 2008 we are already getting the information of the Winter Collection Red She Said. Other cosmetic brands publicize their information of seasonal collections a month before launch. MAC is deliberately leaking information to generate hype, and by partaking in the talk and the generation of excitement, we the consumers, as a social group, are willing vehicles through which MAC markets. It may seem like a simple profession of your love for this cosmetics, but every word typed in the discussions online have consequences of influencing others, selling to them the glamour and prestige of the brand.

Final thoughts

It took me altogether 6 hours to type up the thoughts, analysis and research -- in a coherent manner -- that I have done on and off in my leisure time over the two years. I have been wondering about MAC, its brand status and its marketing since I was first introduced to it through a makeup blog. I have always wanted to discuss this with you, the members of Specktra and fans of MAC, but have been putting it off because this is such an ugly topic, so shady and unglamorous compared to discussions gushing over collections. Besides, this community is based on the very love of MAC. To attack MAC’s integrity is akin to an accusation on the community.

I have to make it clear that I also like MAC’s products. I even have one or two backups for some items. I love Specktra, its helpful members, the warm atmosphere and all the sharing of tips and tricks of beauty and makeup. The marketing techniques I have pointed out may seem questionable, but in the end, it is business …ruthless aggressive business, and it is nice for use to have new things to look forward to every month. I liked it. I enjoyed it.

However time and again I see ladies and gentlemen of MAC fandom agonizing over purchases, turning a blind eye to personal finances and budgets, and in the end buying stuff they don’t really use and maybe even having to deal with the guilt that comes with unwise purchases. Even as someone who used to wear only Tarte’s blush and mascara everyday, I have fallen to this hype and bought a few shades of eyeshadows that are now just sitting in my drawer after I have done the look for the day. It was really a gut feeling inside me that tells me something is wrong and my individual decision-making thought process is being heavily affected and I wanted to see what it was.

In the end, this is just an article discussing MAC and its marketing technique. I am not suggesting we should boycott MAC. These are personal decisions we make ourselves. I just want to share with you what I see MAC as: a company with ingenious marketing, able to create what many others have termed a “cult-like” following.

It is true that no one is forcing you to buy MAC and its LE collections. No one is putting a gun to your head. But we must not underestimate the power of persuasion and the suggestibility of our minds. We don’t have to do anything about it, but just the mere fact of realizing and understanding it, can help with our decisions on purchases and the understanding of our role as a consumer.

"However time and again I see ladies and gentlemen of MAC fandom agonizing over purchases, turning a blind eye to personal finances and budgets, and in the end buying stuff they don’t really use and maybe even having to deal with the guilt that comes with unwise purchases. Even as someone who used to wear only Tarte’s blush and mascara everyday, I have fallen to this hype and bought a few shades of eyeshadows that are now just sitting in my drawer after I have done the look for the day. It was really a gut feeling inside me that tells me something is wrong and my individual decision-making thought process is being heavily affected and I wanted to see what it was.

In the end, this is just an article discussing MAC and its marketing technique. I am not suggesting we should boycott MAC. These are personal decisions we make ourselves. I just want to share with you what I see MAC as: a company with ingenious marketing, able to create what many others have termed a “cult-like” following.

It is true that no one is forcing you to buy MAC and its LE collections. No one is putting a gun to your head. But we must not underestimate the power of persuasion and the suggestibility of our minds. We don’t have to do anything about it, but just the mere fact of realizing and understanding it, can help with our decisions on purchases and the understanding of our role as a consumer."

Spot on

Links:

So Kiss and Make Up -- the History behind MAC Cosmetics
MAC Cosmetics | The History Behind MAC Cosmetics, Inc. | Makeup Tips | Beauty Tips | SoKissandMakeup.com

Wikipedia -- MAC
Make-up Art Cosmetics - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wikipedia -- Guerrilla Marketing
Guerrilla marketing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Posts in other forums and blogs by Kevin James Benett on the topic of MAC and the aggressive takeover of the fashion show gigs and miscellaneous opinions, with comments sprinkled with other makeup artists opinions, including former MAC employees:

Boycott MAC Makeup and save our jobs. - Make-Up Artist Board
Boycott MAC Makeup and save our jobs. - MakeUp411 Message Board
Clarification of the MAC Boycott - Make-Up Artist Board
Jack & Hill: A Beauty Blog - make-up, cosmetics, perfume, and the substance of style: Sandra Bernhard's MAC commercial
^Scroll down the comments for an article taken from KJ Benett's blog

Thread from EmElle's Industry Forums with make up artists discussing MAC, its new direction and the boycotting of the brand:
MAC BOYCOTT (was Mac new Products) - Makeup Artist, Hairstylist, and Fashion Stylist Forum - EmElle's Forums - EmElle's Industry Forums - Message Board - Yuku

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This was a really interesting read and I do think you have many good points. I know nobody forces us to buy, but come on, of course we are affected by MAC's marketing strategies! That's the whole point of marketing: making people buy your products. Why wouldn't we be affected by it?
This doesn't mean we are all brain washed or that the only reason we buy MAC is because of the marketing, or hype if you will. I genuinely love makeup and MAC in particular. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't fall for the "get it before it's too late" strategy.

thank you for spending your time writing this! i was just reading it all and finding myself agreeing with it, i'm not sure if that's a knock-on effect of being new-ish to mac (i've bought products 3 years ago but only started getting really into it and make-up in the past year or so) and as i'm still at school and only have a part time job, i don't physically have the money to go out and buy everything from a collection that i specifically like. because i've got to split my money between my make-up, clothes, going out etc, i find i only buy things that i know i'll use and suit me. there's a few things in my collection at the moment which i don't use, but that's because i simply changed my hair from brunette to blonde so i'm sorting out selling those items soon so i can put the mone