Cosmetic company Estee Lauder Cos. plans to send a number of its skincare formula to the international space station and this is an attempt for the company to better stand out. The fee it’ll cost the company to get this kind of publicity done is by paying US$128,000 for NASA to take 10 of its skin serums to the ISS.
Then astronauts will take pictures of the product which will also show a panoramic views of the cosmos. These images will then be used on social media with the company planning to then auction one bottle for charity when the item lands back on Earth later on this spring.
Considering the fee to be paid for this PR, this would almost be the same that would be paid to big time Instagram celebrity for couple of posts for promotion of contents. Since the COVID-19 had sent the world economy into a nosedive since the beginning of the year there had been the need for companies to be much more creative in their marketing approach.
The Northrop Grumman Antares rocket that will transport the skin serum as part of a supply run is scheduled to launch on Tuesday night from Wallops Island, Virginia. The Cygnus cargo craft will then dock on the space station early Saturday.
Estee Lauder’s push into micro-gravity is part of NASA’s effort to commercialize low-earth orbit and make it a domain where private enterprise eventually does business as routinely as the government conducts spacewalks. Companies from Goodyear Tire & Rubber to Merck & Co have used space for research, and NASA is hoping to expand its use, including private citizens visiting the space station.
“We need to expand people’s perspective on what we can accomplish in space,” said Phil McAlister, NASA’s director of commercial spaceflight development.
