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Estee Lauder Thesis Statement

Decent Essays

Most people think of Estee Lauder as just a brand, but she is also a successful businesswoman. She went from dirt poor to the richest self made women in the world. (“Estee Lauder” bio) Estee Lauder was important to the growth of the cosmetics realm and has revolutionized and shaped the cosmetics industry not only with her progression from a small town girl to a cosmetic titan, but also with her hopes to give the gift of beauty, simplicity, and cost efficiency simultaneously.
Josephine Esther Mentzer was born July 1, 1908 in Queens, New York to two european immigrants, Rose Schotz Rosenthal Mentzer and Max Mentzer.(Israel 8, “Estee Lauder” bio) She lived with her 3 other siblings, from her mother's previous marriage, in the rooms on top of …show more content…

(Koehn 150) As she got older she started to enjoy going over to her aunt’s boutique.(Koehn 150) This is where she found her love for cosmetics. (“Estee Lauder” bio) She learned merchandising and advertising along with the basics of running a company even though the stores were small. (Koehn 151)
Mentzer’s career really started when she started at Newtown High School in Corona, Queens.(Israel 18, “Estee Lauder” bio) At this time her uncle had come to the United States to get away from World War 1.(Israel 18) He moved in with them in a small shack behind Max’s store.(Koehn 153) His name was Dr. John Schotz.(Israel 18) He was a cosmetic chemist.(Israel 18) He made a long list of different cosmetics and creams.(Koehn 153) This ranged from lip rouge (lipstick) to embalming fluid.(Koehn 153)
Mentzer wanted to learn how to make his cosmetics.(“Estee Lauder” bio) She learned very fast and was ready to start making and selling them herself.(Lauder 45) Mentzer’s uncle taught her how to apply creams and cosmetics.(“Estee Lauder” bio) Making the sale is only part of the process though. He taught her how to show off the products in a way that makes the buyer want to use it. (“Estee Lauder” bio) She practiced selling to friends and family. (Lauder 45) She started bringing her uncle’s products everywhere she went. Mentzer sold a school, the grocery store, beauty salons, and even gas stations. (“Estee …show more content…

She thought of the idea of gift with purchase. She sent small samples to people in the mail so they could try her products and hopefully purchase them.(Israel 35)
After having a stand in Saks she headed after Neimans. Lauder wanted to sell her products at high end stores because she wanted to have a high end brand that was low cost. After some persistence she scored Neimans.
Lauder was booming but she was still not at her goal. She wanted to be a cosmetic titan like Revlon and Chanel. She needed something to bring her into the big leagues. In 1953 she came up with her most famous product; Youth Dew. This was a bath oil that doubled as a perfume. This made her sales fly through the roof.(“Estee Lauder” bio)
Lauder had one more store left to conquer; The Galeries Lafayette. This was the European Neimans. After months of persistence she still couldn’t win them over. Finally she got them after being sneaky. During an expose at the Grand Lafayette, she “accidentally” spilled some of her youth dew on the floor. Everyone smelled it and asked where they could buy it. After the manager saw everyone after it, he agreed to let her have a stand.(“Estee Lauder”

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