Q&A with BBR8 Thought Leader – Jeff Falk, Editor in Chief of GCI and Cosmetics & Toiletries magazines

Our Beauty Biz Roundtable BBR8 event, held in Santa Monica on August 22nd, was a huge success thanks to our inspiring Thought Leaders and incredible Beauty Industry attendees.

For those of you who attended and didn’t get a chance to sit with some of the Thought Leaders, check out our ongoing exclusive interviews with our BBR Thought Leaders!

We were so honored to have our very first Thought Leader from the publishing industry – Jeff Falk, the Editor in Chief, GCI and Cosmetics & Toiletries magazines, who presented his roundtable topic of “Minimizing Static by Dialing in the Right Communication Methods.”

Jeff Falk, Editor in Chief of GCI & Cosmetics & Toiletries magazines

Jeff  began his career as a beauty trade publication editor with GCI in 2005, helping to shape coverage on global issues affecting the beauty industry. After achieving much success in the growth and positioning of the GCI brand, its publisher, Allured Business Media, promoted Jeff to Editor in Chief of GCI as well as Cosmetics & Toiletries magazine in the winter of 2011, where he is now responsible for the strategic direction of both brands. Falk works closely with his team of editors in both publications to provide valuable and educational content in various forms of media to help connect the audience with the information that is vital to their careers. Falk has moderated multiple sessions at conferences around the world and has established key relationships with event managers and associations throughout the industry. Falk also has been a contributing blogger for events such as in-cosmetics and is regularly contacted by mainstream/consumer media for insights on the global beauty industry.

1. Please tell us about your career path/progression. The road to… where you are now? How did you get started? By accident. Ended up in an English program in college, with an emphasis on writing that included one journalism class. Interned in a news room, which lead to a job. Didn’t like journalism, per se, and ended up adding some skills that translated to marketing. Worked as a copy writer, production editor, etc. etc., and found that the experience in journalism combined with some insights into sales/marketing and production was a perfect fit for being a trade pub editor. Progressed from an associate editorial, was thrown into the fire rather quickly (in a number of ways), to editor in chief of two brands in six years.

2. Please share 3 key points from your Roundtable presentation/discussion.

• Means/methods for brands to communicate with consumers has evolved more rapidly than many could have predicted.
• Consumers want to be part of a conversation, and their voice – as shared through social media, in particular – has become a very powerful brand/future consumer influencer.
• Keep up with the tools/methods – brands can no longer dictate the means and the methods. Consumers’ actions tell us where we should be and how we should communicate.

GCI and Cosmetics & Toiletries magazines, Editor in Chief, Jeff Falk, illustrates his roundtable topic  “Minimizing Static by Dialing in the Right Communication Methods” with Jeffrey Light (Aroma Naturals) and Jaime Hennessey (Glenbrook Consumer Partners)

3. Who is today’s [beauty] consumer? How are they changing? Everyone. Much more influenced by other consumers than brands or retailers (for example, product reviews much more likely to influence a purchase than price or provided product information). That said, brands still have the ability to connect – must speak to a need and that need as a part of consumer’s life/lifestyle – i.e. What does the brand say about me?

4. What do [beauty] professionals need to do to continue to connect/attract with today’s beauty consumer? Listen. Throw away some assumptions. Build a brand that is truly distinct and in step with the target consumer’s life – not just their beauty needs.

5. What do you see as the latest trends in your industry? The very quick metamorphosis of regional trends to global trends. The change from suppliers (packagers, ingredient suppliers, etc) talking about what they supply to talking about understanding and reaching consumers.

6. What kinds of qualities do you look for in an employee/when hiring a candidate/someone to join your team? Flexibility, adaptability, curiosity and enthusiasm about things in general (has outside interests, interacts and engages in whatever he/she does), ability to make connections (how one piece of data connects and influences another piece), can see the big picture and knows how job/tasks impact that picture…

Click here to see photos from BBR8

About GCI & Cosmetics & Toiletries Magazines
GCI magazine is the business information resource for marketers, brand managers, manufacturers and executives in the global beauty industry. Industry professionals look to GCI for the strategies, trends, analyses and market data that translate into brand impact. Cosmetics & Toiletries magazine is the leading industry publication for chemists, research scientists, and R&D managers. This peer reviewed scientific publication provides expert information on new technologies, new ingredients, international regulations, and industry news and analysis, to help you do your job better.

About BBR
Hosted by Mazur Group, the Beauty Biz Roundtable BBR series brings together 100 Mid to Senior Level Beauty Executives in a roundtable format that fosters networking and idea sharing. This is NOT a lecture or panel discussion. The BBR series is your opportunity to sit down in small group settings with industry peers.  Past BBR attendees and Thought Leaders have come from every major beauty company here in the West including OPI, Stila, Dermalogica, John Paul Mitchell Systems, Murad, Sexy Hair , Neutrogena, Urban Decay, CND, P&G, Josie Maran, Intelligent Beauty, boscia, Orly International, Smashbox, and  totalbeauty.com

For  more details about BBR, visit: https://mazurgroupla.com/wp/bbr-events/