International Marketing
The Cosmetics Industry
Estee Lauder vs. Shiseido Cosmetics
E. Wang
July 8, 2005
BSAD 491
Introduction The cosmetics business is a billion dollar industry. Every year, women are responsible for consuming millions of cosmetic products. The cosmetics industry is so large because of several factors. The media is a huge contributor to the intense pressure to look a certain way. The idea that "sex sells" is evident in gossip magazines, movies, advertisements, music, and more subtly- in the business world. People first notice what race someone is, how beautiful or ugly they are and what clothes they are wearing. Beauty is skin deep; however, first impressions are usually what others use to base their
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The main purpose of cosmetics is unmistakable- to make you prettier. Women wear varying amounts of makeup depending on the occasion, the time of day, or just personal preferences. Makeup can be broken down into categories. Skin makeup consists of foundation, concealer, powder, and blusher. Eye makeup includes: mascara, shadow, liner, and brow definer. Lip makeup is comprised of products such as lipstick, lip gloss, and lip liner. The generation of Baby-Boomers are growing older and living longer. The struggle to stay young has created a demand for a cosmetic product that slows down the hands of time. Many cosmetic companies have developed products that promise to erase wrinkles, lift and firm skin on our faces, and smooth out blotchiness created by age spots. Estee Lauder's Idealists Skin Refinishing line promises to do all that. The products range from US$46 to US$85 (EsteeLauder.com 2005). These miracle serums and lotions have a price tag many consumers in China still may not be able to afford. Skin treatment products are often sold next to the cosmetics, but in reality are not cosmetics themselves. Skin treatment products are created with the purpose to improve the natural condition of the skin rather than purely the aesthetic. Cleansers, astringents, toners, acne medications, sunscreen, and lotion all help the skin stay healthy and free from blemishes. In the past, it used to be that consumers
They are women with incomes of $25,000 or more a year that care about their appearance and spend money on beauty products. They tend to have curly or frizzy hair. They are women that tend to use beauty salons and keep up with fashion and fashion trends.
During the post 30s the intensity of the free radical formation and rapid damage of the epidermal layers lead to the formation of fine lines and followed by wrinkles. The Facelift in a Jar cosmetic product is largely being used by people seeking to escape the expensive cosmetic treatments for these problems. The extreme publicity and awareness information released about the essential ingredients in Facelift in a Jar has been successful in gaining the buyers’ confidence.
LUSH – a global pioneer brand name in cosmetic industry. LUSH which was defined as fresh and green is for its famous natural and handmade cosmetics, which will give customers a unique experience. In introduction we will discuss about the evaluation of LUSH cosmetics, their company profile and their impact on sustainability.
Accordingly Makeup can be used for many things. The ancient Egyptians used makeup made from oils and cream to help clean and protect their faces from the hot mild wind. Today we are using makeup for a totally different reason. Makeup isn’t to cover up what's underneath, but it can be a work of art. Most of women are so unhappy with their look and they want to change it. You want these sleepy under bags to disappear? You want to cover the freckles? No problem!! All thanks to makeup.
chemicals and start flushing them out of our system”. (Source B). One of these, are a chemical
The standards are created by society and portrayed in advertisements through media. Women are viewed as “objects” by men as they are meant to be “looked at” through the men’s gaze (Rice 392). The greatest power of women consists of the sexuality they portray, as the woman in the ad is presenting beauty as the ticket to success, encouraging body modification through the consumption to achieve the perfect look. Females looking at themselves through the mirror is one of the major themes in advertising, especially in this makeup ad because “beauty was believed to derive from inner qualities such as character, morality…” (393), pushing women towards the purchase of cosmetics. Since the early century to even now, white is more superior than dark which resulted in products such as skin whitening to become popular for black women. In the ad, the woman is white and has a perfect body figure correlating with sexiness, self-discipline and successful, whereas, fat is seen as unattractive and unhealthy (400). An unhealthy woman looking at this ad may feel insecure as she does not fit the expectations, resulting in dieting and unhealthy procedures to meet the desirable look. Furthermore, trying to change your body can lead to harmful conditions such as losing weight the incorrect way and putting bad substances inside your body. The ad
For baby boomer generation which is experiencing life changes brought by aging, they have shown increasing interests in cosmetics and toiletries, not only to enhance their appearance but also for other reasons. A simple example is that they use foundation with treatment ingredients to protect their skin against harmful UV rays, and to help a variety of skin problems.
Advertising uses a lot of different techniques to show the public the perfect female image. Body doubles and computer retouching are two examples of how advertisers are able to “doctor” images. The majority of women we see in magazines, music videos. and movies do not appear in reality, as we perceive them in the media. We may actually believe we are looking at one woman’s body when we are actually looking at sections of three or four women’s bodies, which, when spliced together, shows us the best parts of each women’s body as the final product. Women cannot attain these impossible standards of attractiveness. Young girls learn very quickly that they must spend much time, energy, and money on achieving these standards.
The quest for beauty is an endless endeavour at all times. Despite the old saying cautioning us that beauty is only skin deep, billions of dollars is spent on skin care products every year for men and women, young and old alike. In this multi-million-dollar industry, every company tries hard to maximize their profit. One of the most common methods they apply is market segmentation.
In American culture, the idea of being a beautiful woman is of the utmost importance. Naomi Wolf (2002) stated that “beauty is a currency system like the gold standard” (p. 12) and in today’s narcissistic society her beliefs couldn’t be truer. Advertisers seeking sales and revenue continuously bombard women with ads featuring beautiful women selling cosmetics and other skincare products thereby increasing the pressure put on women to look their best. It is estimated that women in the U.S. will spend 12 to 15 thousand dollars a year on beauty services (Newsom, 2011.) and over 62 billion dollars on cosmetics annually in 2016 (IBISWorld, 2016). According to Thompson (n.d.), cosmetic companies design ads to change women’s attitudes towards products. This encourages them to buy more and as a result influences their attitudes and makes them feel disgruntled with their appearance. It also teaches them that their values lie in their bodies and forces women to measure themselves against an impossible beauty standard. Continuous exposure to stereotypical images and themes surrounding beauty, directly influence the way women perceive themselves and their peers. One study found that “Mass media is especially harmful to women because it constructs negative perceptions of women and reinforces them on a daily basis (Chapman, 2011).”
The detail full version of this table is presented in appendix 1 in page number 8 (Hopkins, 2009).
In the highly competitive Japanese skin-care market, P&G¡¦s new SK-II product has proven its success as a premium and prestige offering. P&G has gained significant knowledge transfers from SK-II development and further, has successfully tapped the fickle Japanese market and has devloped a loyal user-base in Taiwan and Hong Kong. With its phenomenal success, it is only logical that P&G consider rolling-out the SK-II product-line to the international market. However, while there is significant worldwide growth potential within the $9 billion prestige skin-care industry, based on recent organizational changes, new corporate priorities, and thorough market assessment, P&G must base its decision on current resources and capabilities to
Often times, women are pressured by the mainstream media to upkeep a stellar appearance. They are expected to measure up to high standards without question. Even before most girls reach puberty, commercials are bombarding them with small Barbie esque makeup kits filled with lip glosses and chalky eyeshadows. The impact it has on impressionable children, both girls and boys is something that will likely last a lifetime if unlearned. Cosmetic companies who are marketing to young ladies say they can simply improve their looks to gain acceptance from their peers if they use the products they are selling. The makeup industry is a multi million enterprise that makes a profit from women’s insecurities and amplified pressures from society as a common tactic many cosmetic campaigns use is to push women to embrace the ‘natural look’ by providing products that will make it appear as if the individual is not even wearing makeup. Companies will spout out that with these products, the end result will be ‘you, but better.’ It is somewhat of an underlying and slightly manipulating slogan, as if to say how a woman appears could be improved because it is lacking in the moment. This distorts how we all believe how a woman is suppose to look.
We have chosen to build our strategy upon a focused strategy, since it allows a much more narrow approach towards the market segment. In this case we have chosen focused differentiation.
Many cosmetic brands are popping up recently, perhaps, due to the increasing consumers of products that beautify and enhance the physical appearance of a person. Even though the market is already full of the said cosmetic brands, the company L’Oreal Groups could still be considered as the leading supplier of cosmetics and hair-color. This study is a brief overview of the marketing concepts and strategy of the said company. The company profile will be presented to be able to give a clear view of the market to which the company belongs to. An internal and external (SWOT) analysis of the company will also be provided in this paper. Another area will be specifically devoted to