NEW YORK — Clinique’s business jumped 20 percent last week in the five metropolitan branches of Saks Fifth Avenue as the company brought its What Age Great Skin promotion to New York.
The biggest push came at the Fifth Avenue flagship, where 30 beauty advisers talked skin care to 800 consumers in the course of the week. The What Age Great Skin concept was conceived partly to strengthen its positions with customers in their 50s and 60s. However, at the Saks event, there was a broad mix of ages.
“This is another one of our schemes to broaden our horizons and to show people that Clinique embraces women of all ages,” said Dan Brestle, Clinique president. “We think we may have ignored some customers in the past and we want to show that we have a broad range of products that can treat both young and older skin.”
“This was a wonderful event for us,” said Steve Bock, vice president and divisional merchandise manager of Saks. “Clinique is definitely becoming more aggressive and seems to be even more interested in developing their relationship with us.”
The company first initiated the What Age Great Skin in January through radio campaigns and counter displays as a way of showing that with 450 stockkeeping units, it has something to sell to every age group.
Neither Saks nor Clinique executives would give specifics, but industry sources estimated that the increase represents an additional $20,000 in revenues for all five New York area stores.
This was the first time the promotion was mounted in New York. The tour started in January in Dillard’s in Jacksonville, Fla., and Foley’s stores in Houston, Albuquerque, N.M., and Tucson, Ariz.
So far, Brestle said, the campaign has had similar results in all of its doors.
The promotion is slated to run nationwide in select doors across all of Clinique’s accounts through early November.