FIT hosted its Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing and Management (CFMM) marketing seminar on December 3, presenting research on some of the beauty industry’s top brands: MAC, fresh, TRESemmé, and SkinCeuticals. The event, the culmination of the students’ graduate seminar coursework and a hallmark of FIT’s prestigious CFMM program, provided a platform for students to collaborate with these iconic brands. It also gave the students the opportunity to conduct research at the Beauty Center at FIT, newly opened in 2024 and dedicated to global business strategy and consumer trends. Instructors for the seminar were Brianna Picciuto, associate director of Global Dove Innovation at Unilever; Caterina Burzio, AVP of marketing at YSL Beauty; and Corey Moran, head of industry, Fashion and Luxury, at Google. All three are graduates of the CFMM program.
The assignment challenged students to develop a comprehensive three-year strategic plan (2024–2027) for an existing beauty brand, including a holistic approach on how to grow the brand, both supporting or revamping the current portfolio and launching product innovations, from concept to consumer testing to impactful launch strategies.
“When selecting the brands, our goal was to challenge the students with the real-world complexities of iconic American brands navigating pivotal moments in their trajectories,” said Burzio. “Additionally, we aimed to strengthen the school’s relationship with the corporate world, incorporating the element of ‘brand mentors.’ This strategy, combined with resources like the focus groups conducted at the Beauty Center, played a key role in shaping the students’ thoughtful recommendations.”
Here are some of the highlights from the presentations:
MAC Cosmetics (Estée Lauder Companies): The CFMM team that worked with MAC titled their presentation, “Your Canvas, Our Expertise,” a bold campaign to remind the world that MAC set the standard as a favorite brand among makeup artists. “We’ve been here since day one, and we’re here to stay, leading with artistry, expertise, and an unwavering commitment to empowering individuality,” team member Miranda Huang said during the presentation.
fresh (LVMH): For fresh, the CFMM students emphasized trends redefining beauty. Their innovative strategy included recommendations that the company: Cultivate communities by enhancing consumer engagement and loyalty, establish expertise by building strong consumer relationships and fostering community engagement, and promote radical individualization by celebrating individual consumer needs and preferences.
TRESemmé (Unilever): Students identified numerous opportunities in TRESemmé’s product mix and recommended launching a new visual identity, maximizing authority in fashion and styling, and building community and emotional connectivity.
SkinCeuticals (L’Oréal): The SkinCeuticals team saw an established brand being outpaced in the market, and to remedy this, recommended expanding three consumer segments: dermatologists, dermatology consultants, and consumers “yet to derm” (yet to visit to a dermatologist). Their “big idea”—“Skin in the Game”—is a philosophy of commitment to skin health taking inspiration from the journey of athletes like tennis champion Coco Gauff.