Jeremy Fragrance is the #1 Fragrance Influencer in the World.

With more than 700,000 subscribers on YouTube and 100,000 followers on Instagram, and others on Facebook, he not only has a loyal and dedicated following of fragrance enthusiasts but a growing career in fragrance as well.

He raised approximately $800,000 in just 30 days with a record-breaking Kick Starter campaign last year and launched  his own brand, Fragrance One available at www.fragrance.one

His first fragrance, Office for Men, by Master Perfumer Alberto Morillas of Firmenich shipped in May.

For the second year in a row, Jeremy has captured the hearts of the fragrance world to win the prestigious Fragrance Foundation Consumer Choice Award for Fragrance Influencer of the Year 2019 — This award honors a creative fragrance influencer with significant reach through social media. It is judged on concept and execution, fragrance storytelling, resonance of message and reach throughout their body of work in 2018, according to the Fragrance Foundation.

The Beauty Influencers caught-up with Jeremy who still lives primarily in Germany, but is spending more and more time in New York and LA due to his popularity among brands lined-up to parter with him.

Here’s what he had to say…

I’m a Fragrance Brand Owner as well as Fragrance Critique.

My journey started in 2014 and after two years of simple passion for fragrances, I decided to make this my full time job. Ever since then, I started a monk-like discipline, smelling 55 fragrance oils every morning, punishing myself with push ups when guessing the oils wrong, attending every fragrance relevant event in my reach, working with big brands, working on my own fragrance, basically dedicating my whole life to the topic of fragrances since I feel I can leave something special with this nice interesting fragrance journey. Its an adventure, dear readers!

I was born in Germany and always went the artistic way, as well as the entrepreneurial way. meaning I started at school theater, joined the youth dancers theater, went to the state theater, joined a boy band, became a fragrance reviewer on YouTube. I always liked the idea -like most people, I think, to constantly improve myself. And fragrances have always been a part of simply easily improving yourself and finding your signature style.

After four years of being an online Fragrance Influencer and especially winning my first award from the highly respected Fragrance Foundation, it was time to go the next level with my own fragrance brand. My dream perfumer pick for this project, the legendary Alberto Morillas  We scored over 6,500 bottles sold of fragrance within 30 days –sold blindly without giving away samples, that was very new in the fragrance industry.

The campaign had a record breaking $880,000 score of preorders in sales. I’m very happy and engaged since its finally my own product and its a great feeling if people buy and like what you produce, dear readers.

I have an online Campaign with GQ Germany about “The Modern Man“ and I have been mentioned in numerous magazines around the world from FOKUS magazine in Germany to The Daily Nation in Nairobi. I mostly care about online since its easily linkable to my social media platforms. Just one click on the link and you are on my video. Magazines are still important however –one hundred percent! Its just cool to have a great magazine in your hand.

Next, I will be launching a Limited Edition Candle for the Cozy Winter time and many fragrances are in the pipeline if we approve them. At this stage, people expect nothing but the best of the best of the best. So a respectable follow-up after the big success of Office for Men will come.

I have either spoken to or worked with most of the big beauty companies. Its great that they respect the importance of a fragrance influence on social media. Its not only the traditional TV Commercial anymore. Nowadays people read and listen to what others experience with a perfume on line. This means the “Influencers“ have a very important role in this big business of fragrances, dear, fantastic readers.

You can follow @JeremyFragrance on

www.youtube.com/jeremyfragrance

www.facebook.com/jeremyfragrance

For more information on Jeremy, visit www.jeremyfragrance.com

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The Vike Twins

The twin girls originally from Belarus, migrated to the U.S. when they were only two-years-old. Now at 23, Alina and Inessa are based in New York were they live and work.

Alina and Inessa graduated from Baruch College in 2017 with an Bachelor of Science degree in Finance. While pursuing a career in finance, their passion for beauty never faded. With a strong interest in makeup and beauty, they started a joint Instagram page about two years ago. They started to post makeup and hair video tutorials to inform others on their favorite tips. Eventually, their following grew and grew, and they started to work with all different brands that they love, including Laura Mercier, Riley Rose, Smashbox, Murad, Forever 21, Grande Cosmetics, Paris Hilton  Skincare, Patchology, Colourpop, Milk Makeup, Ilia Beauty, Peter Thomas Roth, The Quick Flick, Elemis, Boxycharm/Ipsy, Lancôme, Fresh Beauty, Naturally Serious, Aquis Hair, Say Hello to Sexy Legs, Nip and Fab, Conair, Neutrogena, Clean & Clear, Schwarzkopf, Isle of Paradise, Makiage and L’Oreal Hair to name a few.

Wanting to expand their love for the beauty industry, they are soon to release their own beauty line, featuring a unique product that will hit the market this summer.

Winning the CEW x Preen.Me Makeup Influencer Award means a lot to both Alina and Inessa. “It’s definitely an inspiring moment and amazing to have your hard work recognized,” they said.

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This week’s Spotlight shines on Noonoouri, the 19-year-old Parisian fashion and beauty influencer whose industry credits are the stuff dreams are made of. She’s appeared in full-page editorial features across time- and industry-honored publications like Vogue, Madame Figaro, and Elle. She’s been the subject of a Forbes article, and had an exclusive interview in Vogue Australia. She’s friends with Carine Roitfeld, Kim Kardashian West, Marc Jacobs and Chiara Ferragni. She’s partnered on campaigns with top fashion and beauty brands like Dior, Hugo Boss, Versace and KKW Beauty. Her Instagram account has racked up over a quarter of a million followers in just a year.

But there’s something very special you should know about Noonoouri. Well, she isn’t real –but her following is!

Noonoouri was initially conceived by Joerg Zuber –now Creative Director of Opium Effect, the global design and branding agency, when he was a child. Zuber explained to us over lunch at Cipriani in NYC, “I bought my first fashion magazine when I was five years old and was immediately fascinated by this world. Noonoouri has been in my head ever since that moment.” He finally developed that idea seven years ago, and Noonoouri debuted on Instagram in February 2018. (Zuber counts Kim Kardashian West and Naomi Campbell as inspirations for Noonoouri’s form.) 

Other CGI influencers like Li’l Miquela (with more than a million Instagram followers) look deceptively real. Zuber deliberately decided against this real look. “Noonoouri is and will remain a character. I want everyone to realize that at first sight.” He doesn’t want to reinforce unrealistic beauty ideals. “People follow Noonouri because she is different. With her, you can immerse yourself in a dream,” said Zuber.

Noonoouri has started a thought-revolution on social media, in the world of influencers and influencer marketing. Brands are now rethinking how to conceive of these partnerships and watching how consumers relate to these digital figures.

Andra Mielnicki, Vice President of Global Influencers Marketing at COTY Luxury, gives a brand perspective. “There is an increasing relevance of digital influencers and we are seeing their level of involvement in the fashion, beauty and luxury space grow steadily. The connections and interactions between digital personalities and their audiences are anything but fake, and it’s these genuine interactions that make it worthwhile for a brand to find an influencer who aligns with their identity and vision, to spark real engagement and generate greater results.”

Noonoouri’s very existence and her level of success in just a year’s time marks an important inflection point between brands, creators, influencers, and technology.

The balance between human and digital personalities is one that creator Zuber is very aware of. Noonoouri was never created to replace or imitate human influencers; she is here to show us a fantastical and alternative point-of-view. At the same time, she is also extremely self-aware and discerning; she doesn’t present herself as a human, but rather as a creation that needs people in order to thrive.

In an exclusive conversation with The Beauty Influencers, Noonoouri expanded on this. “I think we all should celebrate diversity and stay open-minded to the possibilities the world has to offer. The future is NOW. Once people truly connect with me, they will understand that I am nourished by a real human soul. Digital will not replace real humans. Nevertheless, I try to encourage people to see things from another point-of-view.”

She went on to talk about her strengths and weaknesses. “I can do things that real people cannot. Right after a fashion show, I can dress up in the latest collection and shoot it out in the streets. I can show products and packaging in a way never seen before, like lying with a perfume bottle inside a paper-handcrafted moon, reaching for the stars. However, I cannot do a quick selfie to show my #ootd like a real person could because this will take me two weeks to produce. Everyone has their own strength. So I encourage people to see me as a fun and entertaining alternative, with a high-quality approach and a big heart for social issues.”

Created with what Zuber refers to as the “triple C,” Noonoouri’s core values are “cute, curious and couture.” Think of it as the essence of her character and her actions. But you could also add another: compassionate. In between modeling the latest designs from Moschino or Stuart Weitzman on her Instagram, she often draws attention to human rights issues and other causes around the world like LGBTQ rights, impoverished communities, and endangered animals.

And speaking of Instagram, maintaining Noonoouri’s growing account is a labor-intensive and costly undertaking for Zuber and his team. Each post generally takes about two to three days to generate; videos with motion and sound generally take anywhere between four to eight weeks to generate. But the results are staggering. A promotional video where Noonoouri contours her face using KKW Beauty’s Crème Contour & Highlight Kit has almost a quarter of a million views on Instagram.

And the future is bright. Noonoouri has partnered with COTY across a huge swath of their luxury brands including Miu Miu, Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein, Alexander McQueen and more.  “We’ve been really happy with our partnership with Noonoouri, ” Mielnicki reports. “She’s cute, curious, and couture – which we find to be a great fit with our portfolio, and the engagement of the content proves so. We will continue to build our relationship with exciting things ahead.”

Follow @noonoouri and @joergzuber on Instagram.

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Moderator Christine Philip of Global Glam magazine interviewed a panel of Experts including:

Christine Schott Ledes, Founder of The Beauty Influencers and President of the American Influencer Association

Eldonie Mason, an attorney specializing in entertainment law  at the Mason Law Firm

Parisa Wang, a handbag designer working with influencers around the world

Connie Chi, marketing strategist specializing in influencer branding and marketing at The Chi Group

And a panel of Influencers including:

Tina Lee, Of Leather and Lace, @OfLeatherandLace

Megan Mandell, Honest Twenty One, @HonestTwentyOne

Batsheva Weinstein, Sunnies and Sangria, @SunniesandSangria

Grace Lee, Gracefullee Made, @GraceFulleeMade

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION

BRANDS AND INFLUENCER PARTNERSHIPS

How can influencers gain the trust of a brand?

Influencers can gain the trust of a brand by building a quality, loyal audience of real followers that’s engaged and enthusiastic.  Publish quality content consistently.  Don’t be a diva and act professionally.

What is the best way for brands to get in touch with influencers?

Directly via email or DM.  The email option on must of the platforms is terrible.  Also, because marketers spam the influencers via these platforms, many influencers don’t pay attention to them any longer. Your best bet is to contact them directly.

What is the best way for influencers to get in touch with brands?

Find contact info (usually email) and send a thoughtful communication that spells out your value and why the brand should want to work with you.  Provide creative ideas about what you can do to promote their products and some stats about your audience.

What problems do you most often see in brand / influencer relationships?

Lack of communication about expectations by both sides. I also see brands looking to “control” influencer content and in some cases create it for them – which defeats the purpose of influencer marketing.  Instead, brands should look to cooperate with influencers in order to leverage their creativity and access their authenticity.

Influencers should look to build relationships with brands so they can work with them long term, focus on what really matters: serving their audiences by talking about beauty and makeup.  Instead, too many influencers focus on the money and what they can get out of brands.

What has been the most successful brand / influencer relationship you’ve experienced?

Schott pointed to the introduction she made between Lauren Bush and the UN World Food Programme as still one of the most rewarding and successful collaborations she has ever experienced, FEED Projects.  “What started out as Lauren’s inspiration for a re-useable grocery bag, sold on Amazon for $25, quickly became a hot fashion accessory sold at Bergdorf Goodman for up to $250, and has since grown into a whole line of products sold over the years at Barnes & Noble, Target, Whole Foods, on-line, and now in her own FEED store in Dumbo, which has raised more than $10 million to literally feed hungry children around the globe.”

What are some dos and don’ts for working with brands? 

Ensure the brand’s values align with yours.  Don’t sell out for money as your audience will likely sense it and begin to distrust you.  Realize that a smaller, engaged audience is better than a large, unengaged one.  Have a contract that spells out expectations for the brand as well as you.  Meet your obligations for the brand.  Be sure to specify all sponsored content clearly. 

 THE FUTURE OF THE INFLUENCER INDUSTRY

What do you see as the biggest problem facing the influencer industry?

Confusion and lack of education.  The purpose of influencer marketing is to access your target audience, your ideal consumers by leveraging other people (the influencers) and their content.  Its not about advertising, its about marketing.  See some of my comments above as I’ve already touched up this.

 What are bots and should an Influencer use them?

There are all kinds of bots and not all of them bad.  But when it comes to fake followers and fake engagement, don’t do either. Brands are catching on and starting to say no to working with influencers who have too many fake followers and/or engagement. And if you think they won’t notice, you’re only fooling yourself. 

 How can brands figure out if an influencer is using a bot?

There are some third party tools that can help with this, but it also helps to know what the bots are programmed to do.  Often fake followers don’t have profile pictures and they follow many people but have no followers of their own.  In terms of fake engagement, bots often leave thin comments like “Love this” or “Great post” or “Love your feed.”   Real people ask questions, offer specific observations about the post – bots don’t do that.

 Is using an influencer critical for a brand to grow their sales?

No, there are many ways to drive business, influencer marketing is just one strategy.  However, as a strategy, influencer marketing can get intricately involved in the customer journey where other strategies cannot.  Remember, people like to buy from other people when possible and this is the power of behind the strategy.

What one thing would you like to see change in the Influencer industry?

For brands and influencers to get more educated about the possibilities the strategy has to offer. For brands, its to stop thinking bigger audiences are necessary and to stop throwing money at influencers.

Who are the style or industry icons you most admire and why?

Kylie Jenner of Kylie Cosmetics was noted as just one of the many industry icons most admired. Like her or not, Kylie not only successfully launched a direct-to-consumer line of cosmetics, inspiring thousands of other influencers to do the same, but is now showing that the brick and mortar retail experience is still important by launching the brand in Ulta Stores for the holiday season. She is a clear leader in the influencer industry

What trends do you see coming next in the influencer industry?

The two trends that both Influencers and Experts agreed were important to watch are Influence Marketing and the growing importance of Micro Influencers.

Fashion Mingle is a platform for fashion industry professionals, creating local fashion directories in over 100+ cities nationwide. For more information, please visit: www.fashionmingle.net. 

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And this light looms large as its from a heavy weight, global consumer brand.  Reportedly spending over $9 billion every year in marketing, Unilever has the chops – and the bucks – to affect change.

Weed was very clear.  He announced early Monday that Unilever will not work with influencers who buy followers.

Are you listening? Other brand leaders are and its welcome news to an industry that’s been struggling to tame the gold rush mentality that’s invaded its psyche.

Weed also made it clear that Unilever’s sub brands will actively look to eradicate from their marketing spend any influencers who buy fake followers, use bots to pump up their engagement, or any other dubious practices.

And, that Unilever would use its muscle (I mean clout) with vendor relationships where financial commitments were made to root out and eradicate such fraud.

(Can you hear Keanu Reeves say “Whooooaaa!”)

But it gets even better.

Weed also announced his intention to convene a summit of sorts with the World Federation of Advertisers, Instagram and Edelman chief executive Richard Edelman.  The aim is to hammer out a framework for bringing transparency to the influencer space.

The announcement, coming as it did during the festival, puts the spotlights right back on influencers.

That’s rich.  Really rich.  I mean, come on.

Why?

Because if it weren’t for huge firms like Unilever and Edelman – who’ve thrown money at influencers for years without demanding much transparency, the influencers wouldn’t be scrambling to pump up their follower counts and engagement ratios to get onto their radars.

It’s a symbiotic relationship, you see.

The public relations industry, in particular, treats influencer marketing as transactional because it’s how most PR people deal with journalists.  They pitch them when they need them, then move on.

But true influencer marketing is not about transactions.  It’s not just another form of advertising or media relations.  Done with care and effort, its about building real, lasting relationships with people who’ve built legitimate and engaged audiences of their own through their unique, genuine content.

Some industries approach influencers better than others and the technology industry is ahead of the pack.  By way of example, take a look at HPE. 

Since 2010, they have methodically built and maintained a sustainable influencer marketing program. (In full disclosure, I was instrumental in designing and driving this program.) The point is, they carefully identify and cultivate influencers who speak to their target consumers. Relationships are built by including them in their events and other marketing activities throughout the year.

And the beauty industry is catching up. Take a look at L’Oreal’s Beauty Squad.  The company is taking the long view by cultivating strategic relationships with influencers they deem to be instrumental in reaching their target consumers.

Now, does the influencer industry need accountability and more transparency?  Yes, it does – from brands and influencers alike.

(That’s what the American Influencer Association aims to do, but that’s for an upcoming post.)

But the cleanup, if you want to call it that, needs to come from the industry itself, not from some artificial summit organized by a PR firm and colossal brand. It needs to include the consultants, the agencies, practitioners and most of all the influencers.

As the beam from Unilever’s spotlight in Cannes scans over the influencer industry, we’ll see where this all takes us.

All said and done, it was one hell of a moment.

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The Cambridge Analytica scandal exposed how social networks have been reaping the benefits of using our personal data to their own advantage – without much regard for us.

To their credit, social networks (like Facebook) have made advertising to consumers more efficient and effective than ever before.  Running ads on platforms is far more effective than television.

But the Cambridge Analytica scandal blew apart the facade that our private information is kept safe and sacred.

It’s not and that’s what has some many people upset.

The blow back has been intense, enough that Facebook’s Founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, was compelled to appear before Congress for two grueling days of questioning.

And the USA is not the only country looking into this problem.  Europe has already instituted new rules about data privacy known as GDPR, which has companies around the world scrambling.

The upshot is that online marketing is different now.

In the case of Faceboook, Instagram and other social platforms, they decided to yank back access to their APIs from marketing agencies and brands.

Those APIs, you see, track user data, the data you and I give them every time we log on, like a piece of content, share it, comment on it and even what we buy online.

For brands, not being able to access these APIs makes things difficult, but it’s not devastating. It’s not the end of the world.

All it means is that marketers and brands are going to have to work harder (and smarter) to track user data which the APIs made so easy to do before.

Don’t worry, as Gil Eyal, CEO of HYPR Brands noted in a recent article on WWD — because they’ll find a work around.

You can bet they’re already hard at work on it.

What’s the impact on beauty influencers?

Is this something you should be concerned about?

Are the good times coming to an end?

Like I said, it’s an inconvenience — albeit an expensive one, but no, brands aren’t going to stop working with beauty influencers anytime soon.

Not a chance.  You provide way to much value for that to happen.

That’s because influencer marketing still represents the best way for companies to connect with their ideal consumers.

It even beats content marketing and social media marketing for effectiveness.

The reason is simple:

Influencer marketing is about companies connecting with their customers through people who are trusted. People like you who attract active and engaged followers.

Remember that your bond with your audience is yours.  It’s earned by creating content your followers want to consume. The content you create and the bond you forge with your followers is something unique to you.

Because you do this well, your followers trust you.

That sacred trust is the magic that brands wish to leverage by working with you and it’s not going away.

Just the opposite… they are looking to build longer term relationships with you.

Take a look at Activate’s latest study which  confirms this trend:

Source: Activate 2018 The State of Influencer Marketing Study

Something else to consider…

Brands are looking to influencers like you to help them uplevel their mindshare with consumers:

Source: Activate 2018 The State of Influencer Marketing Study

According to Activate latest research study, this objective is now up to 78%, up 2% from last year.  The trend is in your favor.

Is it business as usual for beauty influencers?

For now, yes.  But be aware that brands and marketing agencies are getting savvy.

They’re going to demand greater transparency from you about your audience, what your audience likes, doesn’t like and what works best in terms of content, contests and more.

Also, as the brands get more discerning, they will take a closer look at your account, blog and instagram feed.

Be transparent. Make sure everything is on the up and up.

They’re getting better as spotting fake followers, so purge them from your accounts now if you have some.

If you’re found to have fake followers, brands will likely think twice about working with you.  Better to have a smaller, authentic and engaged audience than a large on that is filled with fakes.

Another thing, be sure to clearly label all of your sponsored posts.  Not just with little hashtags like #sp and #ad, but clearly label them.  Your audience deserves to know which ones are paid for and they’ll thank you for it by continuing to be engaged.

Keep these things in mind and you’ll be well prepared to reap the benefits that are sure to come as we all move forward.

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REVLON’S annual NACDS party at The Breakers Palm Beach included a surprise appearance by their latest Global Brand Ambassador, Model, Designer, Author and Body Activist Ashley Graham.

Graham who stars in Revlon’s latest LIVE BOLDLY campaign welcomed party goers and gave inspirational remarks about the importance of representing all women in today’s beauty space.

Ashley Graham, 30, was born in Lincoln, Nebraska and discovered in a mall at the age of twelve. She signed with an international modeling agency at the age of 13, launching her successful, diverse career. Ashley has worked in numerous areas of the fashion industry including editorial, catalogue, runway, commercial, television and film. In February 2016, she was selected as a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Rookie and also landed one of three covers for the magazine, making her the first size 14 model to ever be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

A leader for the body positive movement, Ashley has been featured on the covers of Vogue, British Vogue, Cosmopolitan, SELF, New York Magazine, Maxim and many more. In January 2016, Ashley was named to Forbes Magazine’s coveted “30 Under 30” list and was featured on the cover of the magazine’s January issue alongside top celebrities and entrepreneurs. In November 2016, Glamour named her “Woman of the Year,” while Mattel simultaneously created a one-of-a-kind Barbie in her likeness. In December 2016, People Magazine named Ashley one of the “25 Most Intriguing People of the Year” and in 2017, Time named her one of the 100 Most Influential People in the Word.

A business-savvy entrepreneur, Ashley has collaborated with Canadian brand Addition Elle on her own line of size-conscious lingerie available online and carried by prestigious retailers such as Nordstrom. In March 2016, Ashley launched “Beyond by Ashley Graham,” an exclusive dress collection in collaboration with Dressbarn. Additionally, she secured an exclusive partnership with swimsuitsforall, for whom she designs annual swimsuit collections.

Additionally, Ashley is a sought-after television personality and has hosted Miss Universe 2017, Miss USA 2016, E!’s Oscar Red Carpet, a week-long “Body Proud” series on Good Morning America and guest hosted several national talk shows. She is currently a judge on VH1’s America’s Next Top Model where she provides her expert advice on how to become a boss, brand and a businesswoman.

As a role model and body activist, Ashley is regularly invited to speak at national conferences, high schools and girls’ groups about body image, self-acceptance and female empowerment. Her first TEDx talk “Plus Size? More Like My Size” was given at TED x Berlee Valencia in April 2015.

Ashley’s first book, A NEW MODEL: What Confidence, Beauty & Power Really Look Like, was published on May 9, 2017 with Dey Street Books.

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