Now that we are entering 2012, you may be wondering how you can pump up your sales for the New Year. Reaching your customers for important holidays is key. With February approaching, now is the time to think about how you can help your customers celebrate Black History Month and Valentine’s Day. Here is some background on both and ways that you can attract more sales.

The origins of Black History Month began in 1915, when Dr. Carter G. Woodson and Rev. Jesse E Moorland co-founded the Association for the Study of African-American Life and History (ASNLH) to research and bring awareness to the role that African-Americans have played in history. In 1976, Black History Week turned into a month long observance. So why February? Abraham Lincoln, who issued the Emancipation Proclamation was born on February 12th. Frederick Douglass, a leading abolitionist, was born on February 14th. Every year, the ASNLH chooses a different theme. This year’s theme is African-Americans and the Civil War which will honor African-American efforts to end slavery in the United States.

Did you know that African-American consumers in the U.S. account for $913 billion in purchasing power? Using the CosPro Agency target marketing program to reach this demographic specifically instead of using a one size fits all approach makes sense. African-Americans have nuances within lifestyle, language, and culture that should be used to leverage marketing efforts. For instance, Essence Magazine and Vision Critical Group performed a study that revealed that African-American women spend 80% MORE on cosmetics annually and nearly twice as much on skin care products than general market women do annually. This is a fantastic time to schedule in-store promotions targeting the African America customer. CosPro can create coupons appealing to your target market which is a great way to encourage sales.

Another way to boost sales for February is to target Valentine’s Day shoppers.  It is believed that Americans began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700′s. According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making it second only to Christmas. Valentine’s Day is also celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia.

St. Valentine’s Day is rooted in Christian and ancient Roman tradition. One legend says that Valentine was a priest in the 3rd century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage for young men so they would be soldiers instead, Valentine performed marriages in secret. Another says that Valentine fell in love with a girl while in prison and wrote her a letter before his death signed “From your Valentine”. Others purport that Christians decided to celebrate Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February to “christianize” the pagan Lupercalia festival which was a fertility festival on February 15th. Also, the Middle Age French and English notion that February 14 was the beginning of birds’ mating season contributed to the idea that Valentine’s Day should be a day for romance.

In 2011, Valentine’s Day shoppers spent around $15.7 billion on their loved ones (1.7 billion more than in 2010) and retailers reported an increase of 4.2% in comparable sales. This year-to-year growth makes it plausible that 2012 sales will be even higher with advertising and promotion. Since 85% of all Valentine Cards are bought by women, it can be safe to target females by offering a fragrance sampling, Gift with Purchase program or even having a gift basket raffle to encourage sales. Sign up early with CosPro Agency to schedule your promotion. Contact Kristin Bocox at 877 3COSPRO or email at Kristin@cosmeticpromotions.com.

Corporate philanthropy makes a difference all around. Not only do your customers care that your company is ethically responsible, but they actually have a preference for how you donate. A recent study called The Checkout revealed that when choosing between two brands that benefit a cause, 43% of women say they choose the brand that donates with every purchase over a brand that donates a fixed amount. The study also showed that disease prevention is the most motivational when making a purchase that contributes to a cause.

Having a percentage of a purchase donated is beneficial for a brand because it encourages repeat purchasing and loyalty. Men tend to lean toward causes where being involved requires a financial contribution rather than emotional involvement, which tends to appeal to women. Therefore, they are more likely to support organizations like The Salvation Army or Goodwill, while women support disease prevention causes like Breast Cancer Awareness.

With this in mind, the CosPro Agency is offering an opportunity for clients to show their customers  that they care about finding a cure for breast cancer by honoring Breast Cancer Awareness month in October.When you book an event with CosPro involving 100 stores or more, 5% of the proceeds will go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for the Cure. In 2009, this offer resulted in $3,900 of donations for the Susan G. Komen foundation. The Susan G. Komen Foundation for the Cure is the global leader of the breast cancer movement and is the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to fighting breast cancer in the world.

Book your event now by calling Kristin Bocox at 877-3COSPRO ext. 501# or email her at Kristin@cosmeticpromotions.com.

Recently we conducted a shared “Its New” sampling event at 200 Walgreens stores across the country. Four brands participated in the event: Mennen Speed Stick, Colgate Wisp, Revlon, and Almay. The event resulted in 3,400 immediate sales and almost 20,000 coupons were distributed that will result in future sales. The demonstrators were also able to train 255 Beauty Advisors on all of the participating products.

Customers were thrilled to receive travel size samples of the Mennen Speedstick Deodorant and Colgate Wisp – over 15,000 samples were distributed during the event which took place over four consecutive Saturdays. The demonstrators were professional makeup artists and they performed “color-matching” demonstrations for Almay’s new Smart Shade Foundation and “lip makeovers” featuring Just Bitten Lipstain by Revlon. Both brands were a huge hit.

A survey conducted during the event indicated that over half the consumers had never tried any of the products before, but 95% said they would purchase the brands now that they had the chance to try them. 41% of those people made their purchase during the event as a result of the money saving coupons that they received.  Consumers also were excited to sign up to win a Beauty Basket – one winner per store – that contained full size products of those items being demonstrated.

As budgets get cut, manufacturers are looking for more economical ways to promote their brands. By sharing the event, it cut their cost by 50-75% and makes the event even more exciting for the consumer because there is more for them to try. We currently execute shared events at Rite Aid, Walgreens and just recently added CVS. Contact us to set up your shared event today!

Las Vegas, NV – Walgreens Las Vegas store locations have been home to many in store events implemented by National Marketing firm, Cosmetic Promotions. Four stores in the Vegas market including the ones located at MGM Grand and Venetian played host to a special beauty event that ran four days at each store. Each day featured beauty brands including Revlon, Coppertone and Bain de Soleil.
Professional makeup artists applied and demonstrated the new Revlon Photo Ready foundation and powder along with Colorburst lip products to almost 200 women during the 4 day event, resulting in 140 immediate sales. In addition, the makeup artists trained the 28 beauty advisors on the products to help them sell more products in future events.

With the high heat index, it was no surprise that the sun care products featured by Coppertone and Bain de Soleil were a hit with the customers – almost 250 pieces were sold between the two brands. The 30 SPF sprays were a huge success with men. The nostalgic Bain de Soleil line (exclusive to Walgreens in all states excluding Florida) demonstrated their iconic Orange Gelee to a new generation. Over 900 coupons were distributed during the event. Exuberant demonstrators ventured outside the stores to help customers protect their skin from damaging sunrays. To add even more excitement, Vegas gamblers had a chance to win a beauty basket at each location filled with Revlon or sun care products.

“The theory is that people on vacation have more time to enjoy a makeover event and will go back home and purchase the products as well,” says Joann Tyson, president of Cosmetic Promotions. “Women are pleasantly surprised to find a professional makeup artist and beauty consultants at a drug chain – and to discover that the drug store brands are just as good as the department store ones they might have been using – 91% of the women surveyed during this even said they looked forward to more such events in their local Walgreens.

Cincinnati, OH – Ten CVS stores in the Cincinnati market were hand chosen by P&G to host hair care consultations on the NEW Pantene Formulas. Customers were greeted by a hair care consultant to assist them in choosing the correct Pantene regime for their hair needs. Informational brochures were handed out to over 400 customers and over 150 demonstrations were performed during the 4-hour event. 73 purchases were made that day and 362 coupons were distributed which should result in additional future sales. To encourage customers to visit the consultation table, they could enter to win a basket of products – one basket per store. Invitation postcards were sent out to consumers announcing the event and offering them a coupon.

Cosmetic Promotions, a national marketing and promotion firm executed the event for P&G and reported the results as follows:

• For every two demonstrations completed one piece of product sold.
• The consultants trained a total of 19 associates on the products so they can continue selling Pantene after the event.
• 50% of the customers said they would purchase at a later date and took a coupon.
• 75% said they would like to see more demo events.

A customer survey performed during the event concluded that the majority of the consumers were not only familiar with the Pantene brand but considered it a leader in the hair care category and were eager to learn about and try the new formulas.

Celebrating 20 years of business in 2010, Cosmetic Promotions regularly supplies professional makeup artists; skincare and hair care consultants to companies including RITE AID, Walgreens, Cover Girl, Maybelline and Neutrogena. They are the only promotional company dedicated to improving the sale of beauty products at mass retail. There services include all types of printed materials, sweepstakes execution and associate training programs. Their new website includes video’s on some the events and programs they have completed.

Winter Park, FL – 200 top Walgreens stores in Florida and California hosted product demonstrations on Banana Boat Sport and Ultra Defense sun care products. Over 3,000 demonstrations were performed during the 4-hour event, which took place on Fridays & Saturdays in June & July and resulted in over 1,800 immediate sales. 6,200 coupons were distributed during the event and the Brand Representatives spend time educating consumers and store associates on sun protection.

Cosmetic Promotions, the national marketing company facilitating the event conducted a survey during and with 500 responses; 32% of the customers had never tried a Banana Boat product before and 61% of the ones who did not make an immediate purchase said they would at a future time. While the Sport Spray 30 SPF appealed more to adults; parents were buying the 100 SPF Ultra Defense for their children since Banana Boat was a brand they could trust to protect their skin. Each store offered a sun care basket that consumers could enter to win. Cosmetic Promotions provided the Brand Representatives, the printed materials, created the gift basket and table set up.

Choosing a modeling or demo agency to represent your company is an important decision. The people who do the actual event could be the ONLY representative of your company that your potential customers get to meet. It is essential that the promotional models meet your target demographic and completely understand your product. When retaining a demo or modeling agency, here are some questions to ask:

1. What experience do your models have?
2. Can I see pictures of the models?
3. Is your agency open the day of the event?
4. How do I know that your model has shown up to the event?
5. How do you train the model on my product?
6. What feedback reports do I get from you on the event?
7. Can you provide models that match the demographic of the event?

CosPro Agency was created as there was a need for professional makeup artists nationwide. Most agencies do not specialize in the beauty industry and use one model to do everything from food to foundation to foot powder. For every model we book, we can provide a photo and brief resume so you have the comfort of knowing your product is appropriately represented in each store. In addition, all of our artists have at least 2 years of experience not only with makeup, but with retail sales as well. In short, we provide competent, attractive models that are familiar with the beauty industry and trained to sell your products.

Our standards and results are higher than any other agency.

Do you have a specific target market you want to reach? CosPro can help! Whether you have products that are targeted for African Americans, need Spanish speaking makeup artists, or just need models that are all a certain ‘look’, we can help. We are completely turnkey leaving you with minimal involvement for a stress free promotion experience. If you want the best, you want The CosPro Agency.

Visit us at cosproagency.com or contact Kristin Bocox at 877-COSPRO3 Ext. #501 to schedule your next event. New customers receive a 20% discount* off your first event!

*Not valid with other discounts or offers.

Los Angeles, CA – As Taylor Swift fans exited the Staples Center after the sold-out April 15^th Fearless Tour concert; RITE AID was on hand distributing their Teen Glam Camp bags. The brand ambassadors gave away nearly 2000 bags to lucky teen girls. The FREE “Glam Camp” tote bag was filled with beauty products and bounce-back coupons from brands such as Jergens, Jesse’s Girl, Clearasil, Veet, Colgate, John Frieda, Hawaiian Tropic, Maybelline, Wet n Wild, Ban, Yes to Carrots, L’Oreal, Playtex, and Got2Be. Taylor Swift, widely hailed as the first bonafide country music star of the MySpace generation, currently has singles climbing both the country and pop radio charts. She currently holds the Billboard all-genre record for most Top 20 debuts in a calendar year.

That same week, RITE AID was on hand at the Miss Teen Ohio-World pageant to reward the participants with the Glam Camp bag. More than 300 contestants eagerly accepted the tote bag and many began using the products right away. This is the first full year for this new pageant, which is the official preliminary event to the Miss Teen United States-World and Miss Teen World Pageants.

Teens (ages 12-17) comprise more than 11% of the U.S. population, and spending by American teenage consumers is expected to reach $208.7 billion by the year 2011. The RITE AID Glam Camp program consists of sampling events that are held in the five strongest RITE AID markets that match up with a high teen population 10,000 bags are distributed each year. The program is coordinated and executed by Cosmetic Promotions Inc, a national marketing company specializing in the beauty industry. The company secures the vendors, the bags and all the venues for distribution.

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For more information on Cosmetic Promotions, contact Joann Tyson at 888-644-9916 or visit our website: www.cosproagency.com.

The CosPro professional demonstrators promoted L’Oreals hair products and provided FREE color consultations at 15 Rite Aid locations during July. The Everpure line and Feria Hair Color were the center of attention during this promotion which was sponsored by Lucky Magazine.  The event resulted in 761 products sales; averaging 15.5 pieces sold PER STORE! For every 10 demonstrations, 8 products were sold. There were also 2,500 samples of Everpure distributed which will result in future sales once the customer try this sulfate-free line.  Many customers were also thrilled with the color consultations done learning what color is right for them, over 900 consults were performed.