Janet Herlihy, Editor09.30.09
Welcome to 2002.
Writing on Jan. 22, it’s way too soon to tell what form the year will take. Business news is a strange mix of optimism and pessimism and the stock market seems to be following a bouncing ball.
We can all take a strange kind of comfort in some business news, for generally, those companies taking the greatest falls—Enron and Kmart—deserve the troubles they have. Certainly, many people in each organization must have been working hard, doing the right thing (or trying to), but eventually, companies like individuals, reap what they sow.
It is deeply regrettable that many innocents are suffering through the Enron debacle and Kmart’s bankruptcy, and one hopes that eventually justice and compensation will be done. But ultimately bad business practices result in failure and, in our system—capitalism—that’s what’s supposed to happen.
The Estée Lauder Companies, Inc., the winner of our first Company of the Year, Excellence in Packaging competition (p. 48), is the antithesis of such operations. Founded in 1946 by Estée Lauder and Joseph Lauder, the company has grown from one brand to 16 of the best names in the business. Sales of $4.6 billion in fiscal 2001 marked 45 years of consecutive annual sales increases. This is an organization that doesn’t cut corners and always keeps its priorities in order—and it shows.
Many of the stories in this issue are testimonies to how to succeed in business—through hard work and imagination. Marc Rosen, packaging designer extraordinaire, (p. 24) is expanding his business activities with ACCESSmr, a consulting firm. Avon’s beComing (p.38) and Mary Kay’s MK Signature MK (p. 28) are reaching out to a broadened audience with new brands presented in new packaging.
Columnist Colin Hession, From The Marketing View (p. 18), and guest writer, Victor Suben, P.E. (p. 70), both advise beauty and personal care marketers to balance creativity with solid research and development.
Cosmetic Packaging & Design takes a look at cosmetic and personal care lines developed for youth markets, (p. 32), and finds companies that have done their homework and are scoring big sales in these specialized markets. These marketers have studied their target groups’ special needs and desires and are delivering products that fit the bill.
Technology, too, takes a bow in this issue. Glass decoration, a specialized field that demands manufacturing experience and fashion expertise, has benefitted from improved processes. Labeling has grown way beyond simple identification purposes. The right label can make a fashion statement, mimic a range of more expensive techniques and/or provide an anti-theft system.
All the striving and achievement that we report on this issue is perhaps the best example of what we all need to do in these troubled, uncertain times. Businesses and individuals must continue to try to do the best they can and trust that our system will continue to reward accordingly.
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