Identify a corporate situation that could disturb you as a manager Essay - 1

Identify a corporate situation that could disturb you as a manager. Evaluate the situation and use marketing research methodolo - Essay Example , What attitudes do these buyers hold towards MAC products?, How does in-store experience affect these women’s experiences of the make-up purchase process at MAC stores?, What strategies do these women use to cope with a gap in the cosmetics markets, if any?. The paper involved 105 participants from 15 different MAC stores who were all black and representative of different complexions. They responded to structured questionnaires containing 15 questions, which were documented by the investigator. The research hypothesis was proved. MAC does not cater to black women’s divergent needs. Key recommendations include expanding the product range to meet their needs, training in-store makeup artists and assistants as well as creating marketing plans that target this demographic group. Outline Executive summary 2 Outline 2 Introduction and problem definition 4 Research methods and limitations 7 Conclusion and Recommendations 13 References 15 MAC Cosmetics and Black Female Consume rs Introduction and problem definition The company under consideration is MAC cosmetics; it is an offshoot of Estee Lauder (EL), which is a conglomerate of over 23 brands. MAC has about 1,000 stores worldwide and dozens in the UK. The brand contributed to a 13% profit margin at EL in 2012. MAC’s input was equivalent to $274.8 million worth of profit (Castleberry, 2001). It has marketed its products as high-profile, through the use of celebrity endorsements and artists. Most times, the company gets makeup artists to work with famous actors or singers, and thus uses this platform to market their products. Consumers are willing to pay a premium for the personalised service offered by makeup artists in their stores. Regardless of these successes, the company is need of new marketing strategies. It needs to expand its customer base so as to avoid slow growth (Wilson, 2011). The corporation may be making money but its profitability has not been increasing significantly over the pas t few years. It needs to redefine the way it sells its products. Any marketing process often starts with identification of the target group. Here is where the problem lies for MAC cosmetics. The organisation has relied on the same set of consumers for as long as it was established. Most of them are young and Caucasian. There may be a need to redefine their demographic groups in order to expand their market base. The group that needs to be embraced is black women. In the United Kingdom’s metropolitan areas, black women account for slightly more than 15% of the population, and represent 7% of the entire UK population (Isokariari, 2013). They are quite enthusiastic about beauty products as seen through their purchase of hair extensions, weaves and other hair products. However, a problem exists in the cosmetics industry because regardless of these women’s enthusiasm for beauty products, makeup companies do not respond in kind. MAC Cosmetics may pride itself in the diverse range of its products. Its eye shadows come in a variety of colour pallets. Additionally, it has been marketed as a product for women of colour owing to its wide range of colour selections. However, these options are still not adequate enough to cater to black women’s makeup needs. Black women have some of the most divergent skin tones in the world, yet the colour choices that dark concealers and foundations have are quite limiting