For the first time since 2020, the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) held its annual general meeting. The three-day conference will feature speakers such as Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Evan Osnos, who will discuss personal care, forecasting global market conditions, how to navigate the relationship between artificial intelligence (AI) learning, and more. Presentations covered a wide range of topics across the industry. Chat language models (LLMs) such as GPT and e-commerce, timelines for the upcoming UN Plastic Pollution Convention, and more.
Here are key takeaways from this year’s conference.
The role of AI and social media in managing (and spreading) misinformation
“Misinformation and its viral impact are our industry’s most challenging challenges, which is why advocating for evidence-based public policy is essential,” PCPC Chairman Thomas Myers said in his opening remarks. “Decisions regarding safety must be evidence-based.” In science. ” This opinion was echoed throughout the conference, which focused on his role of AI and social media in disseminating ingredient formulation research and development, and the role this information plays in consumer purchasing behavior.
In the conference’s keynote, titled “How Conversational AI Will Change E-Commerce Forever,” speaker Max Bennett, founder and CEO of AI company Alby, shared the research and development behind Functional LLM. I explained the outline. This includes issues at the current stage of technological progress. The important point is that although it is very useful when applied and used correctly, problems can still occur, new information and reactions are difficult to “teach”, and solutions to these problems are still being developed and That means it’s not implemented.
There are currently two main types of use cases when applying conversational AI to e-commerce, particularly in the beauty and personal care products industry. Both for internal purposes, such as generating product copies, and for external or consumer purposes, such as shopping assistants and product copies. Please make a copy for your reviews and FAQ section.
When considering the uses of LLM for consumers, it is important to note that one of the most successful applications in e-commerce is not a simple chatbot, but one that helps take consumers on an “information journey.” Masu. Use LLM to create generative Q&A, where AI predicts consumer questions before they are asked and guides consumers through the purchase journey, significantly increasing conversion success rates for product purchases. To do.
Looking to the future of AI in e-commerce, Bennett concluded that one of the more exciting innovations is multimodality. Multimodality allows LLM to reference images in addition to text and incorporate them into response generation. Future innovations also include AI-powered robotics, which, although still years away, has the potential to revolutionize the product manufacturing industry.
The underlying theme of this and the next discussion is trust and how industry members can build and maintain that trust in their relationships with consumers. The discussion on “Exploring the Complexities of New Value Chains” featured Elizabeth Anderson, director of scientific communications at Michigan State University’s Center for Ingredient Safety Research, and Dr. Michael J. Fevola. The speaker, Inolex’s Vice President of Research, Development and Product Management, highly emphasized the demand for information and the interdependence between the “links” of the chain, the evolution of traditional supply to today’s model of his chain. I considered it. Dr. Fevola explained that knowledge sharing is critical to the success of a value chain because it signals trust, and trust is demonstrated through understanding and knowing intentions, capabilities, character, and performance.
It continues to be argued that social media is a means to establish and maintain trust in a quasi-social relationship between consumers and businesses, and the key to that means is the transparency of accessible content or information. It was done. As consumers become more accessible and informed than ever before, organizations like the Center for Ingredient Safety Research are working to combat the proliferation of misinformation that undermines trust in the value chain. We are using social media to fight.
The impact of world policy and intercontinental relations
The role of global policy and the relationship between businesses and consumers in countries such as the United States and China was also a key focus throughout the conference. One of the takeaways from a hearth conversation between Francine Lamoriello, vice president of global strategy at PCPC, and Evan Osnos, staff writer for The New Yorker, CNN contributor, and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, is that personal care Like many countries in the sector following the downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, China is emerging from a recent period of unstable growth, and countries with a global presence are now entering the “era of engagement.” We need to survive the end of the world.
Osnos explained that one of the most important changes taking place in the minds of Chinese consumers is the tendency to “lay down”, which Lamoriello calls “quiet smoking cessation”. In other words, it is a phenomenon that encompasses a lifestyle ideology that focuses on minimalism, simplicity, and simplicity. And the connection to this moment. “It’s possible to have ambitions in the Chinese market and find a target consumer,” Osnos said, but he is concerned about the impact of this year being an election year in the U.S. and the changing mindsets of consumers in both countries. pointed out that it is worth considering for industry companies.
On a more global scale, the ongoing subcommittee on the United Nations Plastic Pollution Convention provided a different perspective on the impact of evolving global relationships on international policy and markets. The resolution builds on three initial proposals by representatives of Japan, Peru, and Rwanda, and ultimately creates an internationally binding proposal to move global plastic needs “from pollution to solutions.” The aim is to create an agreement.
The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) has established a legally binding legal framework to be adopted in 2025 aimed at developing diverse alternatives across the lifecycle of plastics and including nanoplastics in the cosmetics industry. is tasked with presenting a certain resolution. There will be five INC sessions, with the fourth and next session scheduled for next month in Ottawa, Canada.
While various stakeholders have a vested interest in the outcome of this action, speaker Melissa Copolow, an associate partner at Albright Stonebridge Group, urged industry stakeholders to We encouraged them to work with industry groups to express their support for and concerns about the Convention. Interests were expressed appropriately throughout the negotiation process.
The evolving role of communication in sustainability
A final issue widely discussed at the conference was the evolving role of effective communication between businesses and consumers, particularly in sustainability. Sustainability is a pillar of many companies’ marketing and product development processes, but consumers need to do more than just maintain an attitude of sustainable and ethical practices. “It’s not what you say, it’s what you hear,” said speaker Michael Maslanksy, CEO of Maslanksy + Partners, during a discussion on “Building Trust in an Era of Polarization.” I did. This means it’s not just words, but actions that require authenticity. To be effective in communication.
Building on this concept, speakers Carol Cone (CEO and Founder of ON PURPOSE), Harold Hammana, Managing Partner of Knight & Pawn, and Lisa Powers, Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications at PCPC, During the discussion I moderated, I explored various methods. Companies are reinventing the way they put environmental and ethical responsibility into action.
Cohn and Hamana explained the types of language changes they are currently seeing. This includes a move towards education and health in messaging, and an extraordinary effort to base communication on a more global and extensive research base that can be translated to be more relatable to consumers in local markets. .
Speakers also emphasized the importance of testing messages in emerging markets, building brand-focused communities, and building natural test groups for future messaging campaigns. For example, some companies give their initiatives inclusive names. This creates entropy in the connections between business and local culture, fostering the formation of targeted communities.
As the need for sustainability messaging becomes universal, themes such as climate change, education, and wellness will continue to help brands reach different markets by driving different levels of development and needs through a layer of common understanding. The speakers concluded that this would make it easier to connect.
