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. 

One of the Nation’s Largest Black Art Expos, the Philadelphia International Art Expo, celebrated twenty four years this weekend at Temple University. The aisles were filled with people interested in buying, selling and enjoying works of African American art of all kinds. The Expo was more than just traditional art however; book fairs, writing workshops, live poetry and music, a job fair and even a comedy show were among the many events that took place at the Liacouras Center throughout the weekend (November 13-15). We were onsite Saturday afternoon and were able to greet many happy faces. The ladies receiving the gift bags were very excited about the samples enclosed and couldn’t wait to see if they were winners of one of the $100 gift cards being given away. It only took a few hours to distribute all 2,000 bags. This Expo served as the kickoff of the October Gallery’s 25th Anniversary Celebration taking place next year, which they hope we can also be a part of.

In store events and 2 page magazine spread for Back to School

Harrisburg, PA – Teen spending in the U.S. is expected to reach $208.7 billion by 2011, an increase despite an estimated 3% decline in the 12-17 year old population. Currently, Teens make up over 11% of the U.S. population and are an important target market to RITE AID with its various Glam Camp programs including sampling, a gift with purchase and in-store events all geared towards teen girls 13-19.

The September Seventeen magazine issue (on counter August 10th), will feature a 2-page Glam Camp ad announcing this year’s mega Back to School event happening at RITE AID throughout August and September. Teens can receive a free Glam Camp beauty sample bag by mail when they purchase any 3 items featured in the Glam Camp ad. Maybelline, Clearasil, NYC Cosmetics, Sally Hansen Nails, Got2Be hair, Veet, Loves Baby Soft and Phisoderm are the participating brands.  Seventeen is promoting the gift with purchase event via their website and email blasts. In addition, teens can visit www.riteaid.com/GlamCamp for more details. RITE AID will also promote the event in their August-September Circulars and it is part of the August and September Single Check Rebate Catalog.

At store level, the ad is supported with special signs and displays on tables promoting the gift with purchase feature. There will also be Teen Makeovers conducted by a professional makeup artist at 200 top stores on August 15th, 16th, 22nd and 29th. Teens can get a new Back to School look from Wet n Wild or Black Radiance brand cosmetics and enter to win a beauty basket filled with full size products at each store – 200 baskets will be awarded. Other items being demonstrated include Veet hair remover, Clearasil Pimple Pen or Vanishing Treatment and St Ives Apricot Scrub.  Teens can find a store near them by checking the www.riteaid.com/GlamCamp website.

Cosmetic Promotions, Inc – the national promotional company coordinating the entire event – is utilizing Social Networking such as Twitter and Facebook as another way to promote the event to Teens. CPI secures the professional makeup artists and vendors as well as supplying the bags and baskets. They also designed RITE AID’s in-store signage, Single Check Rebate ad, Seventeen magazine spread, riteaid.com/glamcamp landing page, secured the gift bags and handle the collating and redemption of the gift bags.

Maybelline is launching their pigment rich Color Sensational Lipcolor in big way at Rite Aid in New York.  As a welcome bonus, the cast of the Broadway play Chicago will be there to support it as well.

On July 30^th, go to the Rite Aid at 26 Grand Central Terminal between the times of 8-10am, 12-2pm, and 3-7pm to check out the new lipstick and score freebies. Professional makeup artists will be there to give free makeovers and consultations, and they will be handing out gift bags with sample size products, coupons for Maybelline Color Sensational Lipcolor, and 50% discounts for Chicago the musical. Everything is on a first come first served basis so try to get there early!

This article was written by Kristen Jason at Cosmetic Promotions. For more information on Cosmetic Promotions, please check out their website www.cosproagency.com or contact Kristen direct at kcopeland@cosmeticpromotions.com.

The Rite Aid Beauty the Rite Way program delivers fun and exciting product samples straight into the hands of African American women at local community events throughout the nation. The program, in its 5th year, is completely facilitated by Cosmetic Promotions Inc (CPI) – a national marketing and promotional company that specializes in promoting beauty products for mass retailers and vendors. CPI sends Ethnic models to various conferences and festivals in 5 markets to distribute a total of 20,000 beauty sample bags to female attendees. This year’s bags include products from Rite Aid beauty vendors including Jergens, Just for Me, Softsoap, Blue Star Ointment, Smooth ‘N Shine, Soft Crème, Maybelline Mineral Powder, Mane ‘n Tail and Fantasia Hair Polisher.  In addition, some of the bags contain a prize of a $100 RITE AID gift card.

On Saturday June 27th, Beauty the Rite Way models will be onsite during the first day of the 17th Annual D.C. Caribbean Carnival. The two-day Mardi Gras-style fiesta has evolved into one of the nation’s premier carnivals. The annual Carnival is a one-of-a-kind experience that offers the community awareness of Caribbean culture and traditions and welcomes over 500,000 visitors to the nation’s capital each year to enjoy the third largest Carnival destination in North America. The festival will kick off with a three-mile Mardi Gras parade along Georgia Avenue. It will lead right into Banneker Recreation Park where Rite Aid will have a booth displaying a banner and the models will distribute free gift bags to the first 2,000 female attendees. The festival will conclude on Sunday with “De Savannah” a showcase of Caribbean arts & crafts, entertainment, and cuisine.

The entire program is completely coordinated and executed by Cosmetic Promotions Inc who secures the bags, the vendors, and the venues for the program. Rite Aid also has a Hispanic and Teen Beauty Sampling Program.

20,000 Health and Beauty Sample Bags to be Distributed

Harrisburg, PA – As part of its efforts to attract Hispanic Shoppers, RITE AID has partnered with Cosmetic Promotions Inc, a National marketing company that specializes in beauty, to promote their beauty and health department to Hispanic females. The program is in its 4th successful year sending Hispanic Bi-lingual models to a series of 10 community events in 4 key Hispanic markets and will ultimately distribute 20,000 beauty and health sample bags to female attendees.  The sample bags include products geared to Hispanics from RITE AID Beauty/Health vendors including  Smooth n’ Shine, Colgate, Tropez, Kiss, Jane Cosmetics, Clearasil, JNJ, L’Oreal, LA Looks, Palmers, Therma Flu, Dove and DeveloPlus.  In addition, some of the bags contain a prize of a $100 RITE AID gift card.

On June 20th, Rite Aid helped celebrate Puerto Rican and Hispanic Culture by attending the 30th Annual Yonkers Hispanic Parade and Festival distributing 2,000 sample bags within 3 hours to some of the 30,000 attendees. The Yonkers Puerto Rican / Hispanic Day Parade Foundation is dedicated to the preservation of Puerto Rico’s cultural heritage and the significant contributions Puerto Ricans make to the diversity of our society. By 3pm the parade reached Chicken Island, where the festival began with live musical entertainment and traditional food. The Rite Aid booth was set up right near the stage and as the crowd gathered to enjoy the entertainment, Hispanic models were there to greet them with the free sample bag. The recipients were very excited and many of the ladies were seen trying the lipstick that was included.

On June 28th, the bags were distributed at the San Juan Bautista Parade and Concert that was held at Wiggins Waterfront Park in Camden, NJ. Over 40,000 people attended this annual family-oriented tradition which displayed a mosaic of the very best of the Latin-American rhythms and dances from around the region, marching bands, decorated floats, exhibits, the flavors and aromas of ethnic cuisine.  The parade led the crowd into the park for the concert which featured the hottest local and international Latin bands. Located on the waterfront with a fabulous view of the Philadelphia skyline, the festivities continued well into the evening.

This sampling program is in addition to RITE AID’s African American (Beauty the RITE Way) and Teen (Glam Camp) beauty target sampling programs. All three programs are completely coordinated and executed by Cosmetic Promotions Inc.  The company secures the vendors, the bags and all the venues for distribution. The Hispanic program begins its 5th year in July and will run through June 2010 and events will be in the Philadelphia, Los Angeles, New York and New Jersey areas.

If interested in participating in this or other targeted sampling events, please contact Tracie Gilbert at 877-665-1640.

Targeting Hispanic Women at Community Events

Harrisburg, PA – RITE AID has been working with Cosmetic Promotions Inc, a National marketing company that specializes in beauty, to promote their beauty and health department to Hispanic females by attending a series of 10 community events in 4 key Hispanic markets. The program is in its 4^th successful year sending Hispanic bilingual models to various conferences and festivals to distribute 20,000 beauty and health sample bags to female attendees.  Attendees of these events have always been thrilled with the sample bags that include products geared to Hispanics from RITE AID Beauty/Health vendors including  Smooth n’ Shine, Colgate, Tropez, Kiss, Jane Cosmetics, Clearasil, JNJ, L’Oreal, LA Looks, Palmers, Therma Flu, Dove and DeveloPlus.  In addition, some of the bags contain a prize of a $100 RITE AID gift card.

An upcoming event is the 33^rd Annual National Hispanic Women’s Conference being held this year on May 22^nd in Pasadena, California at the Convention Center. Over 3,000 Latinas are expected to attend this one-day conference that focuses on professional development and networking. The day includes workshops on career planning, educational achievement, financial planning and life empowerment as well as a runway fashion show. The conference’s signature event – Women of the Year Awards Luncheon – honors three exemplary Latinas who have influenced their chosen industry and have made a mark on society as a whole.

Bags will also be distributed to the first 2,000 females who attend the Hispanic Cultural Street Festival in downtown Los Angeles on May 24^th. Over 30,000 people are expected to attend this annual weekend celebration of Hispanic music, food, dance, art and culture. A free Health & Wellness Village will offer screenings, blood pressure, preventative programs and bilingual materials for festival-goers while Latin, Jazz and Pop musical acts will captivate the audience.

On May 30^th, the first 2,000 females attending the 10^th Annual Cuban Parade and Festival in N. Bergen, New Jersey will receive a RITE AID Hispanic Sampling Bag. This festival is all about honoring the vast contributions of Cuban-Americans in the United States and is expected to attract over 50,000 people. The festival will feature food kiosks with traditional food and plenty of entertainment and music by various artist and groups.

This sampling program is in addition to RITE AID’s African American (Beauty the RITE Way) and Teen (Glam Camp) beauty target sampling programs. All three programs are completely coordinated and executed by Cosmetic Promotions Inc.  The company secures the vendors, the bags and all the venues for distribution. The Hispanic program begins its 5^th year in July and will run through June 2010 and events will be in the Philadelphia, Los Angeles, New York and New Jersey areas.

Glam Camp Program is a hit at Teen Community Events

Harrisburg, PA RITE AID stores, working with Cosmetic Promotions Inc, a national beauty marketing and promotion firm, attract Teen shoppers to their stores by attending various Teen events around the Nation. For the 2^nd year, CPI sends attractive young models along with high-value giveaways to targeted events happening in 5 of RITE AID’s strongest markets that match up with a high teen population. The giveaway is a custom designed “Glam Camp” duffle bag that contains 12 beauty product samples and coupons from RITE AID’s vendors such as Jergens Natural Glow, Jesse’s Girl Eye Dust, Clearasil Daily Face Wash,  Colgate Max Fresh Toothpaste,  John Frieda Clear Glaze,  Hawaiian Tropic Oil Free Faces, Maybelline Volume Seduction Lip, Wet n Wild Lip Gloss, Ban Solid Deodorant, Got2Be Smooth Operator Hairspray, Yes to Carrots Sample, Playtex Gentle Glide Slender Tampons and a Seventeen Magazine Subscription Card. The Glam Camp bags are also a gift themselves as they are a pink and black small duffle bag with a hip logo that can be re-used for school, events, or hobbies.

RITE AID Glam Camp was excited to be involved in this year’s 94.5 WPST Prom Expo which happened on March 22^nd in Hamilton, NJ.  The 1^st 500 event attendees to arrive received the FREE Glam Camp Bag valued at over $25. The event was promoted heavily in advance on the radio as well as on the PST website.  There was a “Pimp your Prom” contest which offered PST listeners a chance to win a complete prom package for 5 couples including limousine, dresses, tuxedos, make-over and spa services! In addition to the contest, vendors and sponsors had the opportunity to showcase their business, products and services. The Expo PST’s Totally Interactive Night Show host, Shinn, hosted the event. “Even though we didn’t win the ‘Pimp my Prom’ we loved the Rite Aid goody bag” said one attendee; “There is such great stuff in here. I will use all of these; especially the Jergen’s bronzing lotion.”

Another popular event is the annual US Spirit Cheerleading Event held in Columbus, Ohio this past March which had a target audience of teen girls 15-to 19 yrs of age. The Glam Camp bags were handed out over the three days of competition to 1500 attendees. The RITE AID message was promoted via banners at the event to over 3500 participants and almost 8000 spectators.  The event coordinators  felt the free Glam Bags were a big success and perfect fit for the event’s participants and look forward to having RITE AID there again next year.

“Thank you so much for allowing US Spirit the opportunity to work with you in distributing the free Glam Bags to our cheerleaders. The girls absolutely loved receiving the Glam Bags and the moms liked the idea that it wasn’t the usual “junk” but rather items the girls need and will put to good use”, gushed Jen Schenck, US Spirit Coordinator “Each day, the free Glam Bags added much enthusiasm to our already excited cheerleaders. We knew the Glam Bags would be a treat for them, but the wonderful response far surpassed anything we had anticipated!”

The Glam Camp program has been very successful for RITE AID and their vendors. One vendor’s website hits went up 244% after the first bag distribution and continues to grow with each event. “I can always tell when the bags have been distributed” says Jesse Lawrence of Jesse’s Girl, an exclusive RITE AID brand of cosmetics; “because I get so much web traffic the next few days”. Other Glam Camp programs include Back to School Makeovers in 200 stores and a tie in with Seventeen Magazine featuring 8 vendors. All programs are completely coordinated and executed by Cosmetic Promotions Inc. The company secures the vendors, the bags and all the venues for distribution.

The month of February has been used to recognize black history since 1926. On February 22nd of this year N2 Greek, a provider of African-American Greek paraphernalia, hosted a large scale fashion show and party stroll competition in Carson, CA at the Carson Community Center. Beautiful models from the CosPro agency passed out 2,000 RITEAID gift bags filled with Beauty products from 12:00pm to 5:00pm.

The purpose of the N2Greek Fashion Show and Party Stroll Competition was to commemorate the impact of historically black fraternities and sororities on African American history. Members of nine organizations participated in the fashion show. The sororities displayed their pride in their organization through a combination of dance and traditional stepping in the Party Stroll Competition.

The N2Greek Fashion Show and Party Stroll Competition reached thousands of college educated professionals, members of the organizations, and their families. The crowd loved the gift bags which included samples of Jergens Original Lotion, Just for Me Oil Moisturizing Lotion, Softsoap, Blue Star Ointment, Smooth ‘N Shine hair products, Soft Crème Extra Care Healing Hand Cream, Maybelline, Mane’n Tail and Fantasia hair care. Ten of the 2,000 bags also contained winning cards entitling the recipient to a $100 Rite Aid Gift Card. The bags are part of an annual RITE AID sampling program that Cosmetic Promotions facilitates for RITE AID in 10 major African American Markets. The company also has similar Hispanic and Teen Sampling programs.

Cosmetic Promotions Inc is a marketing company that is celebrating 20 years in business this year. The company specializes in target marketing programs for mass beauty brands at drug and mass retailers. This program is totally paid for by the suppliers and is completely turn-key for the chain.
For more information on how to increase sales at your chain or for your product, contact Kristin Bocox at 972-228-0074 or kristin@cosmeticpromotions.com or go to their website: www.cosproagency.com.