Great. Just what the world needs – another brand of makeup. So one might think. But marketers with Toronto-based Shoppers Drug Mart are convinced that Quo, the company’s new private-label makeup line, fills a very real gap in the marketplace.

According to Mary Futher, marketing and product development manager for Quo, the new line falls into the ‘mid-prestige’ category, situated somewhere between high-end offerings such as Lancome and mass-appeal brands such as Revlon. It’s a niche that includes the likes of M.A.C, Cargo and Club Monaco – and it’s a tremendously popular one at present.

For busy women, however, shopping for products in this category can prove a bit of a hassle. Most women tend to mix and match makeup brands, which can mean a good deal of traveling around to fill their cosmetic bags – a trip to the M.A.C counter at The Bay for lipstick, then to the Cargo counter for eye shadow, and so on.

One retailer that they don’t generally turn to for makeup is Shoppers Drug Mart, Futher notes. They may browse the makeup aisles and even make a few impulse purchases, but for the most part they are buying their makeup at department stores or fashion retailers.

Research, however, shows that the average Canadian woman visits a Shoppers outlet once every eight days – a frequency no department store can boast. By introducing Quo, the retailer hopes to offer these consumers a more convenient way of stocking up on mid-prestige cosmetics.

The idea, Futher says, isn’t to cannibalize sales of the mass or high-end offerings already available in-store, but rather to attract an entirely new makeup customer – the one who currently shops at department stores.

Quo was launched in May in selected Shoppers stores across Canada.

Futher, who has previously worked in the marketing departments of both Yves St Laurent and Revlon, says the company looked to U.K.-based Boots (The Chemists) as a model. Boots is Britain’s number one cosmetics retailer – and its private label brand, No. 7, which has been around for 20 years now, accounts for 40% of total customer business.

Further says the cosmetics category has become increasingly crowded. Strong brands are compelled to reinvent themselves regularly, while trendy lines disappear just as quickly as they come.

Accordingly, the goal of the launch campaign – which includes both television and print – is to give Quo an instant timelessness.

There are two 30-second TV spots. Both open with a vibrant kaleidoscope of colour, which reveals itself to be a close-up of an eye in one case, and a fingerprint in the other.

Product shots against a stark white background follow, with the tagline: ‘What’s your makeup?’

The tagline is intended to prompt women to examine their own attitudes towards makeup and self-image, says Gloria Florio, account director for Toronto-based TBWA Chiat/Day, which was responsible for developing the campaign.

The print ads, meanwhile, simply show the fingerprint and the eye against a solid white background.

‘We wanted to introduce the new makeup in an eye-catching manner,’ says Florio.

That the ads resemble recent efforts by The Gap and Volkswagen is no coincidence, Florio says – the agency turned to the examples of these contemporary classics when searching for ways to give the Quo brand the desired air of timelessness.

The Quo packaging was designed to communicate that same quality, with the use of clean, modern-looking black and silver. (No tie-in to Shoppers is visible on the packaging.)

At present, Quo is displayed in a special showcase at the cosmetics counter of each participating store. (That, however, may change. Shoppers is currently in the pilot stage of introducing some 20 new concept stores across the country, featuring a dramatically revamped interior. With respect to cosmetics, the plan is to offer makeup and fragrance in an open-sell environment, similar to that of the successful Sephora of France chain, now expanding rapidly across the U.S.)

Because the Quo brand is priced in the M.A.C range, Futher says, it won’t be as much of an impulse buy as, say, Revlon. To encourage trial, Shoppers has placed a card in the current issue of Flare, offering readers a free Quo lipstick.

In-store cosmeticians at Shoppers have been briefed on the various features of the 180-plus SKUs in the Quo line, she adds.

To keep the line fresh and current, Quo will introduce a new colour statement each season, featuring shades that will only be available for that limited time period.

Futher says the Quo products are manufactured here in Canada, which means that the turnaround time for new product development will be brief. That, in turn, means it will be easy for Shoppers to tap new trends.

‘We can turn things around on a dime,’ she says.

Also in this report:

– Goodbye PMAC, hello Rx&D: Name change not simply an exercise in alphabetical musical chairs p.29

– Claritin wakes up category with comic creative p.32