Transcript
Speaker: Blair, hi. I am so excited to get to talk to you today. Thank you for doing the podcast. Thank you for having me. I am, i'd say maybe like a slightly recovering beauty junkie and I feel like the branding and marketing world in the beauty space, I love it for so many reasons. So super pumped for your episode. For folks who don't know you, can you say who you are and what you do?
Speaker: So I am Blair Lancer. I am the CMO of Lancer Skin Care. And for those who don't know, my father, it's actually a family business. He is Dr. Lancer. He's been practicing since the eighty s Technically had the method, the Polish Clones Nourish, an office for patients only around then on. But the products did not go commercial until, I guess it's been about 15 years now, which is crazy. But as of now, kind of all over the place. We're smaller company because we're not like an Estee Lauder or L'Oreal, something very structured. So because of that, i am technically by title CMO, but... I work from anywhere in marketing, social media communications. I work with product development. I'm also a face of the brand with my father, which is really exciting. We're bringing in that new generation. so a lot of these types of events like podcasts, et cetera, lots of filming. You'll see me on social and some other fun places. It's been a whirlwind.
Speaker: Can you talk a little bit about your career journey up till now and the work you're doing present day? I guess in the background, i have always been so impressed by my father, his work ethic, and just his serious passion, truly, around dermatology and what he does. So growing up, I had this truly innate desire to carry on our legacy and everything that he's built. But my true passion was always really fashion. I was such a fashion girl. And i loved New York. I'm still here 15 years later.
Speaker: But my dream was to move to New York and work in the fashion industry. So went to NYU for undergrad, worked at different fashion houses, ended up at Saks in an internship program that turned into a formal program and a job. And it was great because i think when you look at fashion from the outside in you think glamour and beauty and excitement. But when you actually work there, you realize it almost takes the fun away from it. You no longer want to shop or be involved because it's your day to day.
Speaker: Simultaneously, i was working there and I was so intrigued by the cosmetics buyers. And this truly was a shock to me, but it wasn't really the shoes, the bags, the clothes. I was like, what's going on over there? Are there any white spaces? Is there something in the skincare or beauty world that people are not tapping into? And at that point, let's call it 2016-ish, 2015, there really wasn't a skincare brand dabbling in makeup and vice versa. Maybe touches here and there, but there was really this white space. So i remember calling my dad and saying, I have this idea. I think it could be really exciting. And he welcomed me back. He said, I'm so excited come back to the family business. Let's see what we can implement. And that's one thing I will say. He has always been so receptive to everything I've offered or brought up, which is great.
Speaker: So I did move back to LA. I only made it about 10 months, I think, until I had to come back to New York. But I was there and we built out what we call now the enhancement category. And it has shifted over the years, but it's essentially products that dabble into both. So as of now, our core there is the Danny Glowing Skin Perfector, which is named after my mom.
Speaker: She doesn't wear foundation. This is in lieu of foundation. So it's a really exciting, still a bestseller for us product. And honestly, I was just post-grad maybe a year out at that point. So I really needed to learn the business from the ground up. So i believe my first role was in social media. I was managing our socials and then it slowly evolved into communications and working with our PR team. i do also remember, i think at the time it was YouTube that was really big and you have Desi Perkins and these women who were doing these YouTube videos. So I had worked to put together mailers, like traditional mailers at the time to get our voice out.
Speaker: And that was great for the next couple of years until COVID hit. And our CEO at the time called me and she said, we're restructuring. Great that you're managing social communications, et cetera. But now I need you to essentially start and build out the new product development department. And I thought that was crazy because I had zero experience in that space, truly.
Speaker: And she said, it's totally fine. I'll have somebody come either train you or mentor you for a couple months, whatever it may be. You'll figure it out. But this is where the company is going. And I am forever grateful for that. Number one, because I probably never would have taken that leap just because the familiarity wasn't there. But two, really put me at the core of our innovation. was able to work with Dr. Lancer truly hands in hands. Every morning, still till this day, he reads his medical journals. He'll send us interesting ingredients. He'll say a patient came in and... This product is a gap in our portfolio. So he has all these incredible pieces of either advice or recommendations in terms of technology and being able to be at the forefront of that within the company was really special. I would say I went from that and definitely had some misses there, which I'm happy to talk to, but they all worked out.
Speaker: And it evolved into more of a marketing role. it was more product marketing. And then over time, just the CMO role. So I guess technically I oversee still social media, marketing, PR and events, anything collaboration or influence or celebrity wise. And then the biggest piece of it now is really being a face of the brand. And then simultaneously, we're also trying to bring forth my vision and modernize the brand a bit.
Speaker: I never wanted to have a full rebrand. I don't think that ever works truly, but I like the idea of a refresh. I like widening our demographic. I like bringing in new people. I think a lot of times skincare or doctor brands can be seen as your mother's brand or I'm not there yet. I'll deal with those products when it's time. And people like the fun, frilly, fluffy products until then. And I think bridging those two and telling people in their teens, 20s, 30s, whatever it is, yes, you can use these active ingredients if they work for you in a way that's still fun and exciting to use. So that has been manifesting via new packaging, new social, new website look, and then just having me as a face.
Speaker: There's so much to unpack there. i want to come back to being a face of the brand for sure. because I have a lot of questions around that. And i also just want to go back and start in New York for a sec. But first I want to say that you sent me and the Midbury team some really nice products. And I just do want to give you guys a shout out. Really good. I'm always so happy to hear that. But also, there's so much out there on social media and all over the place. And not all testimonials you see online, obviously, are real or factual. So to have people actually have our products in their hands and see that this is real, like this is the good stuff is so exciting.
Speaker: And even the packaging, like it was beautiful. It felt so quality. And i love that. I spent even more time on your website. And I was like, I'm definitely adding some of those products to my permanent rotation. Yeah, I mean, also, do your shirt is really cool. place i like It's a dress, but thank you. um Is it Doughen? Where is it from? I'm obsessed with Doughen. I've recently gotten so into it. And i always get asked if this is Love Shack Fancy. I will tell you, this is a killer Zara find from white love probably five or six years ago. Oh my gosh. It's a goodie.
Speaker: Do you ever watch the Trini Woodall videos with her fashion hauls from Zara? I probably have seen those videos as well, but I watched so many Zara hauls on TikTok. I have to cut myself off. I did actually make a Doe and haul yesterday or two days ago. So I get that too. Amazing. I want to ask you, like when you talk about being the face of the brand,
Speaker: Can you tell me what that means to you? What you're doing pursuant of being that? And also I'm curious, I would presume that potentially there is some pressure around being the face of such, number one, it's an incredibly successful family business. And number two, i wonder...
Speaker: If there's any aesthetic pressure on you, you're gorgeous. Your hair looks perfect. Your dress is amazing. But if you're ever like, yeah I can't let it slip for one day because I am the face of this really prestigious, reputable brand. So tell me all about being the face of a company like that.
Speaker: It's funny because people say, what was it like growing up with a dermatologist dad? And i always say my friends would get a seat on a test and be scared to go home and tell their parents. For me, it was like I got a pimple and I would be scared to go home and see my dad. Yeah. So to this day, i am 32 years old and that has not changed. It still makes me nervous. And to your point, I'll have a pimple. I'll go to dinner. I'll say to my friends, oh my gosh, I have this huge pimple. I hope no one notices. And they're like, we don't even know what you're talking about. Where? So there's definitely, I have this magnifying lens somewhere on my face and body at all times. I'm always a bit exaggerated. I will say that there is that pressure.
Speaker: Separately, I almost feel because I'm so passionate about one, our brand in terms of family and legacy and all of that, but two, like the efficacy of our products and how excited I am to get these products out there because they really do work and they're incredible.
Speaker: it takes the pressure off a little bit because for example, I have my own TikTok separate of the Lancer skincare one. It's a little bit more me, my personality, but I'll do skincare videos and nine times out of 10, my skin is perfect and people see it and it's great, but there are times where it's not. And I'm like, this is the perfect time to make a video. Let's show people. I have three pimples right now. Let me make a video saying, here's Monday, here are the pimples. These are the products I use. Let me come back tomorrow after using those products and Wednesday. So I almost feel like it gives a sense of authenticity. Every single person has blackheads, blemishes, whatever. one So what does it mean to be the face of the brand? So I think there are two dimensions to this. So one is
Speaker: social media wise. So I would say i have my own social channels where I just want people to get to know me because again, I think having a doctor brand or a medical brand, you're immediately like, ah, this is too clinical for me. It feels cold and not approachable. So I think having that relatable sense with my community, my audience is really nice. Yeah.
Speaker: But I will say on the Lancer skincare one, it's a bit more of me talking about my favorite products or giving skincare hacks or tips or speaking with my dad and having fun. i think it's just an added layer of we have our doctor, we have the board certified dermatologist who is the true science. And then you have the other person who is here to be relatable and bring me in, but also uses the products, that sense of He's the authority. I'm like the authenticity in some ways. I'm just showing the proof of it. So I think there are a couple different ways to look at it. And then when I think about in person, people often say, oh, your skin looks really nice. And I'm like, great. This is a great segue. OK, before we have a drink, let me get in and talk about work. so
Speaker: having that piece of it and speaking to it really be like a walking billboard for the brand. And it's the same thing. My mom is 68. She's not had any surgery and she looks so, so good. so I think having us walk around and have that sort of sense of being a face of the brand is really critical.
Speaker: What is the average day in your life like right now? And I'm curious about everything. Very curious about the work bits, but also your morning, your evening. Give us the whole breakdown. So I will tell you, I've learned the hard way that less is more. I think we scroll on social media and I had a list this long of like, these are all the mental health things I need to do. These are the physical things. These are the supplements. And I started doing all of them and I started falling apart. So I think...
Speaker: focusing on what really works for you. i would say on the mental aspect, I like to wake up and not use my phone. Does that happen every day? No, it's so hard, but I do try to have that time. i will say i was doing something called to be magnetic, just as like a type of a meditation. it's interesting. And Some of them are really short. They're like five, 10 minutes and they're great. Some of them are really long and I just can't do it. And I started getting fatigue from that. I think meditation and theory sounds really nice for a lot of people, but it's not necessarily realistic. So I have a girlfriend of mine who was telling me about something called journal speak, which is basically like a whole, just like spilling out of everything on your mind. And it's like everything that you could never say out loud. He would never want anyone to hear. And it's just like everything that's annoying you or stressing you, whatever, getting it all out.
Speaker: And that I feel has made a really big difference. It's like a therapy session, but like then you move on with your day. Is it written down in a journal or are you like speaking it into an app or something like that?
Speaker: You know what's funny? You're supposed to write it out. I can't stand writing things. For some reason, my whole body tenses up. I am such a voice dictation person. If I'm texting you, I'm using voice dictation. right So I don't even know if this is right, but I do it via voice. That's interesting. I'm like note of that.
Speaker: Everybody's so different and like that's the best release for me. But yeah, try it out. It's different for everyone. so i would say that and then I go into my skincare routine. so i live in New York. The team is in l LA. So I wake up and I have my mornings essentially to myself. So after that, I will take my supplements, which are now, I've nailed it, the same ones for years. I took out all the excess ones. I do a hair pill, WellBell. I do a ritual like multivitamin and omnibiotic probiotic. And that's it.
Speaker: I don't have any sort of green juice, hot water with lemon, any of that. I know some people are very set on having that as part of the routine, but I don't have that. And then i do mega former Pilates for about 45 minutes. And I love it. It's just such a good release. It's a great way to start the day. come home, shower, and then I make lunch. I'm not a breakfast girl generally, so I'll make lunch, super healthy when I'm at home. When I'm out, it doesn't matter, but when I'm home, I try to be like gluten-free, dairy-free. As far as dessert, I keep only dark chocolate, just super healthy. And then around then, about 12, let's call it 9 a.m. West Coast, I start the day. And work is different every single day, which I think is why I like it. So I love that I wear all these different hats and I have different meetings on different days with different team members and whatnot. Some days I'll spend hours just filming both for my TikTok and for the Lancer skincare, both TikTok and Instagram. So that's a big thing. I recently started a sub stack.
Speaker: And I didn't realize truly how much goes into that. I think nowadays so many people use AI and you can really tell. So to be able to sit there and write something for hours, i just think it's special to actually get out what you're trying to say versus using AI. So that's something that I'm working on a lot. Again, working with the social media agency and team, the PR team, operations, just all different parts of the business. And that goes pretty late until I'm a very social person, so I like to be out for dinner, generally, almost every night, which is not great. And then when I come home, if I haven't used my red light mask in the morning, I'll use it at night. I use the current body one, and I
Speaker: I swear it works. I just love it So I do that. Again, I do my regular skincare routine. I do whatever my hair routine is. I only wash my hair once a week, which some people think is crazy. That's just how I am. But I'll do my hair oil and scalp oil and whatever. and then I get into bed and generally, not even embarrassed to admit, watch some sort of trash TV to unwind or something like a thriller whatnot.
Speaker: And that's it. My only other thing that I really swear by not sponsored, please sponsor me is my hatch alarm clock. I can't live without it. I don't know if you have one.
Speaker: Is that one that like it starts off with the gentle glow? and Yes. slowly I don't have one. I've seen them in there. You need one. I'm telling you because i don't really know the science behind it, but the light wakes you up before the sound. So your body is slowly starting to wake up. And by the time the sound goes off, which is such a peaceful sound, I used to wake up with my iPhone and I would jolt out of bed. And that's so unhealthy for you.
Speaker: Both of your recs are light related. That's interesting. Interesting. Yeah. Good point. Yeah. I really like that. Thanks for being so generous with all of the details. Of course.
Speaker: First of all, I want to say what you said on Substack, I totally agree with. And I do think that in the era of AI, taking time for your audience to write something um of your personal energy and thought into and akin to where you said something to the effect of,
Speaker: actually figuring out what you want to say. we all have a lot of takes on AI, but I think one of the biggest challenges with AI, especially for longer form writing, is that sometimes the ideas don't get there until you're halfway through trying to write the piece. And then you're like, oh, this is it. And so if you're always just having a robot execute on the first idea,
Speaker: It's not that good. And I don't know about you, but I was crazy about the Carolyn Bissette love story show when it came out. Obsessed. And I was like, you didn't all the sub stacks being like, give me more content on this. And I started to realize I like, these are all AI.
Speaker: Like and it was so they turned me off of it. What is your sub stack? We'll throw it in the show notes and i'm going to check it out. All of my socials are just at Blair Lancer, but I will add to that and say, it's really not just Substack. I think when you're looking at TikTok and Instagram, you can tell what influencers are using AI for either concepts, what they're saying, what the script is. I think now, and we're starting to see that even AI influencers are becoming a thing. And people are saying, oh, influencers will become obsolete because companies want to use AI influencers. They're cheaper.
Speaker: i don't agree with that because you're missing the authenticity. It's not organic. You can feel when something is not organic. So I think being really authentic with your audience is so key on every platform.
Speaker: I agree with you. I'm very articulate around AI right now. I feel like I'm still getting my head around it. But increasingly, i'm like, it just makes me bummed out. It's scary. And I'll tell you, i kept saying, I'm scared of it. What's going happen? What's going happen? And someone finally said to me, it's happening. So either you fight it and you fall behind or you work with it And that really shook me because I was like, you're right. No matter what I do, no matter how I feel, if I hide, I'm just going to fall behind.
Speaker: So I've started trying to use it in a way that can help me on tedious tasks and things that can be done. But anything that needs... true personality, I don't think it should be used for, at least not now.
Speaker: When it comes to thinking about putting your CMO hat on, AI or even not related to AI, just the landscape as it is right now, I feel like from the outside, it seems to me, especially competitive, but also a space where the fans and the people who love the beauty industry are so tapped in. They want to find and connect with their favorite brands and be loyal to their favorite products and learn everything.
Speaker: From the outside, i would say that since like 2020, things have shifted a lot from my perspective in the beauty industry and so far as marketing. And I'm curious for like your take on what the last five or six years have been like in the industry.
Speaker: And then I'm curious for what you think is important for brands to prioritize right now. Let's answer your second question first. And this answer will never change your heritage. I think brands are so focused on what is the trend, what is the buzzword, and let's just go with it. And you lose your personality and your heritage when you try to do that. Like, for example, we have always said exfoliate first. You always manually exfoliate first and then you cleanse because it really does not make sense to cleanse first. We always say, think about a floor. If you're retiling, you remove the old tiles, polish, clean the floor, c cleanse, and then lay the new tiles, nourish. It genuinely does not make sense to do it the other way around.
Speaker: But nine out of 10 brands will tell you to do it the other way around. And it has been hard to stick with our guns. And I'll tell you that, but we have. And I think that's the biggest issue. And i think remaining true to yourself and your core is number one. That's what brands need to be doing. We need to stop chasing trends. Stop trying to chase demographics that are not your bread and butter. Stop trying to see every buzzword. Like someone will make up a buzzword and all of a sudden it's everywhere. like longevity is the word of the day now. It's like everybody needs to talk about longevity. Number one, I don't feel that we know enough about that. Some people are talking about it. They don't even know what they're talking about. and then with certain ingredients, people will see a buzzword. They'll be like, great, we need to throw something on the market with this buzz ingredient. They'll go, they'll white label something and just throw it onto the market. It's not even a good product. And that, in my opinion, to go to your like first comment about loyalty, that tarnishes loyalty. Because if I'm trying a new brand, I try a new product, and it's awful, I'm not coming back. And I will tell you, obviously, I don't use any skincare besides Lancer skincare, but we don't make makeup, so I use other makeup. For example, my favorite lipstick in the world, YSL 44, I will never not use it.
Speaker: No matter how perfect it is, I'm still buying a new lipstick. Like every time I go into Sephora, there is no loyalty. Even me as somebody who owns a brand, I cannot be loyal. I'm always trying the next thing. So I'm like, is there better out there? i think just throwing out products that are buzzy, but have nothing to them down the line. It's just a long-term disaster. We were asking how the industry has changed over the last five years. Let's go back to even 15 years ago when we launched this brand.
Speaker: Doctor brands were all the rage. People wanted the science. They were so excited about having the white lab coat. That was such an important thing. And then that kind of fell off. And then there were different brands that sold products based off of like pink, watermelon scent, whatever, with no efficacy.
Speaker: And then it moved to every single celebrity had a brand. Then every single influencer had a brand. And there was really no science behind a lot of those. And given AI, number one, but two, even social media, TikTok, Instagram, the last couple years, knowledge has been, I would say, far more prevalent because people have so much access.
Speaker: People have the ability to look up anything they want. There's that app, Yuka, or Oasis, or a bunch of them where you scan and everybody knows everything about every product. So thank God I'm thrilled to see that people are now again, starting to focus more and more on the science, the facts, having a doctor there, having someone medical, at least adjacent, because a lot of these brands haven't had that around. So it's nice to see that shift.
Speaker: I love what you're saying about heritage. I feel like that's at the core, like cross industries is such an important and key aspect. for brands now and to go back to what we were talking about around AI earlier,
Speaker: It's almost like in 10 years or something, how does an AI influencer compare to a real person? It's like the concept of personal heritage in so far personal story and authenticity, connection with the audience. That's such a great point because even when you say that, I think back to, look, when we launched this brand, every single product, every post needed to be so aesthetically pleasing and so aesthetically perfect. Every feed was well curated. Instagram was just like all gorgeous photos. And then all of a sudden it became UGC. think there are two parts to that. One, people want to feel the personalities. And two, it goes to before and afters. You're watching people try products. You're trying in real time with them. You're seeing the results. So you're feeling the science and the efficacy. So that does go to what you're saying.
Speaker: AI influencers, again, I'm not here 10 years from now, let's see, but how are they going to be able to do that? Yeah, totally. I think around like some of the influencers I've followed have followed for a while, I know them. I know their personality. That's what we like. They're familiar. And two, every now and then they'll like not like something. Like that was something they tried and they were like, this was not for me. And it's nice to feel like perhaps that level of authenticity at times around that kind of thing.
Speaker: I think that's so valid. I think even when influencers are like, this is a paid partnership, but I've been using this product for 10 years. You know, I love it For some reason, if it says add, I don't care. i know I've seen them use this product 50 times. It doesn't feel authentic. But I will say another thing that I see a lot, which is such a mistake, and I wish I could talk people out of it. They'll see one influencer who they love her aesthetic, the way she looks, even if they look nothing like this person.
Speaker: This person uses 10-step routine of whatever, 10 different actives. You don't know this person's true skin type. You don't know their allergies. You don't know their sensitivities.
Speaker: What works for them is not necessarily going to work for you. And using their products will not turn you into them. So people need to remember that. Yeah. One thing that's so alluring about the influencer or the stamp of approval is that I think of this a lot with not beauty related, but Wirecutter or York Magazine giving their like, these are the five best, let's say like bath mats yeah or even paint colors. I feel like this is what gets me. When they're like, these are the five best like pharaoh and bald dupes for at this dress. And then
Speaker: If I'm stuck, sometimes if I make the decision, it's almost like I'll project my own like sometimes negative self-talk onto it and i'll be like that was a really bad one. I should have done XYZ. But if someone else who I think is cool like endorsed one, it almost yeah makes me like the choice better for longer even though it is not better or worse. It's just – It's subconscious. To come back to the conversation around the beauty space, I think what you're saying is so valid and it's so important for folks to remember that. From your perspective, what have you seen work really well for you all when it comes to reaching your customers in an authentic way?
Speaker: And are there things that you're doubling down on or are there things that you've tried and you're like, our audience didn't really respond to this. We're just not going to do that anymore. Yeah. One thing that has not worked super well for us, and I think it will in time, we just haven't nailed it properly, is TikTok because it's such a younger demographic for the most part. We do really well on Facebook and Instagram, which tend to skew a little bit more mature based on what I was saying. For our bread and butter, that's the best, but that's not one that I would give up on.
Speaker: I think that even brands like us, we skew more mature. There is a place for us. And with my work here being in the face of the brands, I do hope to bring in a younger demographic. What are some of the things where you're just like, we have this nailed, our audience loves this, and we're just going to keep doing it because it's serving us and our clients well? We used to launch, call it four products a year. They were drive-by launches. They did not get the appropriate attention, so to speak. And it just wasn't working for us. So we said, you know what? The polish is our number one, has been since day one. We really own the exfoliation category. That's one of our best sellers. Our caviar lime acid peel is one of our best sellers.
Speaker: That's something that we want to focus on. Separately, we came out with our gravity defying moisturizer. That was the first one in the line. So we have the method, we have a bunch of other products, and then we started this gravity line.
Speaker: We saw so much success with the gravity moisturizer. The before and afters are actually insane It looks like people have had facelifts in 24 hours. It's wild.
Speaker: But we saw the efficacy there. We noticed that there was a loyalty, which is extremely difficult to garner just with everything else out there. And we figured, why are we throwing out so many different products? Let's focus on what's actually really working. And through that, we launched our Gravity Eye Cream, which was a stellar success as well. And you just tried our Gravity Spot Corrector, which has already won multiple awards and it just launched.
Speaker: It is really fantastic to look at products that truly are bringing in new customers, keeping old customers of ours and showing people what our brand is really about. So I think keeping the storytelling going within certain pockets of the brand, we do very well.
Speaker: Is there anything that we haven't talked about that before we wrap, you want to make sure that you say about the brand or the work you're doing? I think we can just end on the fact that my father, Lancer, and I are really trying to mesh our worlds together. He's the science, I'm the relatability. He's been with the brand in theory since the eighties. I've been there really only for the last 10 years.
Speaker: And we have such different visions. And again, as I've said, every time I've said something to him, he's been so receptive. Every time I brought in a new idea, he's so excited. He always backs me. And I think this next chapter for the brand, we already repackaged the body line. You'll notice that the gravity spot corrector is in different packaging as well. So you'll start to notice little tweaks like the sun shields packaging we changed.
Speaker: Like I said, you'll never feel like a true rebrand, but you'll start to notice these really refreshing new qualities. And you'll see that via social media, through our website, through the way I speak, Dr. Speaks, the new products that come out. So I think I'm just really excited for our new and existing consumer and community to really come together and see what we're bringing forth. It's very exciting.
Speaker: I admire the work you're doing and love the products. And I really appreciate you talking to us today. We'll put all of your socials in the show notes below. So if you're listening and you want to follow Blair, go through and click. And Blair, thank you so much for doing this.
Speaker: Thank you so much for having me. This was a blast.
