Marketing Plan Examined Here Explores Estee Lauder\'s

Marketing plan examined here explores Estee Lauder's new 'Beautiful!' line of mineral make up (Cummings 2011). The plan shows how the line can take advantage of increasingly high price points, with campaigns directed at providing a sense of youthfulness and a promise for a youthful glow. Essentially, Estee Lauder is focusing on high end consumers by using a number of facets for their marketing campaign, including print and television advertising. The brand can also benefit from a strong presence in department stores and other retail outlets, whereas competitors, like Mary Kay are often sold through the weaker channel of independent sales consultants. One major positive element about the plant is the mentioning of future action plans to help reduce possible threats (Kotler 1994). It explores what the company can do to avoid falling into traps set up by its external threats, by setting up independently set up retail locations to help the product stand out even more compared to a department store setting were it can be lost in a sea of competitors (Cummings 2011). However, there are a number of weaknesses within the plan that could be strengthened, including a lack of clear objectives defined for the product launch and a poor SWOT analysis which needs greater detail in how to overcome weaknesses and threats.

There are a number of weaknesses within this plan. First, there are no real objectives stated. Objectives help define specific goals and profit expectations (Kotler 1994). The plan would need to specifically lay out a more detailed objective list. Currently, with no clear direction, the plan does not really help direct the future launch of the 'Beautiful!' cosmetics line. Additionally, there is a weak SWOT analysis. The plan does not go further into critical thinking to provide a multi-layered framework to address the threats and weaknesses (Lippitt 2003). It needs greater distinction between opportunities and strengths. Additionally, more solutions beyond the one given would help increase the level of complexity within the strategy itself. There is also, not much opportunity focus, and instead the analysis begins with strategy, therefore failing to secure a strong evaluation of the product's position in the market (Timmons & Olin 1999). Greater opportunity focus helps strengthen the businesses' ideas for marketing campaigns (Entrepreneurial Small Business 2011). There are some elements that show that the product is a high potential product; yet, this could have been strengthened with an extended discussion on mineral make up in general and it's growing popularity in the health and beauty market. Lastly, there is very little discussion of Estee Lauder's weaknesses and no strategies presented to help the company overcome those weaknesses. The plan would need to specify these weaknesses in the same manner the threats were, and then provide innovative solutions to overcome each weakness.