Q&A: Developers of Beverly Hills Beauty Product Line

The city's first brand name line of products, Beverly Hills Beauty, features high-quality skin care creams with key ingredient such as Milk Peptide Complex and Temple Viper Venom. Alison Maxwell, Director of Economic Development and Marketing for the City of Beverly Hills, and Geoff Thompson, Managing Director of JT Brands, which produces the line, explain the licensing agreement for the forthcoming beauty line and their vision for how the products will impact the city.

Beverly Hills Patch: Can you describe the licensing process and why the city decided to grant licensing permission to this particular beauty line?

Alison Maxwell: The city has a trademark licensing program that runs in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce. The program is managed through a professional licensing agent that develops and presents opportunities for licensing the city's trademarked shield. JT Brands presented an opportunity to develop a fragrance and beauty care line using the city trademark. The Council and Chamber reviewed the proposal and agreed to pursue a license agreement to allow JT Brands to develop products. The proposal provided a unique opportunity for the city to promote its globally recognized brand through this beauty product line. Products are currently in their development phase, with consumer research underway. 

Geoff Thompson: The City of Beverly Hills engaged a licensing agent to seek out opportunities to develop Beverly Hills branded products. We submitted a proposal for a collection of fragrance and beauty products to the agent and a creative brief describing the products and marketing plan.

Patch: What sort of considerations did the city have to weigh before moving forward and granting permission to license the logo?

Maxwell: Each license agreement is different. The city reviews the licensing opportunities presented by the licensing agent and weighs them for their brand promotion/compatibility along with the business proposition.

Patch: Why is it important to JT Brands for the beauty line to be associated with Beverly Hills?

Thompson: Beverly Hills is a world-recognized brand, associated with entertainment, fashion and beauty. It is an aspirational brand and we feel that a beauty collection is in perfect alignment with that perception.

Patch: What is it about the products that evoke Beverly Hills and its lifestyle?

Thompson: We are launching three fragrances simultaneously that evoke some of the personalities of the Beverly Hills woman and a skincare collection targeted at the savvy skincare consumer aware of the importance of active ingredients. There are also some very interesting Beverly Hills-centric details to the line which we will reveal at launch time.

Patch: What impact will lending Beverly Hills' name and emblem to these beauty products have on the city and its image?

Maxwell: It is hoped that licensing partnerships will help maintain and grow the Beverly Hills brand and ensure that the city stays front and center in people's minds, whether it is a great place to live, to shop, to visit, or to locate a business.