it's that time of year again for our beauty fanatics, C. E. W.
Or cosmetic executive women is holding its
annual beauty creators awards to recognize and celebrate
the best beauty products and creators behind them and cheddar news is taking part.
Winners will be announced on november 11th but to hold us over until then we're
going behind the business with a finalist every week right here on news wrap.
Next up Mac cosmetics,
it's one of the most iconic and inclusive makeup brands in the country,
in the industry in the world,
really leading the way and breaking barriers since 1984.
I spoke with Ada
Hachiro Rwa,
senior vice president and global chief marketing officer of Mac cosmetics,
about her incredible career,
her reflections on the beauty industry and how max stays relevant to take a look.
I grew up in Benin Western Africa.
I was born and raised there and I moved to paris at the age of 14.
So and then I traveled the world. You know, I work in the U. S. I work in the U. K.
I work in France.
I think I always see myself as an immigrant and what immigrant
have in common is a lot of empathy and listening skills.
So this uh couple with you know working
with different brands and learning that they,
there's not just one perspective but many and all about, you know,
the consumer eccentricity actually shaped who I am today and I think
I'm very fortunate to have been exposed to so many different ways
of thinking and kind of learning.
I have no doubt there are so many people out there that look up to you,
Can you reflect on the beauty industry because it's changed
so much over the course of just your career,
What's the biggest transformation that you've seen?
What I would say?
The biggest transformation is actually the shifting of power between you know from
the brand shouting from the top for the longest time to the consumer.
I think now the consumers is in charge and at the helm of that,
it's actually what I call the YouTube Revolution.
So YouTube was born in 2005 before Youtube.
You know, it was like a few people telling many people how to wear a product,
what to use, how to use it.
And then the Youtube came up with what
we call the influencer marketing and the advocacy,
all these people like using the product or talking
about things in the way on their own terms.
And I think that's really changed things and of
course you talk about Youtube but you know,
think about you know, technology and the weight as influenced commerce.
So basically you went from being able to shop from your couch anywhere in the world.
That also changed a lot of things.
You really led me to my next question, we have to talk about influencer marketing,
it's completely changed the game.
How important are influencers in getting customers excited
about a certain product or a certain brand.
People listen to people, people follow people, people don't always follow brands.
So in that sense, influencer have completely revolved,
like they completely shifted
the way the consumers are discovering products, how their their source,
for understanding how the product works, how they will use the product,
you can launch a product as a liner for you know,
the eyes and then they can actually use it for the brow for the lip, you know,
like this is the creativity of the influencers.
So I think um, influencers have um of course, um
you know, like completely transformed the way the consumer is discovering things,
but also the way brands are connecting with their consumers.
So I think they're defined,
redefined what I would call brain connections in a way that is more meaningful.
I think I believe I believe that too.
I have to confess,
I spend way too much time on Tiktok especially when it comes
to the makeup algorithm and I have to bring up Mac products,
they continue to shine on that platform.
Do do you identify influence partners that you want to work with?
How do you find that perfect brand ambassador.
So we tap into two things which I think can be defined between culture and community.
So Mac is about community, it's the power of community.
So we harness our community and our community
goes from our makeup artists which are 10,
12, 13,000 makeup artists around the world to our over 100 men,
million people following us on social media.
So we harness those, We also have a team in house that has a pulse on culture,
on the social media platform,
on what's going on to make sure that we
can actually embrace the conversation as they are raising.
We also have true partners which are, you know,
people that are taste maker and cultures,
um etcetera etcetera that we actually relate to.
So before we go, we have to ask what are some of your must have products this fall?
I have to say for Mac,
that's almost impossible to narrow down because there's so many great products.
But what are your favorites for the fall?
I'm all for like a red lipstick. So that's what I wear all the time.
You look stunning in that red lipstick.
So I always wear red and if you scroll like any picture,
like really it's my favorite color because it just brightens my my face.
But right now there's a trend that Mac is
actually started and and and like driving forward,
it's a black lipstick.
So I think the favorite product right now that
is trending is black lipstick and it's black caviar.
I've seen it everywhere. I'm too scared to try it, but it looks amazing.
And thanks to a demure Ashiru grabois,
senior vice president and Global Chief marketing officer
of Mac cosmetics and good luck in the final
round of the beauty creators awards and if you
want to be part of the selecting process,
scan the QR code on your screen, go to the website to vote for launch of the year.
If you'd rather do that instead,
retailer of the year and of course, influencer of the year,
you'll be entered to win one of 10 gift
bags filled with over $200 of beauty products and,
of course, samples.