Garrett Foltz
Ad Campaign Research
12/10/13
Strategy Paper
1.
Mary Kay is a 50-year-old cosmetic brand with a rich history. Despite the age of
the brand, Mary Kay has attempted to refresh their image and market to a younger
generation with the Mary Kay at Play line. Although there are many good things
about this line, I feel as though it is targeting a younger age group than the
intended 18-25 year-old market. The following is my strategy for increasing sales
in the Gen Y age group as well as attracting new IBC’s in the Gen Y age group.
2.
Problems
1. The Mary Kay at Play line looks like it is intended for high schoolers.

Our interviews and focus groups showed us that Gen Y women
identify with celebrities and products that have a sophisticated image.
They think the Mary Kay at Play line looks too young for them. In
response to this we will develop a new line with a more appropriate
brand image for our target.
2. Our target audience thinks that IBC’s are too old and pushy.

Our interviews and focus groups showed us that our target audience
doesn’t feel very comfortable shopping for cosmetics through and
IBC because they think they are pushy and old. In response to this,
we will create a more personal online system for finding an IBC. This
will include bios for every IBC with photos, customer rating and
reviews.
3. Our target audience views Mary Kay as a “mom” brand.

Our interviews and focus groups showed us that our target associates
Mary Kay with mothers using and selling it. Most interviewees that
used Mary Kay had a mom that sold it. In response to this, we will
revamp the brand image with a new, younger product line for Gen Y
women.
4. Our target audience doesn’t like to wait for their products.

Our research revealed that Gen Y has little patience and doesn’t want
to wait for products in the mail. Our response is that the IBC’s should
keep more products on hand. Mary Kay should reimburse IBC’s for
unsold products and offer customers free overnight shipping.
5. Our target perceives Mary Kay as being priced too high.

Our research showed us that our target audience thinks Mary Kay is
priced higher than it’s value. In response we will position Mary Kay
as an exclusive brand with very high quality products.
3.
Opportunities
1. Internet and social media presence.

Mary Kay is present on every big social media network and also has a
blog. We can take advantage of this with precise, targeted content
spread across these sites. Our research showed that our target spends
1/3 of their time online and are likely to share or pin things they find
interesting
2. Years of experience and knowledge.

Mary Kay has been a major player in the cosmetics industry for 50
years, yet they have made and effort to stay current. We can take
advantage of this by positioning Mary Kay as a credible, longstanding
brand that has evolved with the times. Our research showed that our
target looks at Mary Kay as an old brand. We can turn that into a
positive.
3. Marykay.com has a find an IBC system.

Marykay.com currently has a place on their website where you can
locate an IBC near you online. We can take advantage of this by
expanding it into a rate your IBC system with a bio, picture, customer
rating and customer review. Our research showed that our target
wasn’t comfortable buying from an IBC because they are too old and
pushy. This will give them the opportunity to select an IBC of similar
age that fits them and has a good rating.
4. IBC success stories.

There are countless successful IBC’s out there. We can take
advantage of this by finding ones in our target age group and putting
their stories out there to be seen. Our research showed that our target
audience cares deeply about peer opinion. If they see people their age
having success through Mary Kay, they will be more likely to try it.
5. Green Packaging.

Mary Kay’s packaging materials are made from corn and potato
starch rather than harmful pollutants. We can take advantage of this
by advertising and promoting it like crazy. We could even do some
sort of “pink doing green” event. Our research showed that our target
market cares about the environment and is affected by cause-related
marketing.
4.
Objectives
1.
Develop a new line with a sophisticated image that will attract Gen Y
females.
2.
Position Mary Kay as a credible, longstanding brand that has evolved
with the times.
3.
Create a more personal, comfortable online environment for customers
to select and interact with an IBC.
4.
Revamp Mary Kay’s social media presence with precise, targeted
content.
5.
Position Mary Kay as an exclusive, personalized brand with high quality
products.
5.
6.
Motivators
1.
Image that the products help create
2.
Quality of the products
3.
Buying convenience
4.
Price
Psychological Appeals
1.
Self-Esteem
2.
Fear- Having “flaws” shown
3.
How you’re perceived among peers
4.
The rationality of saving money
5.
Sex appeal
Product Attributes
1. High quality cosmetic products
2. Online presence
3. Green packaging
4. Attractive models
5. Career opportunities
7.
Marketing Mix

Product: Mary Kay currently has successful, high quality products, so no
changes will be made to this area

Place: Mary Kay products are only available through an IBC and Mary Kay
has been very clear that they will not change this by creating a store or
kiosk. No changes will be made.

Price: Our target market perceives Mary Kay’s prices as being high end
compared to other cosmetic brands. Other than money, some costs include
convenience and time waiting for the products.

Publics: The target audience given to us by Mary Kay is women 18-25. I
don’t feel that this target should be segmented any further as it is already a
pretty specific market. To reach this audience we need to position Mary Kay
in a youthful, sophisticated way. The medium most effective on this
audience is by far online, however traditional media will not be neglected.
Some places they go that we can take advantage of are malls and college
campuses.

Promotions: Currently Mary Kay does a good job of promoting during the
seasonal changes. Some changes we will make include revamping Mary
Kay’s attempt at a younger brand “Mary Kay at Play” to a new line targeted
at young, sophisticated, college age women. We will also have IBC’s go to
college dorms and sororities to enthuse and encourage young women to
utilize Mary Kay as a career opportunity. We can also take advantage of
social media photo contests, gift cards, and prizes.
8.
Strategy Statement
We will convince women ages 18-25 to use Mary Kay at Play line (with new name)
instead of other cosmetic brands because it is youthfully sophisticated.