French cosmetics giant Lancome has launched a personalized mobile experience for consumers to support the launch of its new Fall/Winter 2009 make-up collection by Aaron de Mey.

Lancôme is adopting a new digital form of expression to show its dedication to make-up with the launch of The Make-Up Blog and an iPhone application. The Declaring Indigo experience on the iPhone is meant to offer users a personal and immersive experience into the new collection.

?Our goal was to have consumers discover Lancôme make up in a fun way,? said Julie Thompson, interactive marketing and CRM director of Lancôme, Paris. ?Mobile offers a new experience that contributes to engage customers in a very different way [beyond just] product information only.?

The iPhone application gives users an innovative and different way to try out the ?avant-gardiste.?

The Declaring Indigo collection, is a tribute to Parisian irreverence and application users can test the make-up collection by creating custom looks on their iPhones.

A touchpad lets users try original colors and different combinations from the new collection. Once created, these new looks can be saved and sent by email to friends and family.

Ms. Thompson said that Lancôme was the first brand in the cosmetics/beauty market to launch a mobile commerce Web site in Japan in 2007.

?Today, we continue our strategy of innovation in offering an iPhone application that makes full use of the possibilities of the touchpad,? Ms. Thompson said. ?We are committed to the sensation and are ready to offer an experience that is intuitive and truly personalized.?

Available in English and Chinese, the iPhone Declaring Indigo application was created by Digitas and designed by Phonevalley.

Lancôme is further pursuing its interactive strategy through the creation of what it claims is the first brand blog devoted to makeup: The Make-Up Blog.

Both the make-up blog and iPhone application are meant to serve as new places where Lancôme make-up artists can exchange ideas with women.

The blog is meant to create a real opportunity for dialogue with the brand?s national make-up artists, sharing their know-how, experiences and expertise.

Make-up tips can also be found on the iPhone application.

Not only do users benefit from the advice of Lancôme professionals through this dialogue, but they also get access to artists, backstage photos and videos, and making of?s.

Cosmetics brands have increasingly been using the mobile channel as a promotional tool.

For example, Procter & Gamble?s CoverGirl cosmetics brand is promoting its new LashBlast mascara via a mobile advertising campaign that is running on female-targeted WAP sites.

Banners are running on sites that comprise the Quattro Wireless mobile ad network. The ads encourage consumers to click to find out how to get ?bold, notice-me looks? (see story).

?The iPhone application helps Lancôme to reach a different audience from our sites,? Ms. Thompson said.