Ch. 4 - The Marketing Environment

Bienfait multi-vital SPF 30 day cream from Lancome, a brand of the Luxe division of L'Oreal Group, is product highly recommended by many women. Only by reading reviews about it can I understand why it is purchased even by young women in their twenties. The formula of the cream was designed especially for women with visible effects of environmental damage and dehydrated skin. The actual target market of it is the early Y generation and below. Sunscreen, one of the ingredients of the cream, helps prevent sunburn and prevents premature aging of the skin caused by the sun. Although the main purpose of this cream is protection and moisturization, it contains a variety of other beneficial ingredients such as a complex of nourshing vitamins like E, B5 and CG. Women including me always love good moisturizers because it gives a comfortable feeling and makes the skin hydrated and healthy looking. Unlike many facial creams on the market that only moisturize and nourish the skin, Bienfait multi-vital SPF 30 also offers sun protection and so provides all a woman needs for her skin. This combination of ingredients makes it a unique and desirable cosmetic on the market.

There is a large variety of products on the market, but when it comes to picking one for yourself you want the best available product for a good price. For a luxury brand like Lancome, forty six dollars per good quality cream is relatively affordable in the eyes of regular customers wanting good cosmetics. The company provides generous complimentary samples with purchases so that people can get to know Lancome's products and get more for their money.

Like many companies today, Lancome uses social media to increase brand awarness. For Lancome, social media are important because through them, managers can listen to and engage their clients. Lancome relies on web sites such as Lancome.com where user-generated content coexists with product descriptions and where customers can invite their Facebook friends and freely discuss Lancome's products. By combining data from online customer purchases made through Lancome's website and data extracted from their customers' social media profiles (e.g., Facebook), the company gets to know its clients. This process helps them to predict likely future purchases and drive advertizing and rewards campaigns in order to offer clients the right incentives to make those purchases.