Makeover Studio displays try-on technology’s most advanced makeup, hairstyle & accessory rendering;
Engaging product trial extends e-commerce;
Ideal environment for innovative promotions, new viral marketing and data mining capabilities
NEW YORK, August 24, 2009 – Aiming to change how women discover, try and even buy beauty products, Daily Makeover, a leader in virtual reality try-on technology, today introduced the next generation of its virtual makeover application, Makeover Studio, disrupting much of the traditional marketing relationships for large beauty industry brands, online publishers catering to women and customers themselves.
Featuring the industry’s most advanced rendering capabilities, Makeover Studio offers women a new online connection with beauty products and gives beauty brands a new channel to increase consumer awareness and product trial, as well as drive e-commerce transactions.
That same compelling experience is also driving online media publishers to deploy Makeover Studio as a tool to engage visitors, incorporate innovative contextual advertising units and build customer loyalty. Makeover Studio is currently licensed to more than 60 major beauty brands and web media publishers, and is featured on Daily Makeover’s flagship editorial website, DailyMakeover.com.
“Advances in virtual reality are used very effectively in many industries and now we are bringing the same kind of advanced virtual makeover technology to the vast and lucrative female audiences buying beauty, fashion and health products,” says Jeannette McClennan, CEO and president, Daily Makeover. “Women love to try-on products and by creating the capability to do that effectively online, we are not only changing how women discover, try and buy these products, but how companies develop and market them and how web properties can use that kind of engagement to drive new marketing programs.”
Re-creating the Beauty Counter Online
Makeover Studio encompasses the most advanced virtual makeover features in the industry, making the online experience more like a department store beauty counter experience than ever before. When a woman uploads her photo, her face is instantly traced so that all the different application techniques such as a smoky eye shadow effect can be superimposed on her face in the correct area.
Daily Makeover’s virtual try-on technology includes new rendering functionality, visualization technology and face-tracing capabilities and has the largest range of makeup finishes–satin, matte, metallic, shimmer, stained, dewy, sheer, and glossy–to reflect the true properties specific cosmetics create when applied. Makeover Studio has incorporated an option for women to adjust the placement and coverage levels of foundations, concealors, lip colors, eye shadows, mascara, and blush. The application also includes an enhanced facial recognition component.
“Makeover Studio has unsurpassed attention to detail, from accessories, hairstyles to makeup finishes and formula types to application styles. We can differentiate between volumizing and a lengthening mascara or how a dewy cream blush looks versus a soft satin powder blush,” said CEO McClennan. “Whether a woman wants to try on her favorite celebrity’s hairstyle with accessories or test a radically different hair color, Makeover Studio has the style and the ability to tweak her look until it’s just right.”
Virtual Reality Affords New Online Strategy for Beauty Companies
Cosmetic and beauty companies have long relied on trial in stores to develop sales, but Daily Makeover’s enhanced rendering technology represents the first time they will be able to move the practice online and showcase products to a larger audience.
The enhanced virtual try-on technology visually presents products from all major cosmetic brands in their inherent properties; the rendering enables a specific product to appear as it would if truly applied, so a woman can see how different types of colors and finishes might appear. In prior technologies, these capabilities were limited to generic colors or styles, greatly limiting the power of product sales and advertising effectiveness. But now, with the introduction of Makeover Studio, they are the specific, branded products beauty companies actually sell in stores and online, turning the online experience into a real selling opportunity, just like in-store counters. The technology behind Makeover Studio can also be extended to multiple formats including mobile and in-store kiosks to further enhance marketing and brand loyalty initiatives.
Makeover Studio presents an opportunity for cosmetic and beauty companies to identify emerging beauty and fashion trends through the unique data aggregation capabilities that have been added to the platform. The application will provide access to an extensive collection of voice-of-the-customer information such as the types hair colors, hairstyles, makeup and brands women are trying-on.
High Engagement Translates to Online Marketing Ad Units & Viral Opportunities for Media Companies and Web Properties
The enhanced version of Makeover Studio adds another layer of revenue opportunities for media company and online property licensees, as well as social media extensions to support organic and viral traffic. The interface of Makeover Studio can be customized and branded for these licensees to support their own web site content and individual marketing initiatives. The platform lets licensees incorporate targeted advertising campaigns, sponsorships and related editorial content within the application. This content can be tagged for display in context to where a user is within Makeover Studio.
On average, media company and online property licensees capture more than one million emails from women conducting virtual makeovers. Those emails can be leveraged for targeted online marketing initiatives. The new social media and viral extensions incorporated into Makeover Studio can support existing online marketing initiatives and drive organic traffic. With the application branded as their own, the viral components allow users to can share virtual makeovers with friends through email and social networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace, helping to increase the brands online recognition.
Virtual Makeover Technology Added to DailyMakeover.com Beauty Community
Daily Makeover will incorporate the enhanced version of Makeover Studio into its own highly popular consumer-facing website, DailyMakeover.com. Four million women already visit and participate in the DailyMakeover.com online beauty community each month.
In addition to having the industry’s largest gallery made up of more than 8,000 hairstyles and 7,000 accessories for women to try-on virtually, Daily Makeover has a team of beauty and fashion experts who provide community members information on the latest trends and how-to beauty tips.
“Our team of beauty and fashion experts constantly infuse Makeover Studio with new makeup launches, celebrity hairstyles, and accessories such as necklaces, sunglasses, barrettes and hats. Not only does this enhance our members experience by helping them create a more customized makeover, but it also provides an e-commerce channel for beauty brands. When women complete their makeover experience they are able to purchase the products they virtually tried-on via Makeover Studio,” said McClennan.
About Daily Makeover
Daily Makeover is a leader in interactive media and “virtual reality try-on technology. The company has been developing and delivering image processing tools and technology for more than 10 years. Its virtual makeover technology enables users to access it content library of more than 8,000 hairstyles and 7,000 cosmetics and accessories to create their best looks, which can be saved, printed, emailed or shared via popular social networks. The try-on technology is used by Daily Makeover’s own online beauty community DailyMakeover.com, the web’s leading beauty information site with more than four million community members. DailyMakeover.com offers up to the minute trends, celebrity hairstyles, beauty blogs for women to share style opinions and product reviews. Daily Makeover offers an enterprise version of its virtual reality try-on technology and vast customizable content library as well; 60 beauty and lifestyle sites and major brands around the world currently license it. The company is headquartered in New York City and is backed by Village Ventures, Rho Canada and Borealis Ventures. For more information visit www.dailymakeover.com, Facebook and Twitter.
Media Contact:
Elaine N. Schoch 104 West Partners | 720.407.6064
Elaine . Schoch @ 104west.com
Elaine.Schoch@104west.com
