Beauty Book Review: Branded Beauty (Mark Tungate)

--The blurb--

"Beauty is a multi-billion dollar global industry embracing makeup, skincare, hair care, fragrances, cosmetic surgery, and even tattooing and piercing. Over the years it has used flattery, seduction, science and shame to persuade consumers that they have to invest if they want to look their best. In Branded Beauty, Mark Tungate delves into the history and evolution of the beauty business. From luxury boutiques in Paris to tattoo parlours in Brooklyn, he talks to the people who've made skin their trade."

--The review--

As a book and beauty blogger I was pleased to receive a complimentary copy of Branded Beauty from Kogan Page for review, as I don't tend to be asked to review many books on my beauty site (the last was an American coffee-table style publication, Be...A Woman, back in 2008), and my book site is still only a baby (so offers of books for review are hardly forthcoming). I was wary, though, of the "self-published" impression I had of the publisher, as I feel that this industry still has a lot of work to do to build its credibility (although as it turned out I was mistaken - Kogan Page is a small independent publishing house, not a company for those wishing to self-publish). Nonetheless, the author's credentials (work published in The Times, Stratégies, and The Independent, among others), filled me with enough confidence to pick up the book and begin reading. 

In spite of its initially specialist-seeming premises and topic, the style in which the book is written is extremely accessible without being patronising, meaning that marketing professionals and beauty aficionados alike should have no difficulty in enjoying it (although the summary of each chapter at its end - Beauty Tips - seems a little too dumbed-down in its style, even for amateurs). The stories from times past, anecdotes from industry insiders and peeks behind the scenes, alongside history and statistics, all contribute to making Branded Beauty an enjoyable and intriguing read. Illustrations would have been nice, but the reality is that the majority of the stories are sufficiently compelling on their own.

The writer's chronological approach makes it clear how the rise and rise of marketing has changed the way we not only look, but also look at ourselves. From this point of view, too, he is at risk of being led astray from his original purpose: from about halfway through the book, it is less and less about analysing how marketing has changed our appearance but more about exposing the controversies behind brands, such as the airbrushing scandals that have plagued certain very large brands, and the fact that not all brands marketing themselves as ethical are as squeaky clean as they may first appear. Nevertheless, even if Tungate does not perhaps 100% achieve his original goal, it makes interesting reading as we try to get past the suspiciously small samples of women on which products have been tested, and get back to the personal histories of what can now all too often seem like faceless global corporations.

But there was one deviation I could not tolerate. Part of Tungate's digression consists of repeatedly taking cheap swipes at the integrity of beauty bloggers. It is suggested and stated strongly throughout that beauty bloggers (along with beauty ediotrs) are traitors, propagandiists, straitjacketed, commercial, and untrustworthy. While I can see how Tungate may have reached this conclusion - I know that I for one have been frustrated at far too many magazines where features on products are as far from honest reviews as possible and are closer to being infomercials - it is far too sweeping to speak of beauty bloggers in the same breath as the magazines that do this. Equally, even though I cannot speak for other beauty bloggers, I wonder how many Tungate himself has actually spoken to: as well as trying to do this myself, I have met many other beauty bloggers who are concerned primarily with transparency, providing honest opinions, and allowing readers to make informed choices - not with glossily providing perfect impressions of a brand or product (regardless of how much the free products we are sent may happen to be worth). Such statements cast gross slurs on community journalists who are just trying to do a good job - and, more to the point, often do it voluntarily alongside more mundane day jobs. In addition, alongside the various assumptions delineated above, there are blatant errors, such as saying that Stri-Vectin SD is a Sephora own-brand product (it isn't).

As mentioned, the book is enthralling for its highly visual sense of history, its amusing and well-chosen anecdotes, and its extremely ambitious and up-to-date scope. Exploring the positives and negatives of the beauty industry, it is bound to be of interest to many. However, it fundamentally fails in its mission thanks to its deviations from its original topic, occasional factual errors, and near-libellous slurs against people like myself, whom the book's publishers so badly want good reviews from in approaching us. Should Tungate wish for this book to be published by a mainstream publisher, I fear that it would lamentably require significant revisions in order to be up to standard (a shame; I was hoping that this book would restore my faith in the credulity of independent/self-publishing houses). For Tungate's intriguing content, I could possibly forgive him and delve into his other books on this subject. For certain aspects of his professional conduct within these pages, though, I may need to think twice.

Other works by Mark Tungate

Luxury World: The Past, Present and Future of Luxury Brands (2009)

Branded Male: Marketing to Men (2008)

Fashion Brands: Branding Style from Armani to Zara (2008)

Adland: A Global History of Advertising (2007)

Media Monoliths: How Great Media Brands Thrive and Survive (2005)

cross-posted to Bianca's Book Blog

Cosmetics Contemplations: On Being Pampered Press

Occasionally, thanks to this little bit of bandwidth that I take up, I get invited to nice events. The majority of them, sadly, I am unable to attend (due mainly to either location or to work commitments or both), but occasionally I am able to say "sign me up!" with the appropriate amount of gusto. So far it's been worth it every time (err, for all of the two times I've actually been able to go). The first time was in January 2009, when I attended the launch of Lancôme's Génifique. The second time was just yesterday (Thursday 29 April 2010), when I was invited to the St Martin's Lane Hotel in West London for a Pampered Press Day.

There was plenty of fun injected into the day (though saying that, it was more of a drop-in event) including tours of the VO5 and Champneys ranges, as well as chances to try out Salters products, such as a portable massage chair and a sublime massaging eye mask. The products exhibited were suitable for all budgets and it was a great chance to get to grips with some of them and to meet some experts. Donna from Champneys was especially helpful, offering a couple of exclusive tips, such as rubbing exfoliant into dry feet rather than doing it in the shower, and cleaning foot files with nail brushes to extend their life. Fuel PR were also very much on the ball, and the fact that they were offering round free cupcakes from the Hummingbird Bakery only sweetened the deal. The goody bag that members of the press were given to take away was also pretty astonishing: as well as containing another free cake, and a copy of The Devil Wears Prada on DVD, it also included a set of VO5 straighteners, a Champneys manicure set (as in an electric one with lots of different attachments) and a homemade ginger body scrub.

More seasoned members of the press that I have met are rather more blasé about this outpouring of hospitality and gifts that they receive at each of these events. Maybe I'm just too new to this, and so maybe the novelty hasn't worn off yet, but I never cease to be amazed at the amount of value that is placed on our presence (particularly bloggers). By 'value', in this context, I do mean monetary value: companies are apparently prepared to throw hundreds of pounds' worth of stuff at just one person in the hope that it will boost their sales and reputation, even when the person in question is not particularly influential (I'm no Lauren Luke, and there are plenty of beauty bloggers, and bloggers in general, who are far more popular in the blogosphere than I am).

This generosity is not only limited to press events (of which, as I have said, my experience is fairly narrow): I, and other bloggers, receive several samples from beauty companies on a fairly regular basis, many of them full size, and many of them worth over a hundred pounds. In addition to the products, certain companies also put out particularly lavish press releases, not just by email, but also by normal post, printed on very glossy high-shine paper (although to be honest even the word 'paper' feels paltry in describing these things; many of them put fancy wedding invitations to shame and some of them are more like books). This must all add up, and again, I'm slightly perplexed as to why companies are prepared to throw thousands or even millions a year at this. This is also only the tip of the marketing iceberg, with companies shelling out eyewatering amounts of money for advertising in newspapers and magazines, on billboards and on television.

However, it is this particular depth of the advertising ocean that precisely explains why companies throw so much money at bloggers in particular. Even if one of us alone is not especially influential, as a collective we can perhaps have a more significant impact, and the cost of buttering us up is probably relatively little compared to the costs of advertising on a grander scale. We are not paid to advertise (usually - and by law in the US you now have to make it clear if you are), but even exposure and review, whether positive or negative, is worth more than you can put a price tag on.