STRATEGIC MARKETING

Strategic Marketing Plan: The Body Shop



Strategic Marketing Plan: The Body Shop

Introduction

The fundamental purpose of this discussion is to engage in an in depth study of The Body Shop, in order to explore the marketing strategies that are used by The Body Shop. In addition, the discussion will also consider the marketing strategies that the business can use if it enters the British market. In order to do so adequately, the discussion will give consideration to the external environment of the British; in the context of B2C consumer culture (Arrow, 2000, 40).

Health and Beauty Industry

The health and beauty industry and its products are invariably referred to in one of three very specific cases. The first is part of our everyday language as in superficiality and/or triviality. The second is in reference to "global" products otherwise also labeled "high-touch" products." The third and last, ironically, is to give an example of an industry where "high returns" (above-normal profits) are the norm."

The historical evolution of the industry that formally refers to itself as the "health and beauty" (H&B) industry was already described in chapters 5 and 6. In this chapter, I would like to portray it as it exists at present. Rather than focus entirely on H&B firms, the snapshot will be taken with a wide-angle lens. It will include the substitutes, suppliers and distributors of the industry. H&B associations and forums will also be described briefly as shall be the regulatory mechanisms of the industry. In the last section, I will present the profile of one real and another "virtual" H&B executive.

Model of Michael Porters

Michael E. Porter suggested an integrated model to undertake structural analysis of industries.5 Since that is not the intent of this chapter, I will borrow the core components of his model to render those aspects of the H&B industry structure that are relevant to the purpose of this research.

The original objective of the model is to determine industry profitability by looking at its competitive intensity that, in turn is shaped by the structural features of that particular industry. The model is a powerful dynamic analytic tool. In this chapter, I am only using its descriptive framework while reserving analysis for chapter 9. In the following sections, the profile of industry players, substitutes, suppliers and distributors will be presented.

The "operational" stories of several pioneering firms of the H&B industry were already told. As previously mentioned these were not the only pioneers and are certainly not the only players on the present competitive arena. As a comprehensive survey of all industry players is as impractical an undertaking as it is unnecessary, a number of firms were selected for the photo shoot. Two more companies will be profiled in the pioneer's category. The first is the world's cosmetics leader, and the second is the only non-Western cosmetics firm that is one of the top five global industry players," These are L'Oreal and Shiseido respectively. As befits the industry star, L'Oreal's profile will be described more ...