Sustainable Cosmetics Summit to Explore Potential of Social Media

The upcoming Sustainable Cosmetics Summit will explore the use of social media channels in the beauty industry. John Marshall Roberts, CEO of Worldview Learning and a "green" marketing expert, will provide some insights on how social media marketing can be used by beauty companies to communicate brand values and encourage sustainability. Titled "The Potential of Social Media," Roberts' presentation will explore the gamut of social media outlets available to beauty companies, highlighting their applications in marketing, sales, public relations and customer service. Roberts will provide case studies of companies that have successfully integrated social media channels into their marketing strategy.

Social media has particular significance to natural and organic beauty companies because they sometimes struggle to communicate these brand/product values to consumers. Research by Organic Monitor finds that consumers cannot always distinguish natural and organic products by label alone. Thus, word-of-mouth is the most important communication channel for natural and organic brands. Consumer research previously undertaken by Organic Monitor found that 38% of buyers in the U.K. get product information from friends and family. Furthermore, most buyers of natural and organic beauty products are well-educated and IT savvy, making them ideally placed for social media marketing campaigns.

Organized by Organic Monitor, the aim of the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit is to encourage sustainability in the beauty industry by debating key issues concerning sustainability, natural, organic, fair trade and ecological products. The North American edition of the summit takes place at Grand Hyatt Hotel, New York on March 24–26, 2010.

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