Ch. 17 - Personal Selling and Sales Management

                  

There are many forms of promotion that a company can use, one of the most effective forms being personal selling. Personal selling consists of a personal interaction between the seller and the prospective buyer. In the early 20th century, beauty products were mainly sold through door to door sales presentations , which is one of the first ways Maybelline was able to reach their target market. Today, beauty products are only sold this way by companies such as Avon, and individuals who buy wholesale products and attempt to sell them to people they know. The best and most used form of personal selling today, is relationship/consultative selling, which companies mainly execute through highly interactive and trained sales representatives in their store locations. Sales representatives are a big influence on customer's decision-making and their purchases. A good sales representative is friendly, knowledgable, reassuring, and especially convincing. Most consumers are more compelled to making a purchase when they feel like they are getting a second opinion, they are being taken care of, and they feel like they are important to the company. One of the most important aspects of this type of personal selling is allowing consumers to try on the products, which allows them to be more sure of the purchase they are making, and to experience the benefits the products provide.

Unfortunately, Maybelline does not have any physical stores, which significantly minimizes their personal selling ability. Having a physical store location would be very beneficial to Maybelline and would highly increase sales. Maybelline has the ability to create a beautiful, fun, and colorful store atmosphere which would undoubtedly bring in loyal and new customers alike. One of the biggest problems women have when purchasing beauty products, is the great uncertainty of not knowing whether or not they will really like the product, or more importantly, if the product will fit their unique needs. I have stood in front of the Maybelline section of the drugstore many times staring at a sealed product that I would like to buy, and wishing I could just rip off the packaging and try on the product. When this happens, I usually walk away without that product. A Maybelline store where prospective customers can try on products, have their makeup done by makeup artists (similar to MAC and Sephora stores), interact with sales representatives, and be surrounded by other women who love makeup, will increase the long-term relationships between Maybelline and its consumers, and will increase sales significantly.

Another big way in which Maybelline uses personal selling to reach their target market is by social networks and their own website. Social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram significantly help to create and maintain relationships with their customers. These media outlets also play a big role in sales, because they allow Maybelline to perform needs assessments, in which they determine what are the needs of their target market and what are the benefits they seek. Social media outlets are also largely used as a follow-up tool, through which Maybelline personnel, can directly ask consumers to share their thoughts on a specific product. This is different from reviews written on other sites, because customers can feel like they are directly voicing their opinions, and like they are interacting directly with Maybelline. On the official Maybelline Website and on their Youtube Channel, Maybelline representatives post video tutorials for their products, which is a great way to interact with consumers through technology and the internet. These video tutorials teach women how to create different trendy looks using Maybelline products. 

Ch. 16 - Advertising, Public Relations and Sales Promotion

                                    

  Since the foundation of Maybelline in 1917, they have used a specific type of advertising, known as pioneering advertising, which is used to stimulate demand for a product or product category. In the early 20th century when Maybelline first began to make its mark, the "eyelash darkener"(known today as mascara) was a relatively unknown product to the mass-market. For this reason, Maybelline had to make all of its advertisements not only convincing, but also very informative. A series of print advertisements were published, letting women know of the benefits that Maybelline Eye-Makeup provided for any woman of the time. Maybelline wanted to convey the idea that any woman can have beautiful and alluring eyes, and beautiful dark eyebrows, by using Maybelline's products which became extremely popular. The ads mainly outlined the benefits of the products, some gave specific instructions on how they are to be used, and many suggested the purchase of other products that would go well with the one being advertised. Here are a few examples of some of the early Maybelline advertisements: 


Today, Maybelline has become the #1 cosmetic brand in America, and it is very well known by its target market. Maybelline's advertising objective has changed, with the new objective being mainly to advertise new products and product lines. Therefore, today the company mainly spends on advertising for new products, and does so mainly through mediums/channels such as TV commercials and Internet banner ads which prove to be very effective in reaching their target market. Maybelline also advertises in Newspaper ads, but these can be seen at a larger scale mainly during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York. Maybelline's advertisements use a particular executional style, that portray the image of a fun, beautiful, strong, fearless, woman, who can look flawless and express herself through the use of Maybelline products. This consistency in the advertisements and the image they portray, is vital to attract the target market, to build a relationship with the consumer, and to stay in touch with Maybelline's mission statement (http://www.maybelline.com/About-Maybelline.aspx). 

Consumers are more likely to purchase a product that states the benefits rather than just the attributes or features of the product. For example, the FIT Me Shine-Free Foundation Stick has a powder-core. What does this mean to the consumer? If Maybelline had not stated in the TV commercial what the benefits of the powder-core are (provides a flawless matte-finish wish no shine), a prospective customer is less likely to purchase the product.

Since Maybelline mainly advertises through television, it is important to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of this medium. Some advantages of a Television commercial include the ability to reach a wide audience, the immediacy of messages, commercials can entertain viewers, and may allow the advertiser to aim at a specific target market depending on the network, time of day, and TV shows. Some disadvantages of TV commercials, are the large amount of commercial clutter which can overwhelm viewers and reduce the effectiveness of the ad, there is a short-life of the message, and TV commercials are very expensive.

Ch. 14 - Marketing Channels and Retailing 




                                                   

   Maybelline New York is the #1 cosmetic brand in America, and among the top 10 cosmetic brands worldwide. Their success would not be possible without an effective retailing mix. The retailing mix (6 P's), includes product, place, promotion, price, presentation, and personnel. All of these elements are essential in order to successfully reach your target market, provide the benefits they seek, and make a profit.



 Product: Maybelline's product offering is the most important part of the retailing mix. Maybelline creates great products, with quality that may either meet or exceed their target market's expectations. Maybelline offers a wide assortment of products including their revolutionary Volum' Express Mascaras, blushes, bronzers, foundation, concealers, make-up removers, creams, moisturizers, eye liners, nail polish, and many more. Maybelline's target market, women between the ages of 16-25, is very diverse, therefore Maybelline must create products that are beneficial and that work for all types of women falling within this age range. This demand calls for depth within each of their product assortments; this is why Maybelline offers a variety for each of their products, each offering different benefits. A lot of Maybelline's products are colorful and bold, but there is still that part of the target market that doesn't wear bold and colorful makeup, like myself. Someone in this section of the target market, could try the FIT Me product line, which gives a more subtle and natural look. Overall, Maybelline's wide product offering seeks to create products that can make women feel empowered, beautiful, trendy, and can allow them to explore their individuality, as indicated in their mission statement.
(http://www.maybelline.com/About-Maybelline.aspx)
 

Place:  Maybelline mainly sells their products at drugstores such as RiteAid, CVS, and Duane Reade, and online retailers such as Amazon.com and Soap.com. Maybelline also has a very accessible and easy to navigate website, which caters specifically to each country to which it provides. One might wonder why Maybelline is not sold at cosmetic stores such as Sephora, which offers great variety of brands.  Although Maybelline provides high-quality items, they sell their products at low or affordable prices. That is not the case with most of the brands found at stores like Sephora, such as Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel, Bobby Brown, etc. If Maybelline were sold alongside these higher-priced brands, many customers would ignore Maybelline, and consider them to be of low-quality, due to the large gap in price. Selling in Drugstores makes Maybelline very accessible to customers.


Promotion: Maybelline mainly advertises its products through TV commercials, ads in magazines, covers of newspapers such as am NY, and on nearly every website that is frequently visited by its target market. Their advertisements online usually have a lot of movement, and bright colors in order to attract attention. Their catchy slogan, "Maybe She's Born With It. Maybe its Maybelline", is a huge part of advertising the brand, since its recognizable and hard to forget. The biggest way in which Maybelline is advertised, is during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in NYC.

Price: Maybelline products, aside from being known for their high-quality, are also known for their affordability, which makes them accessible to customers. For example, the New FIT Me Shine-Free Foundation, is only $8.99. The FIT Me Concealer is only $6.49, and it is one of the best concealers on the market, at a very low price compared to its competitors. When customers realize that they can get a product of superior quality, at a lower price, they realize they are getting a higher value for their money.

Presentation: The presentation for Maybelline products could be improved significantly if they had a physical store. On Maybelline's website, the presentation is simple with a black background which gives it a feel of sophistication. All of their products however, and the home page are always colorful with advertisements of their newest products. What makes their website presentation great, is how easy it is to navigate it and find what you're looking for. If you click on their "Products" tab, you will find that their products are divided into subcategories, which have categories within them. The image below shows how the products are organized.

Personnel: Since Maybelline does not have any physical stores, customers don't get to interact with personnel. Customers can either have an interaction by calling customer service when they have a problem, or by interacting with Maybelline's staff on social networks. I believe Maybelline should open stores in which, they provide a great shopping atmosphere, customers can try on products, they can interact with personnel, and Maybelline New York can effectively display their image.  

                                              

Ch. 6 - Consumer Decision Making 

    Maybelline must find ways of persuading their target market to choose them, over all the other brands offering the same products. Consumers are faced with many options, since all products are made by more than one brand. Consumers go through a specific decision-making process when making a purchase, or when thinking of making one. The first stage to this decision-making process is "need recognition", or the "want-got-gap", which is an imbalance between what consumers have and what they want (Lamb/Hair/McDaniel,82). Sometimes customers don't actually "need" the product you are trying to sell, and that is where the external stimulus from advertising and sales promotions comes in. Frequent advertising such as commercials, billboards, magazine ads, etc., all help the customer get familiar with a product or the company who offers it. By understanding what it is that Maybelline's target market wants and needs, Maybelline's products and advertisements can be tailored to convince the consumer that they need or want the product. For example, I don't use much makeup because I don't feel that I need it. I wear what I consider to be the basics: concealer, mascara, a little bit of blush, some lip gloss, and I'm good to go. However, having seen the benefits of some of the other Fit Me product offerings, and having read several reviews, I have considered purchasing the Fit Me Pressed Powder and the New Stick Foundation, two products I have never used, and probably wouldn't have considered if not for the unique benefits they offer.

  The second stage of the consumer-decision making process, is information search. Once a consumer has become interested in a product, or recognizes that they either need or want such product, they begin their research. One of the most important places in which a consumer searches for information on a product is their memory! A consumer will recall their previous experience with the brand or the product, as well as things they might have heard or seen about the product. People always trust what they know, and have heard from other sources they trust such as friends and family. Although most women prefer to buy makeup in the store, many check online first, mainly for product reviews. Reviews have become a very powerful tool in the decision-making process, and they can either "make or break" the purchase. Reviews for Maybelline Fit Me can be found on many blogs, on social networks such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and on the website of any online retailer that sells Maybelline Fit Me. This is very important for Maybelline to be aware of, since their target market is young women between the ages of 16-25. This age group is highly active on the internet, and more than likely, they like to do their research online before purchasing any product.

   Today, consumers have become more in control of the marketing mix, especially for market-oriented firms that place emphasis on the needs and wants of their consumers. Consumers have started asking for more, making smarter purchases, and according to unicyclecreative.com, consumers have also become "active co-creators of content, products, and experiences". From my perspective, the internet is one of the main reasons for this shift in power, since consumers have the means by which to access all the information they want, they can say what they want about a product/brand, and they can find out about their options not just locally, but worldwide as well. Having become more informed, consumers know what they want, and they are not afraid to ask for it.

   This is an example of how Maybelline attempted to increase brand awareness among its target market.

Ch. 5 - Developing a Global Vision 
                                

Maybelline New York is not only the #1 cosmetic brand in America, but it is also among the top 10 cosmetic brands in the world. Maybelline has become a multinational company, offering a great variety of products to over 129 countries. Australia, England, France, Germany, Finland, Poland, China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Brazil, Spain, and Portugal are just a few of the countries where Maybelline products are sold.

Multinational companies with a market-orientation, must provide consistency in their products to all the countries in which they are available. Consumers are usually inclined towards making purchases based on the things they hear, see, and experience about a particular brand or product. Today's technological and communication mediums such as social networks, allow for the increased familiarity with Maybelline's products across national borders.  Most multinational companies like Maybelline, practice global marketing standardization, which entails the production of uniform/standard products that are sold the same way in every country. However, variation is also very important to a successful global marketing approach. Variation is especially important to companies with a market-orientation, since the needs and wants of their target markets are highly emphasized upon. Although the markets in the world have become more alike, there are different external environmental factors for each country, such as culture, language, religion, the economy, values, etc. Therefore, multinational companies must find a balance between standardization and variation in their marketing approach in order to profit in foreign markets.

  Maybelline's global expansion, successful marketing strategies, and mainly their profits, contribute to the global economy. Multinational companies like Maybelline, that are able to compete efficiently and successfully in global markets, help alleviate the current recession we have at home, as well as worldwide. Although many jobs are outsourced by multinational companies, their successful engagement in foreign affairs contributes to the U.S. economy by maintaining the average standard of living in America, increasing productivity, and bringing profits to the U.S. which can stimulate the economy. ( http://www.uscib.org/docs/foundation_multinationals.pdf )