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.