“This is Josie 2.0.”
As Josie Maran prepares to enter her ninth year in business with Josie Maran Cosmetics, the former model-turned-beauty entrepreneur is rejuvenating her brand to bring it into the future.
At a talk hosted by Fashion Group International on Tuesday night at Space 530, Maran said she has spent the last two years working on a new business plan and “clearer vision” for her line of argan oil-based beauty products. This vision, which will roll out over the next year and into 2017, involves a new tagline, a tightening of stockkeeping units, a packaging redesign, and a more cohesive and interactive in-store experience.
Fueling the reimagination of the brand is a greater corporate commitment to social good. Maran said her goal is to donate $100 million of Josie Maran Cosmetics sales to charity by 2020. “[We are] growing like crazy in terms of dollars,” Maran said. Last year, the brand reported $110 million in sales, and Maran said this year $125 million is projected.
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First to go was the old tagline, “luxury with conscience,” which Maran said had become outdated. “It was more for that time [2007, when Josie Maran Cosmetics was founded], and [represented] breaking in and disrupting the world with high-end natural products. We need to evolve from there.” Maran said the new tagline, “life, love and the pursuit of harmony,” better represents Josie Maran Cosmetics as a lifestyle brand with a social conscience.
Maran also plans to streamline product development, lessening the sku lineup and focusing on skin- and body-care featuring the ingredient Maran calls “the root” of her brand — argan oil. New launches will feature “less product with more impact,” primarily new variations on best-sellers like the Josie Maran Whipped Body Butter. “The strategy is to keep the engine moving by just refreshing it with new colors and scents.”
Also on deck is a repackaging, which Maran said won’t launch until March 2017. “The whole outside [of the product] is changing because the message is different.” Maran will keep her sustainable packaging, but implement a new design — right now, she is planning on a “harmonious” color scheme of indigo, fuchsia and opal.
With a tighter product lineup will come a more cohesive customer experience. In Sephora stores, Josie Maran Cosmetics have historically been split up on the floor between two categories — color cosmetics and skin care. Next year, the brand will exist as one unit under skin care.
Aside from its Web site, Josie Maran Cosmetics is currently sold only at Sephora and on QVC, but that might be changing too. “I’m thinking stores-within-stores, I’m thinking my own stores,” Maran said. “I’m probably going to be doing an infomercial in the next few years.” Aside from “Josie 2.0,” there’s another term Maran has coined to described her brand’s evolution. “It’s what I call designing Planet Josie.”