Comments on: Any colour as long as it’s red: Why is lipstick branding so generic? http://www.jkr.co.uk/design-gazette/any-colour-as-long-as-its-red-why-is-lipstick-branding-so-generic/ JKR – Packaging Design Agency London UK, Branding Agency UK Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:45:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Natalie Nairn http://www.jkr.co.uk/design-gazette/any-colour-as-long-as-its-red-why-is-lipstick-branding-so-generic/comment-page-1/#comment-214 Natalie Nairn Sat, 23 Jan 2010 00:21:02 +0000 http://www.jkr.co.uk/design-gazette/?p=1777#comment-214 Perhaps it is because red lipstick can appeal to so many segments of the female market that the advertising remains so generic.A little black dress,perfume and a red lipstick are items that are deemed essential to feminity and a red lipstick can work on every skintone,every age and for many different occassions.Red lipstick has a special place in a woman's mindset and even in history so it is possible that off the wall message appeals would make the company seem that they are 'missing the point'.Personally I think the advertising could be better and the celebrity endorsements should be better.Marilyn Monroe or a 50s movies scene would be a better choice or perhaps an ad sequence portraying the life time value of red lipstick-from a toddler with mum's stolen tube smeared on their face to a grandmother wearing a classic pillar box red hue.I would prefer to see a move towards the Tiffany & Co emotive style branding Perhaps it is because red lipstick can appeal to so many segments of the female market that the advertising remains so generic.A little black dress,perfume and a red lipstick are items that are deemed essential to feminity and a red lipstick can work on every skintone,every age and for many different occassions.Red lipstick has a special place in a woman’s mindset and even in history so it is possible that off the wall message appeals would make the company seem that they are ‘missing the point’.Personally I think the advertising could be better and the celebrity endorsements should be better.Marilyn Monroe or a 50s movies scene would be a better choice or perhaps an ad sequence portraying the life time value of red lipstick-from a toddler with mum’s stolen tube smeared on their face to a grandmother wearing a classic pillar box red hue.I would prefer to see a move towards the Tiffany & Co emotive style branding

]]> By: Anastasia Gerali http://www.jkr.co.uk/design-gazette/any-colour-as-long-as-its-red-why-is-lipstick-branding-so-generic/comment-page-1/#comment-213 Anastasia Gerali Fri, 22 Jan 2010 14:42:28 +0000 http://www.jkr.co.uk/design-gazette/?p=1777#comment-213 AVON has designed various retractable-lid lipsticks over the years, that are fuss free and neat. Cargo's PlantLove range is the green answer to cosmetics. The lipstick tube is 100 % biodegradable and made entirely from corn. The outer carton is made with biodegradable flower paper, filled with real flower seeds, so essentially, it's plantable lipstick packaging. The advertising though, as you mention, remains interchangeable and 'fish-finger-y'. AVON has designed various retractable-lid lipsticks over the years, that are fuss free and neat.

Cargo’s PlantLove range is the green answer to cosmetics. The lipstick tube is 100 % biodegradable and made entirely from corn. The outer carton is made with biodegradable flower paper, filled with real flower seeds, so essentially, it’s plantable lipstick packaging.

The advertising though, as you mention, remains interchangeable and ‘fish-finger-y’.

]]> By: Sara F http://www.jkr.co.uk/design-gazette/any-colour-as-long-as-its-red-why-is-lipstick-branding-so-generic/comment-page-1/#comment-212 Sara F Fri, 22 Jan 2010 09:49:35 +0000 http://www.jkr.co.uk/design-gazette/?p=1777#comment-212 As a make-up fanatic and addict I feel I can shed some light on this subject. Unless you are one of those women who puts their entire face on during their journey to work on a bumpy bus, the lipstick is the only item that you carry around and apply in front of others. Therefore, if it's a cheaper brand such as Rimmel, you don't want the pack to be screaming, look I'm wearing a £3.99 lippy! And if it's something sexier like a Chanel lipstick, every woman knows what it is. For example, I can tell a designer bag from a Topshop creation at a single glance, without seeing the branding. On the other hand so many brands have launched gimicky lip products in strange and quirky structures ( such as double ended half gloss half lipstick, lipstick that won't even come off with a blow-torch, duo-lipsticks with topcoat etc etc) I hate all that stuff! Just give me a beautiful, sleek, sexy, simple lipstick any day. As a make-up fanatic and addict I feel I can shed some light on this subject. Unless you are one of those women who puts their entire face on during their journey to work on a bumpy bus, the lipstick is the only item that you carry around and apply in front of others.
Therefore, if it’s a cheaper brand such as Rimmel, you don’t want the pack to be screaming, look I’m wearing a £3.99 lippy! And if it’s something sexier like a Chanel lipstick, every woman knows what it is. For example, I can tell a designer bag from a Topshop creation at a single glance, without seeing the branding.
On the other hand so many brands have launched gimicky lip products in strange and quirky structures ( such as double ended half gloss half lipstick, lipstick that won’t even come off with a blow-torch, duo-lipsticks with topcoat etc etc) I hate all that stuff! Just give me a beautiful, sleek, sexy, simple lipstick any day.

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