• by Wayne Friedman , September 16, 2011

Now part of NBCUniversal's array of woman-targeted entertainment platforms, online site Daily Candy has gone offline, striking a deal with Procter & Gamble for a New York City mobile beauty bus tour.

For three days, Sept. 22-24, Daily Candy's pink "Beauty Bus" will cruise around town with DailyCandy editors and salon experts giving free makeovers with P&G products -- brands that will get big signage/ displays on and in the bus.

The mobile beauty salon -- a glass truck outfitted with styling chairs -- will feature a team of pro stylists from Hair Room Service. P&G's big beauty brands -- Cover Girl, Pantene and Olay -- are the key brands in this marketing effort. P&G has been a longtime advertiser of the Daily Candy.

"It will be used to reach the right customers to touch the right products," says Scott Schiller, executive vice president of NBCUniversal digital sales. "It's better than behavioral targeting."

The main reason for hitting New York City it to target key beauty/ lifestyle influencers -- some 1,500 consumers -- by offering free professional makeup applications, do-it-yourself beauty tips, and hairstyling consultations using P&G products. The bus will go to New York's SoHo, midtown and Union Square locations during its three-day weekend tour.

Schiller says the effort is all about getting true "engagement. This fun beauty salon on wheels allows Procter & Gamble's top beauty brands to reach the DailyCandy community in a unique and impactful way."

The 11-year-old Daily Candy site sends out some 3.5 million subscription emails to key customers each day. The emails feature Daily Candy deals at local businesses, as well as local lifestyle events -- unusual neighborhood stores/restaurants, fashion lines, and events.

The site had been part of Comcast Corp.'s array of digital platforms. Now Schiller says Daily Candy, along with Comcast's other digital assets, is part of NBC Universal's Entertainment & Digital Networks and Integrated Media division, giving the group a fuller array of women-targeted platforms. They include NBC's "Today," iVillage, Style Network, E! Online, and Fandango, among others.