Flare Fragrance Marketing Challenges and Strategy Solutions
This paper examines the marketing challenges facing Flare Fragrance Company through a structured analysis of its competitive position, internal strengths and weaknesses, and external market opportunities and threats. Drawing on the Harvard Business School case study, the paper evaluates three broad strategic alternatives: launching the new Savvy fragrance under the existing Loveliest umbrella brand, releasing Savvy as a standalone brand, or foregoing the new launch in favor of expanding distribution channels for existing products. The paper concludes that given economic uncertainty, limited organizational experience with new brand launches, and strong growth potential in existing product lines—particularly the Nature fragrance among younger consumers—Flare should prioritize channel strategy improvements and market share capture for its current portfolio.
- Marketing Challenge: Identifying Flare's core market share and growth challenge
- Company and Industry Analysis: SWOT review of Flare's position and market environment
- Marketing Alternatives: Three strategic paths evaluated with pros and cons
- Strategy Selection: Recommended strategy based on market and company analysis
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What makes this paper effective
- It frames the central marketing challenge clearly before moving into analysis, giving the reader a precise understanding of what is at stake for Flare Fragrance.
- The SWOT-structured company and industry analysis grounds the strategic recommendations in concrete internal and external factors rather than abstract assertions.
- Three distinct strategic alternatives are presented with balanced pros and cons before a recommendation is made, demonstrating analytical rigor rather than advocacy from the outset.
- The paper consistently connects macroeconomic and industry-level context to firm-specific decisions, showing awareness of environmental factors.
Key academic technique demonstrated
This paper demonstrates the case study analysis method: systematically applying a business framework (SWOT + alternatives analysis) to a real corporate scenario and deriving a justified recommendation. The technique shows how to move from descriptive diagnosis to normative prescription without skipping the analytical steps in between.
Structure breakdown
The paper follows a classic four-part case analysis structure: (1) problem identification, (2) situational analysis, (3) evaluation of alternatives, and (4) strategy recommendation. Each section builds on the previous one, with the final recommendation traceable to the evidence and reasoning established earlier. This structure is well-suited to MBA-level business case write-ups.
Marketing Challenge
Flare Fragrance faces a multitude of challenges at the time of the case study. Economic uncertainty has led to a real and already-present drop in growth rates and new sales, while also making it difficult to select and promote a strategy for future growth. Intense competition and proliferation within the industry create further complications. Selecting appropriate demographics for future sales growth, determining how to most effectively develop and implement a channel strategy, and a variety of other specific operational and strategic concerns all exist for Flare's executives and managers. How these challenges are met will determine how successful the company will be in the coming years.
Though many of these challenges are not marketing challenges in any direct sense, they all affect the marketing and channel strategies the company faces now and will face in the coming years, and all will have an impact on decisions made regarding marketing specifically. It is only in the context of current large-scale economic issues and industry competition that a marketing challenge can be properly understood and addressed.
The central marketing challenge identified in this case is the need for Flare to capture greater market share and achieve sales growth — twin outcomes that are truly two sides of the same coin, as one cannot happen without the other. Though this could be said to be the central marketing challenge for virtually any firm in any industry under almost any circumstances, it is an especially pressing and immediate concern here as a result of the several options the company has in attempting to pursue this goal and the various obstacles and opportunities associated with each option or strategy.
The release of the new Savvy brand and fragrance is one option — or one set of options, as there are significant potential variances in the pursuit of this strategy — that could potentially expand market share in the younger (18–34) demographic while also increasing the dollar value of sales through a higher price point. Proper channel strategies would need to be developed and implemented to carry this off effectively, however, and marketing costs would be substantial without clearly predictable returns. The question of releasing the brand outside the Loveliest umbrella brand would also need to be answered. Alternatively, Flare could cancel or postpone the Savvy release and focus marketing efforts on improving channel distribution and sales of existing products, especially Natural, for the desirable younger demographic. Choosing the appropriate solution to this marketing challenge will require consideration of many market and industry factors in addition to stated company goals and projections.
References
Armstrong, G. & Kotler, P. (2010). Marketing: An Introduction. New York: Prentice Hall.
Bombourg, N. (2012). Global fragrances and perfume industry. Yahoo Finance.
Burr, C. (2009). Perfumers breathe in sales data, and strategize. The New York Times.
GIA. (2011). Global fragrances and perfumes market to cross U.S.$33 billion by 2015, according to new report by Global Industry Analysts, Inc. PRWeb.
Quelch, J. & Donovan, L. (2010). Flare Fragrances Company, Inc. Harvard Business Publishing.
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