18th ANNUAL CEW BEAUTY AWARDS KICK OFF WITH PRODUCT DEMO
The annual competition to honor the best beauty products of the year gets under way next week when members of Cosmetic Executive Women sample the latest innovations to help inform their voting choices.
More than 2,000 industry insiders are expected to attend the Beauty Insiders’ Choice Awards Product Demo on Wednesday, March 7 in New York. Members will have the opportunity to test the more than 625 product entries, the top launches from 2011. For the first time, beauty insiders will be able to use mobile and touch-screen technology to navigate the exhibitors and to vote for the year’s most innovative new products in 29 categories.
“Winning a CEW Beauty Award is a very prestigious honor, which is why more than 300 top beauty brands are competing,” says Carlotta Jacobson, President of CEW. “The Awards have become an invaluable resource for consumers, who recognize that the CEW seal stands for a truly innovative and effective beauty product because it is the only award selected by those who know beauty’s best--the industry insiders.”
What’s new for the 2012 Beauty Awards? Continuing to build their social platform this year, the CEW Beauty Awards will have a Facebook presence for the public. CEW will continue to expand in the twittersphere with live tweeting during the event using the hashtag, #CEWEvents.
Jacobson also noted that the CEW Beauty Awards has incorporated new technology into this year’s event in order to make the viewing and voting process as easy as possible. First, attendees can navigate the Product Demo by using the newBeauty Finder, an interactive touch screen map located at each entrance/exit. As the attendees try the new products, they can create their own customized Favorites List by snapping a special QR code. This list is then emailed and used to help in the voting process. Also new this year, the CEW members will be able to vote for their favorite beauty products using their smart phones simply by scanning the provided QR code.
CEW members vote to select the finalists in each of the 29 categories. After the finalists are announced in April, CEW’s Board of Governors will vote to determine the winners, who will be announced at the Beauty Awards luncheon May 18, 2012 at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. Winners will be judged based on innovation, delivery system and packaging. Ballots for both the finalists and winners are cast electronically and tabulated by Ernst & Young LLP. CEW created the award categories and entry requirements in partnership with the NPD Group, a leading consumer retail information provider.
Access to the Product Demo is limited to CEW Membership–beauty experts from inside the industry who serve as the decision-makers for the best beauty products. The 2012 CEW Beauty Awards Product Demo is sponsored by Allure, Givaudan, CVS/pharmacy, Crest 3D White, Veet, QVC, Kotex, BeautyInc, Arcade Marketing, HauteLook, RPG, HBA Global Expo, MaCher, Albéa, Rpr Marketing Communications, Script to Screen, Catalina Marketing, Beauty Bar, KraftWorks, Consultancy Media, Barefoot Wine & Bubbly, Suite K, Raw Media Network, Proof Seven, WWD, and Tonnie’s Minis.
About CEW
Cosmetic Executive Women, Inc. (CEW) is a nonprofit professional organization with more than 4,500 female and male executives in the beauty, cosmetics, fragrance and related industries. CEW advances the professional growth and leadership development of women in the cosmetic industry through professional development and networking, industry insights, access to leaders, recognition of achievement and innovation and its philanthropic foundation. CEW’s membership is multigenerational and equally representative of entry level, mid-career level and senior level executives. CEW is based in New York City; and it has associated organizations in France and the United Kingdom. The CEW Foundation supports Cancer and Careers, a resource for employees balancing work and cancer treatment. For more information, log on towww.cew.org.
