Maybelline's marketing strategy in the early 20th Century was the key to their early success

In the 1920's Maybelline marketed  to the trade, who purchased the product

 and sold it to the consumer, in  drugstores. 

At the same time, consumer advertising, brought customers, in the drug stores, where they purchased their (mascara) Maybelline.  Marketing to the trade, Advertising to the consumer, that was the kick started Maybellines Brand into the global market over 100 years ago.   

Lash-Brow-Ine, Maybelline and Liquid Maybelline, were sold in boxes of one

 dozen and placed next to the cash register where impulse buyers were

 willing to give it a try.

Today, Maybelline, is owned by L'Oreal of Paris and called Maybelline New York.  The Maybelline Brand is still, the biggest make-up Brand in the World.

  It's roots, began with a $500. loan from Tom Lyle's brother, Noel James

 Williams, in 1915. Today, is a multi- billion dollar business.  

Read all about it in, The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty

 Behind It and learn all about the man and the family behind the original

 Maybelline Brand.

Maybelline a pioneer in Advertising, the first to use "Before and After" imegery

Armed with market savvy, an eye for beauty and a penchant for perfection, Tom Lyle continued to experiment boldly, introducing what would become one of the most familiar and effective ploys in advertising: “before and after” imagery. This captured the imagination of women everywhere, creating a need that he filled by placing striking cosmetic displays in dime and drug stores across America. Soon the name Maybelline came to represent more than just mascara—it meant beauty, sex appeal and self-confidence, indispensable tools for every woman’s success—however she defined it.

Read more about Tom Lyle Williams and The Maybelline Company in my book, The Maybelline Story.

Maybelline's Founder, Tom Lyle Williams... Pioneer and King of the Cosmetic Industry

Tom Lyle Williams, the founder of the Maybelline Company in 1915, was also known as the King of advertising, in the Cosmetic industry.

BEAUTIFUL  EYES  MAKE A  BEAUTIFUL WOMAN 

AND WITH MAYBELLINE,  ALL WOMEN CAN HAVE BEAUTIFUL EYES."

       Tom Lyle Williams, my great uncle,  propounded this universally appealing theme in mass media:  movie magazines, radio, and even the comics section of newspapers during the  1920's, 30's, and 40's.  But it wasn't until the advent of television in the 50's that the single most important selling tool was perfected.  Through Television, Tom Lyle was able to show, as well as tell and sell, exactly what the customers  could do. 

       The  consumer could now observe the fine performance of Maybelline eye beauty aids and learn just how easy it was to apply them through the technology of special effects.  With this new medium,  Maybelline was the first cosmetic company to offer real application and demonstration scenes through the magic of  instant beauty transformation magnificently communicated through  “before and after" sequences."

Buy my book and read more about Maybelline "The Wonder Company''

JOAN CRAWFORD - MILDRED PIERCE - HEDY LAMARR - PAUL HESSE HOLLYWOOD - 1945 ACADEMY AWARDS

I'm very excited to show you this private letter from Maybelline ad man, Emery Shaver (Tom Lyle Williams partner for over 50 years) - written from the Villa Valentino, to his sister Elizabeth Shaver, and graciously shared with me by his nephew Floyd Shaver-Welles.  I think you'll enjoy its significant value, especially if you love Vintage Hollywood and pure Advertising genius...... 

1923, from the left, Tom Lyle Williams, Elizabeth Shaver and her brother
  Emery Shaver seated.

April 14, 1946.

Life goes on rather calmly here, as usual.  We had a slight flurry of activity here last week in working on an assignment with Hedy Lamarr for a new ad.  She is a rather temperamental woman, although much more beautiful than she appears on the screen, and it was with some difficulty that we were finally able to pin her down to an appointment with Paul Hesse, Hollywood's leading Photographer, for a color portrait, and then get her to write her promised autographed testimonial.  All this took some diplomacy, but it was finally accomplished.  And from the first black and white proofs, it would appear we are going to have perhaps the most beautiful of all  of our growing list of color ads.  Presume you saw the one we have of Joan Crawford, which is now running currently for us in most of the magazines.  It was most fortunate for us that Miss Crawford was awarded the Academy Award for the Best Actress of 1945 for her picture "Mildred Pierce," just as our ad was first appearing.  Our ad created quite a sensation in the Advertising world and has been generally admired, so now many other Motion Picture Celebrities are eager to have the enormous benefit of such beautiful color ads, and we have more offers than we care to take advantage of.  Nothing succeeds, like success, they say, and this instance proves it. Hope the Lamarr ad gets as much attention and I think it will.

Hedy Lamarr.

Joan Crawford.

The actual letter.

Merle Oberon followed in a Maybelline color ad by Paul Hesse Hollywood.

The original MAD MEN... came out of the Maybelline Co.,

My great uncle Tom Lyle Williams coined the word ULTRA LASH and brought out the first tube of Maybelline with a Duo-Taper brush, in 1964.  

It was all about advertising and Tom Lyle, was an advertising genius. This is also the era, when AMC's TV show, giant, Don Draper, of Mad Men, ruled the
advertising industry on the East Coast.

Maybelline, Mad Men... Tom Lyle Williams, 1964.

TV Show, Mad Men's, Don Draper, 1964.

                                        Season Five, cast of Mad Men.

While the Advertising industry was manipulating the

All American image, I was a Junior, at Culver City, High School... totally involved with my girls club,

SAFFRONS, in 1964. 

I became very popular, having a blue and white,

1957 Chevrolet Belair 4 dr Sedan, Hot Rod, Muscle car,

and a house with a swimming pool. 

My best friend Pearl Peskin and I were what you called Beach Bunnies, when Surfers Ruled the West Coast Beaches, in the 1965.  You could see us cruising down to Playa Del Rey, in my 57 Belair, with a car full of Saffrons... cruising for parties on the weekends... or spending 2 hours... everyday... to look model perfect.
I never went in the ocean... just basked in the sun, all day long, while adjusting my tan line.

So that's what I was doing, in 1964 and 65, while my great uncle, Tom Lyle Williams, was creating beautiful Maybelline advertisements... that brought teenage girl's, like me,  into the dime stores to buy ULTRA LASH...


Watch Mad Men this Sunday on AMC at 9:00 EST.  And... pick up a copy of my book, The Maybelline Story, if you're curious to know more about my life in the 1960's.

Also, tomorrow my cousin Chuck Williams, aka, BB1 and my sister Donna and I will be at last visiting our great uncle, Tom Lyle Williams, 1940, Packard Victoria, so stay tuned this weekend for fun pictures and videos.

Maybelline Brand-merchandising in the 1930's, is common place today.

Maybelline products, mounted on a card, and placed on display racks, for easy accessibility, was the brain child of Maybelline's marketing man, Rags Ragland, in 1935.

What we consider common merchandising today, actually began at the Maybelline Company, as a way to display their products and gain more attention.

Vintage Maybelline eye-shadow, placed on a card in 1935.

Today when we go to a store, all Brands are displayed this way, but 80 years ago, products were haphazardly thrown on a shelf, causing, great frustration, for the consumer and the sales team.

Carded merchandise extended the promotional impact of Maybelline, increased impulse buying, attracted customer's attention,organized products, enhanced shoppability and drove sales, to a higher bottom line. 

By the 1950's and 60's, all beauty products were carded and set on free-standing, twirling racks, also the brainchild of Maybelline's Rag's Ragland.

 By 1964,  ULTRA LASH MASCARA, was  born, taking the place of Maybelline's first wand mascara,  MAGIC MASCARA.  Some of you might remember buying a carded Maybelline ULTRA LASH,  for 69 cents. 
                             Those were the day's..

 Before ULTRA LASH,  the little red box, with a black cake of Maybelline, or this Maybelline cream mascara, was the only choice available to ladies.

This is what a 1950's, make-up bag was filled with, when Maybelline was advertised television for the first time and no longer a little mail order business, advertised in the classifieds. 


Maybelline has remained a Giant in the cosmetic field, as well The King, of Advertising and Marketing.


Thank you for following the Maybelline Blog, tell your friends and be sure to get your copy of The Maybelline Story, you will love it !!!!

Maybelline's Soldier Boy, Bill Williams, 1945.

Like his father, William Preston Williams, a WW1 Vet - my father William Preston Williams Jr. served his country fighting in the Philippines during WW11. 

Bill was working as an apprentice artist at MGM painting back drops - hoping to work his way into a career at the studio - when he was drafted into the Army in 1944.

A Sad Sack - Bill wasn't exactly happy leaving West Los Angeles, the beach and MGM - for Fort Riley Kansas in Jan of 1945.

After all that meant saying goodbye to his sweetheart Pauline Mac Donald.

and his Car-Guy buddies, (Bill is second on the right.)

His uncle Tom Lyle Williams.

His mother Evelyn Williams and his 36 Ford.

His life at The Villa Valentino with his uncle Tom Lyle, his mother and Pauline.

So he married his childhood sweetheart Pauline Mac Donald and shipped off to the Philippians in March of 1945 not knowing if he'd ever return to California and those he loved so much.

While Bill was overseas his uncle Tom Lyle Williams created War Time Maybelline Advertisements like this one to sell U.S. War Bonds.

Bill in the Philippians working on a reconnaissance plane.  The war ended in August of 1945, but not without leaving it's mark on him.  He came home with a scar on the back of his head from shrapnel which could have easily killed him.  The amazing thing is, after living a long life, he died at 82 from a head injury.  I guess my father like so many Vets who came back to America to create the Baby Boom were actually on borrowed time until they finished their work on earth.  Maybe that's way they were called "The Greatest Generation."

If you want to read more about Bill and his adventures overseas during WW11, his life in the Maybelline family and the Hay-Day after the sale of the company, please pick up a copy of The Maybelline Story from Amazon, Barnes and Noble or buy a signed copy from me from this www.maybellinebook.com.  Stay tuned for Noel Allen Williams story tomorrow.  We're in the Navy now!

The Latin Lovers Villa becomes the Maybelline King's private estate in the 1930"s.

Here is a picture of The Villa Valentino in the Hollywood Hills, owned by Rudolph Valentino when he was engaged to Natacha Rambova. They lived there while their home in Beverly Hills, Falcon Lair was being built. Sadly, Natacha divorced him shortly after he bought the property and he was forced to live the lifestyle of the rich and famous alone.  After Valentino's untimely death in 1926 Tom Lyle Williams, Maybelline's founder bought it and did a complete  renovation inside and out. 

The Villa Valentino was located in the Whitley Heights section of Hollywood at 6776 Wedgwood Place, but was eventually razed to make room for the Hollywood Freeway in 1949.  When Tom Lyle bought the Villa he loved it's old world feeling, but didn't like the lack of privacy, so hired a gardener who planted over a hundred Italian cypress, Palm trees and exotic tropical plants to hide the Villa from curious spectators.

An arrow points to the Villa exposed to the public and you can just imagine how a good pair of binoculars might cause gossipy neighbors to spread unwanted rumors.  Check out Tom Lyle's brand new 1937 Packard parked on the street where he shot this photograph with his Kodak.  What a life he must have had in Hollywood in the 1930's, working with major motion picture studios, preparing contracts with the biggest stars and entertaining at the Villa Valentino.

Stay tuned for more pictures of the Villa Valentino before the restoration and after. You can also read about Tom Lyle in Hollywood and the Maybelline company in my book The Maybelline Story.  Purchase an autographed copy from me at maybellinestory.com.