OK, so as we all must be aware by now, you can currently pick up a bottle of Nails Inc polish with a purchase of Coke, "chocolate" (quote marks because Cadburys is foul and can be barely considered such) Malibu, Dove deoderant, Fabulous magazines, shares in Waitrose, a fake greencard and any two Romanian orphans. Nails Inc are currently everywhere in one of the more agressive marketing strategies that the beauty blogging world has seen. And I love it.
I scroll down my Twitter timeline and see one or two beauty bloggers turned economists debating how on earth Nails Inc can possibly be making any money whatsoever. Well, er...isn't it obvious? Agressive promotion (in which case is giving the polish away with like, oxygen) = more people knowing about and being familiar with the brand. Which translates into increased sales. I actually saw one blogger write a post on the topic and then say, 'I don't even consider Nails Inc high end any more'. Sorry, it's not what you consider a brand that makes it so. If I regard Burberry as low end that suddenly doesn't mean that I won't have to save up my pocket money for a year to buy half a lipstick. Likewise, saying that E.L.F is high end doesn't change the fact that you can get eyeshadow quads for like a quid. Not really sure where she was trying to go with that.
I do think that we in the beauty blogging world do forget sometimes that not everyone can name all the shades of the latest OPI collection or recite a list of MAC shadows from memory. To the average Joanna, who hasn't been exposed to all of the freebies and doesn't really pay attention to what's hot, new shades and trends, who hasn't been over saturated with the news of endless offers and freebies, it's just a chance to pick up a nail polish with a deoderant that they already buy. Or a Coke they were having for lunch anyway. Or the paper they already bought on Sundays. From that, they've been exposed to a brand that may have been new to them and Nails Inc have just earned themselves a new customer. Or not, whatever.
This isn't a rant as such as I'm not personally invested in Nails Inc, but I'm just more confused at why people are so opposed to them promoting their product. Is it the oversaturation thing? (i.e people seeing it everywhere, and then getting sick of it) or are people pissed because they used Nails Inc before they became easily accessible to the masses and now don't feel exclusive any more? I personally don't understand this one, I too used Nails Inc before I could buy a farm animal and get a free Nails Inc polish in 'Milkmaid' (sheer sky blue jelly with large pieces of hexagonal black glitter) and I'm not annoyed. Maybe it's just me. Someone care to explain?
In other news, can I send things like Posietint/Benetint overseas? Because they look like nail polish (but aren't) but if the big burly men at USPS who dislike nail polish immensly pick up on it, I don't want to be slapped with an $800 fine for a swap or a giveaway. Any help would be appreciated!
I don't get all the Nails Inc hate, bro.
I'm with you I don't understand the hate - they are a British brand who have found the perfect ways to get their name out there and for people to try their products who wouldn't normally x Oh and on the Benefit thing I doesn't see why you shouldn't be able to send them I have sent loads of nail varnish to the us and canads with no probs x
ReplyDeleteI think you have your wires crossed. I haven't seen anybody rant - bemused tweets, yes, but nobody's ranting. Why would anybody be pissed that Nails Inc is being given away left, right and centre?! A freebie's a freebie.
ReplyDeleteBeing somebody who uses a fair amount of sarcasm, I'd have thought you'd have latched onto the sarcasm depicted in comments such as "How do they make any money?!" - of COURSE they're making money(!)
I'm bemused by their non-stop giveaways, but couldn't actually give a shit. Nails Inc isn't a new brand so I'm confused at the non-stop promotion in the form of giving product away. I don't even rate the brand in my top five fave polish brands either and I think they're cheapening the profile they initially built for the brand by giving so much away. When it launched it was supposed to be 'mid range', now I liken it to Barry M, Models Own and Stargazer!
Oh and posting Benefit won't be a prob.
ReplyDeleteNails Inc. Yes, just trying to increase brand-awareness.
ReplyDeleteFrankly anyone who has ever paid more than a fiver for Nails Inc wants their bumps feeling. They are always available on ebay or through discount etailers for way less than RRP. The quality is OK, nothing special and there's plenty wrong with the brand. Constantly discontinuing and renaming colours. The cap is plain difficult to work with.
Hey, they want to promote their stuff? No problem. Expect these 'free' polishes to be flooding ebay sometime soon.
High-end? I swear some people WANT to be ripped-off. Might just as well throw your money down the nearest drain!
Really interesting post! I think it's pathetic when people stop liking a brand because everyone begins to like it...it's stupid; we should be glad of the larger audience because it can lead to even better products for us, the customer!
ReplyDeleteI don't get the whole 'high-end'/'low-end' thing; if I've seen a decent review, I'll buy something irregardless of a label and the connotations that are associated with said brand!
xx
To be honest, I haven't seen a lot of Nails Inc marketing. Only in the past 2 months have I become 'obsessed' with nail polishes and started paying attention to brands, but the only time I have come across any of their stuff is when I've gone looking for it (okay... with the Malibu promotion being the exception. But I love their rum so that's probably the reason behind that, LOL).
ReplyDeleteI do think they are quite overpriced though. £11 for a 10ml bottle when you can get a 15ml OPI polish for £1 less? I know who I prefer.
I'd love to see something like that going in my country, don't care about the brand, it's nail polish! I don't get it either, but I get the vibe about some brands from some bloggers, they just decide the brand is not good enough and that's it. If it's one of the 'big' bloggers, that opinion can easily spread.
ReplyDeleteFor god's sake. I typed out a HUGE list of responses and then firefox crashed.
ReplyDeleterage.
Thank you everyone for your comments anyway :)
"'I don't even consider Nails Inc high end any more'. Sorry, it's not what you consider a brand that makes it so."
ReplyDeleteSince it was me who wrote that very quote, I'd have to disagree with you ;) Brand positioning is all about consumer perception - and if enough consumers cease to perceive something as high end, and won't pay high end prices for it, the company behind it will not be able to sell it at a higher price.
I laughed so hard at this post...I'd totally go buy a small chicken if it meant I could get a free bottle of nail polish.
ReplyDeleteAnd I totally agree with your post. I think when you're into the whole beauty thing as much as us, it's kind of hard to see that there are tons of consumers besides beauty junkies and bloggers, and companies would also like their money.
I also agree that user opinion of a brand does not determine whether it's high or low end. All that matters is the sticker price. If what I thought mattered, I'd be thinking alll day about how RBL, Illamasqua, NARS, and A-England are low rent slores that should avail themselves to me for $1. LOL.
@Louise: Exactly.
ReplyDelete@VexInTheCity: We have different twitlists, so I'm sure I've seen things you haven't and vice versa. I don't really see the point of using sarcasm in that particular instance as it's not adding anything to the statement and only opens it up to confusion and misunderstanding...especially over the internet, a medium in which sarcasm is so frequently misunderstood.
While they're not a new brand, that doesn't mean they can become complacent. The best brands, cosmetic or not, are constantly bringing out new products, promoting themselves, and generally keeping themselves out there in the public eye which is exactly what Nails Inc are doing.
@Jaljen: Yeah, I'd only pay £11 a bottle if it was a colour I really really wanted. On the website you can buy like sets of five or so for £25, better value.
@Jenny: I agree. I guess high end/low end is about a lot more than price, though.
@Sophie: LOL. I actually wanted to get my hands on some of the Malibu polishes but I'm not yet legal. Le sigh. Anyway, although the £11 a polish figure is being thrown around, I think the company themselves probably value it at slightly less than that considering they're always discounting them on the website and selling them in sets so the overall price comes down. Also, I've never tried OPI. Will have to get round to it one day!
@Ulmiel: Yeah, some people are sheep I guess.
@Gemma: I personally disagree, it's not just about the price tag and consumer thoughts. Barry M/ELF etc. don't have their own salons or manicure bars, which adds to the whole high end image, and they're not sold in department stores like Debenhams and what have you. It's about so much more than what the consumer thinks, even if that opinion is the majority - where it's sold, how available it is, even which magazines the brand is featured in adds to the overall image and perception.
@ChaosButterfly: So would I! Fresh eggs in the morning would be well nice - even better if there's nail polish involved :L
Can I join you in that 'low rent slores' (lol'ed so hard at that quote) daydream? Haha :P
Thank you for your comments, everyone!