December 9, 2014
Brand Culture by BBR11 Thought Leader, Tim Rush, VP of Global Communications for Bumble and bumble
December 9, 2014
Brand Culture by BBR11 Thought Leader, Tim Rush, VP of Global Communications for Bumble and bumble
“Be eager and diligent but not aggressive.”
Wise words from one of Beauty Biz Roundtable 11‘s most anticipated Thought Leaders, Tim Rush.
Tim Rush is Vice President, Global Communications, Fashion Relations and Social Media for Bumble and bumble, with additional Communications responsibilities for Smashbox Cosmetics and Darphin Paris, with the Estee Lauder Companies. He has experience in creating compelling communication strategies for both domestic and international markets, with a creative 360 approach designed to meet business objectives.
Please share 3 key points from your BBR11 roundtable presentation/discussion, “PR, Social Media and Telling the Story of Brand Culture to Your Audiences.”
- Be consistent in sharing your brand story, whether it is to the media, in marketing materials, or on social media. Know your story well, and be able to tell it in different ways to all your audiences – long-form text (press release, website); short-form (Facebook, POP) or visually (Instagram).
- Tell your story; and tell it again. Never assume that everyone in your audience knows your story – in fact, assume at least one person doesn’t, and introduce them to your brand and what you stand for.
- Adapt your story and make it relevant to them. Key points of your story may be played up or down, made more in-depth or more digestible, based on who you are talking to, from the media, to a buyer, to another business owner/retailer and your end consumer.
Please tell us about your career path/progression.
I wanted to get into fashion. In High School I watched Style With Elsa Klensch on CNN every Saturday morning and it really opened a new world to me. I studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, with the intention of being a fashion show producer. During my first summer in NYC, I needed a paying internship…and the first place I found was a beauty PR firm. I worked on everything from mass to prestige, and fell in love with the beauty industry. When I secured another internship at a fashion magazine (in which I thought would be my true path), I suddenly realized that beauty was a better fit. I worked at the same PR agency for five years, then made the move in-house to Shiseido. After a few years, I moved to The Estee Lauder Companies, where I am today. I had a ‘side-bar’ career at GAP in San Francisco in marketing, which helped me connect a lot of what I did in PR to the customer experience.
Tim at his BBR11 Roundtable discussion on “PR, Social Media and Telling the Story of Brand Culture to Your Audiences”
Why did you choose this career? Why the beauty industry?
I love the impact that beauty can have on people – whether it’s on women or men. Finding the right products that make you look and feel great can be incredibly empowering. It can instill a confidence that can transcend fashion. I also love the facets of the industry – skincare, makeup, hair, bath and body, fragrance – it really allows you to create your own personal mix.
Who/what are your biggest career influences?
My biggest influences have been former bosses. I’ve had a wide range of personality types, and I’ve learned a lot from all of them – both positively and negatively. My first corporate boss was at Shiseido Cosmetics. She was Japanese, and had also worked in Paris and New York for years, so she had an incredible range of skills. She was generous, elegant, thoughtful, but very tough with very high standards. I learned so much from her. But now I find I’m learning the most from some of my younger employees, who are really comfortable in coming up with new ways of working, or creating concepts.
Who is today’s beauty consumer? How are they changing?
I think the consumer wants quality, and a great story – they want to be part of a brand. It the product is expensive, they have to be able to see that quality in the performance, the package, etc. Just because a brand name is on it, isn’t enough anymore. At Bumble and bumble, we’ve found success at both salons and Sephora because our products are very high quality and performance driven, from a hairdresser’s point of view. Hair stylists love our products and feel confident recommending them to their clients, and consumers seek them out because of the authentic story they encounter in the press, social media and our marketing messages.
What do you see as the latest trends in your industry?
At Bumble and bumble, we’re right on the cutting edge of hair trends because we create them at NYFW (New York Fashion Week), and on editorial shoots around the world. This is where the trends start. The look for Spring 2015 is very natural, but it takes some work get that look. So we can identify products that are right for bringing out hair’s natural texture, and provide styling tips direct from our stylists on how to create the look.
Bumble and bumble’s prep – seen throughout the backstage of NY’s Fashion Week. The Bb Prep is a detangler/leave-in conditioner and is the closest a hair stylist can come to shampooing a model’s hair without dragging them over to a sink. It makes hair softer and can encourage the natural wave or curl. It is also a key ingredient in the wet-hair look that is all over the runways.
What attributes make a great leader? Tell us about your leadership style.
I think its important to remember how you’ve been treated throughout your career, and how past bosses made you feel. I always want my team to feel that they have a voice, no matter what level they are at. They have to feel like what they do matters in the scheme of the department and the brand. Honest, candid feedback is important too, always with the goal of working to develop their skills.
What kinds of qualities do you look for in an employee/when hiring a candidate/someone to join your team?
Fit is very important – I have a range of personalities and experience, and they all compliment each other. They have to be really aware of the industry and think beyond just our department. I look for core skills in PR, social media and fashion, but also for some interesting other experience. I always have candidates meet the team – that dynamic is really what guarantees a successful hire.
What is the best way/strategy for someone interested in your company to employ to get a foot in the door? What makes a candidate stand out?
Estee Lauder has a very robust recruitment website so that is the best place to start. They should study the brands and think about which they would be a good fit with.
Any other advice/words of wisdom?
Don’t sit and wait for something – talk to people about your goals – you never know who can help connect you. I love to be able to connect people that might be able to help each other. Be eager and diligent but not aggressive. I have a current employee who applied for the position online – but didn’t hear back. He did some research on Bumble and bumble and found out that I was the department head and hiring manager. He found my contact information online and emailed me a great introductory email that caught my attention. I immediately contacted our recruiting team and had them set up an interview. I appreciated his initiative, and he knew that he was qualified and right for the job – if he didn’t have the right experience, this would have just been annoying!
Tim Rush has also worked with such brands as MAC Cosmetics, Estee Lauder, Gap, Shiseido and Kinara Spa. He resides in New York and Los Angeles.
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