Ad Hoc Research

A couple of months ago, CoverGirl, the well-known cosmetic company announced as its new spokesmodel a young makeup artist and YouTuber, James Charles, making him the first male spokesmodel for a cosmetics brand. This nomination created a vast wave of reactions on social media, as it was both acclaimed and criticised. I myself was pleasantly surprised, as I value brands that take risks and think outside the box. By taking this stance, CoverGirl contributed to shaking-up of one of the most traditional and longstanding market segmentations: the clear line that divides gender marketing.

In a recent article, I described how I came back to physical books after an early-adopting adventure of e-reading that turned sour. Writing about it made me realize that many of the products that I’ve been an early adopter of for the past few years have not survived the test of time all that well. I was in line to get the first iPad, I eagerly waited for my Fitbit flex when fitness trackers were just a new fad and I bought a Nespresso machine when the technology was still alien to most. I’ve chosen these three examples because they all ended up the same way…