• Women’s Wear Daily, Friday, January 25, 2008 11:16 AM

Beauty companies' traditional marketing strategies are being forced to adapt to the scores of blogs that are largely dedicated to opinions and reviews of beauty products. Unlike magazine writers, whose lead times are measured in weeks and months, bloggers may review a product within hours of receiving it, immediately followed by reader feedback.

And "blogs are more interactive," says Procter & Gamble's Esi Eggleston Bracey, vp and GM of global P&G cosmetics, overseeing the Cover Girl and Max Factor brands. "You get the benefit of dialogue rather than one-way communication."

The honest voices and conversational tones of sites like Lipgloss and Laptops, Beauty Brains, Beauty News NYC and My BeautyBerry have gained a wide following. Moreover, blog commentary is virtually out of reach of the spin control of beauty marketers. The lack of influence over a blogger when trying to position a product "keeps everybody honest," says John Demsey, group president of the Estée Lauder Cos."

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