Marketing plan for Estée Lauder's scented makeup line Beautiful!

Marketing Plan

Marketing management

"Beautiful!" -- Scented makeup by Estee Lauder

Scented makeup is not a new concept. Many little girls love wearing scented lipstick and gloss in the flavors of bubblegum and peanut butter and jelly. However, enjoying scented lipstick is often a delight female consumers forgo when they become adults, other than a guilty sniff of their daughter's Tinkerbell or Bonne Bell makeup drawer. This new product would enable adult consumers to have that same pleasure, only with high-quality Estee Lauder makeup. This product will also address an increased desire consumers have for 'customized' beauty products filled with a sense of youth and vigor (5 spring makeup color trends, 2011, Refinery 29). As well as makeup that suits the user's skin tone, the selected scent of the makeup will also speak volumes about the wearer.

Although the economy still remains on shaky ground, demand for luxury products like Estee Lauder makeup has been thriving. Customers who traditionally shop in the luxury market are not dependent upon paychecks as their primary source of income, and the stock market has shown greater signs of a sustained recovery than employment figures. According to the New York Times, high-end businesses, particularly in the fashion industry, have even been able to increase their prices. As one former Saks executive said, no one notices if a designer product goes up from $800 to $860 (Clifford 2010).

This product will be marketed to such high-end consumers, a strategy that has been working for Estee Lauder throughout the recession. In 2008, when the rest of the economy was floundering, the cosmetic company expanded its points of distribution to over 25,000 venues and entered roughly five new markets, for a total of over 140. Its number of single-brand free standing stores increased by 14% as well (No recession for Estee Lauder, 2008, Business Insider.)

Ps

Product

The new makeup line 'Beautiful' would feature a variety of shades of foundation, lipstick, and eye makeup and eye liners that smelled like the most popular Estee Lauder perfumes (Marketing mix, 2011, 12 Manage).

Price

The price of the product would be within the usual range of Estee Lauder products, although priced slightly higher to accommodate the price of perfume ingredients in the makeup. Additionally, a slightly higher price point would be necessary to convey the fact that this was not a 'cheap' drugstore scented perfume, like a child's scent, but a luxurious product that a sophisticated Estee Lauder consumer would want to buy.

Place (Distribution)

Customized shades would be offered at free-standing stores, in department stores, and also online. Online venues would give information about the new product to users in print; brick-and-mortar venues would use salesperson. At present, department stores such as Macy's are being trafficked less frequently, while Estee Lauder's sales in free-standing stores are expanding. This suggests an emphasis on promoting the product through venues exclusive to the makeup brand -- online and in Estee Lauder specialty stores.

However, makeup purchased online would not be able to offer a free personalized consultation to users. This means that a more traditional 'free gift bag' of additional products may have to be used as an incentive to encourage online shoppers to buy the product.

Conclusion

Although the luxury market as a whole is thriving within the U.S., Estee Lauder must still continue to differentiate itself from its competitors (Textbook 20). Customized makeup would give luxury customers a unique, added sensory pleasure to enjoy while purchasing makeup. This would give Estee Lauder a competitive edge over other brands, such as Chanel, within the luxury makeup market. Scented body washes and body products are now common to all makeup lines. Consumers like the more subtle scents for everyday wear. For customers who may deny themselves the pleasures of indulgent foods, aromatic scents are often a replacement, given the vibrancy of vanilla, chocolate, and other intoxicating odors. The Beautiful! Line would provide all of these pleasures -- and more -- to the customer, offering customization, scent, and a unique yet elegant product.