AllThingsD » Jessica Alba

Honest: Jessica Alba's Now an E-Commerce Geek (Video)

Kara Swisher — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:05:48 +0000

From the Web 1.0 Matt Damon-Ben Affleck debacle to the stunt-casting of Justin Timberlake as a Myspace impresario and everything in between, I have been more than dubious about any online effort by a celebrity.

Not surprisingly, it is usually a lot of special effects but little in the way of substance, from an entrepreneurial point of view.

So it was nice to be actually impressed by actress Jessica Alba’s fledgling effort to break into online commerce, via a new site called the Honest Company.

Using an interesting online subscription model and aimed at the modern mom, Honest sells its own private-label, eco-friendly and hipster baby diapers and biodegradable wipes, as well as organic bath/skin care and green cleaning products.

Alba, who is Honest’s president and one of its co-founders, was inspired to bootstrap the start-up after having kids and being confused as to how to find nontoxic products for them in a marketplace of questionable offerings.

Thus, she and Christopher Gavigan, author of “Healthy Child Healthy World,” hooked up with an experienced entrepreneur — Brian Lee, co-founder of ShoeDazzle and LegalZoom — to create Honest, which just launched.

Selling its own products using a monthly “bundle” model differentiates Honest from comparable sites, such as Gwyneth Paltrow’s GOOP, which focuses on classy recommendations of a wide variety of similar fare.

Right now, the online-only Honest effort is using Alba’s high profile and online clout — many millions of fans and followers on social sites like Facebook and Twitter, for example; and also viral marketing, via mommy bloggers — to get noticed.

But the proof will be if Honest can keep its customers coming back every month for more, as it expands its line. (So far, the reviews of the products have been raves, such as this one from salt & nectar.)

Here’s Alba talking about Honest with Lee, in a video interview at the company’s Santa Monica, Calif., HQ:

[ See post to watch video ]

Viral Video: Humpilates Hysterical

Kara Swisher — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 16:46:15 +0000

This mock fitness video by late-night television talk show host Jimmy Kimmel is so funny that it made BoomTown do several spit-takes watching it.

It is for a product called “Hottie Body Humpilates,” and includes a bevy of glam Hollywood actresses–including Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Biel, Eva Longoria, Sofia Vergara, Jessica Alba and also a perfect turn from Lindsay Lohan–doing bad things to an exercise ball.

Enough said.

Enjoy:

Don't Vote, Vote? Whatever–Spielberg's Directing an Online Video!

Kara Swisher — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 08:36:15 +0000

Not many online videos have sequels, but the one below–featuring a passel of celebrities, including Tom Cruise, Will Smith, Borat, Leonardo DiCaprio, Julia Roberts, Justin Timberlake, Scarlett Johansson and Harrison Ford–is one and even has famed director Steven Spielberg at the helm.

It is a follow-up to a PSA I posted earlier this month called “Hollywood Declares Themselves,” encouraging young people to vote.

It is from the nonpartisan group Declare Yourself, which has also put out the “Muzzler”/Jessica Alba get-out-the-vote advertising and video.

Declare Yourself is partnering with Google, YouTube and MySpace to distribute the new video, which has been produced by DiCaprio’s Appian Way .

Declare Yourself claims that “since it first debuted on Oct. 1st, the PSA has been viewed over 5,000,000 times. According to all major voting registration sites, including Google, Rock the Vote, and Declare Yourself, over 300,000 new voters registered due to the video alone.”

Here is the new video and also the previous two under it:

Spielberg Directs!

Hollywood Declares Themselves

“Muzzler”/Jessica Alba

Register to Vote Before Deadlines–Or Jessica Alba Will Muzzle You

Kara Swisher — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:37:59 +0000

One of the more interesting developments of this election cycle has been the boom in viral online videos being used–from a plethora of political spoofs of the candidates to educational videos to people simply venting.

And those pushing citizens, especially young people, to register to vote have been using the boom in online video too.

Last week, BoomTown featured one effort by a passel of celebrities to snarkily get people to vote by telling them not to (but not really).

This week, actress Jessica Alba turns into a Home Shopping Network maniac by hawking “The Muzzler,” for those who don’t vote.

It’s a lot over the top–including featuring a pink muzzle on indestructible “Heroes” cheerleader Hayden Panettiere.

But it does get the point through like a sledge hammer that it is important to vote in the Nov. 4 election.

Alba has already posed for several shocking pictures for the group doing the video–Declare Yourself, a national nonpartisan group dedicated to getting young people to vote–including wearing a muzzle and being bound by electric tape.

So, whoever you plan to vote for, here is a list of deadlines to register to vote in the 50 states, with many being today and the rest of this week.

And, here’s the Muzzler video: