Steven G. Mihaylo College of Business and EconomicsCalifornia State University, Fullerton

Mary Kay India

Team 3

Kristi AriiDerek Allen

Kimberly BakKristen Bak

Belinda Carter

Marketing 489MW 8:30 – 9:45

FALL 2013November 6, 2013

I. Summary of FactsA. Market – Hair care products, shampoos, and conditioners

1. Hair care consumers in Indiaa. Unsophisticated, low income consumers who use traditional hair oils

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b. Live in rural and semi-urban areas2. Hair care preferences and practices in India

a. Used for washing, coloring and conditioning hairb. Use traditional oils

3. Frequency of shampoo products in Indiaa. Use shampoo infrequently, once every 7 to 14 days b. Urban middle-class consumers typically shampoo more frequently than rural consumersc. Urban middle-class and northern India prefer bottles than other regionsd. Sachets are more popular for lower-income consumers

4. Hair care category in Indiaa. Consists of: colorants, conditioners, perms and relaxants, shampoos, styling agents, and salon

hair careb. Conditioners and shampoos represented 81% of hair care sales in 2009

5. Economic market a. Monopolistic competitionb. There are many sellers with a range of prices

B. Product1. Existing Mary Kay products in India

a. Skin careb. Makeupc. Body cared. Fragrance

2. Hair care productsa. Shampoob. Conditioner

3. Benefitsa. Cosmetic b. Anti-dandruffc. Damage repair

4. PLCa. Mary Kay India: Introduction stageb. Mary Kay company: Maturity stage

C. Price1. Manufacturer’s unit costs for delivering packages to India ranges from $1.25 to $1.752. Costs associated with product development and sales training is $55,0003. $650,000 is used for advertising, promotions and public relations in the first year4. Elasticity

a. Relatively elasticb. Customers are sensitive to price changes

D. Promotion1. Direct selling/personal selling through sales consultants2. Forms of advertising

a. Billboards/Sponsorshipsb. Print/television/website advertisingc. The quarterly “The Look” catalog

3. Expansibility a. Relativelyexpansible b. Affected by industry marketing expenditures

E. Place1. India2. Channel: Mary Kay – distributors in India – individual consultants – consumers/Users

F. Other

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1. Competitiona. 40 hair care competitors in Indiab. 10 out of 40 companies represent 77.4% of hair care product sales in 2009c. Top 3 out of 5 competitors were multinational firms

2. Shampoo benefit statisticsa. Cosmetics account for 50% to 55% of salesb. Anti-dandruff accounts for 20% to 25% of salesc. Damage repair accounts for 20% to 25% of sales

3. Branded hair care product growth in Indiaa. Indian upper and consumer classes are growing, expected to total over 500 million individualsb. Population is overwhelmingly young and optimistic, median age is 26 years oldc. Growing number of working women, boosting sales in cosmetics, hair, skin and body products in

urban areasd. Frequency of usage has risen in purchasing powere. 40% of households use branded shampoos and conditionersf. Broadened distribution, lower prices, and mass media efforts prompted switch to shampoo

4. Executives opinions on hair care product and bar soap producta. Bar soap was a single productb. Hair care is not easily represented and demonstrated by individual consultantsc. Touch to market in India only

5. Brand building guidelines in Indiaa. Keep the offering simple and skin care focused for the new Indian sales forceb. Open with accessibility priced basic skin care products in relation to the competition in order to

establish Mary Kay product quality and valuec. Avoid opening with products that would phase out shortly after launchd. Address key product categories of skin care, body care, and color-based cosmetics

II. Problem/OpportunityA. Primary – Whether to introduce hair care products in IndiaB. Secondary

1. When to launch the product2. Training for India’s Individual consultants3. Packaging characteristics4. Product line characteristics5. Product packaging size

III. Recommended ActionA. Primary – Introduce hair care products to IndiaB. Secondary

1. Launch the hair care products in less than two years2. Online training using tutorial videos to help consultants3. Sachet and bottle packaging style4. Introduce three types of shampoos and three types of conditioners5. Introduce the 6 millimeter sachet and 100 millimeter bottle for each type of conditioner and shampoo

IV. Plan of Action

A. Plan of Action

1. The plan of action for Mary Kay begins with introducing hair care products to India. Mary Kay initiated

operations in India in September 2007. Management believed that India was an opportunity for growth

based on three reasons. The first reason was because Indian upper and consuming classes were

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expected to grow to 500 million individuals. Second, the population consisted of young individuals who had

a blur line between luxury and basic items. Finally, the number of workingwomen in the middle-class is

growing, which can boost sales of cosmetics, body care, skin care and fragrances. In addition, industry

analysis forecasted 50% market growth between 2010 and 2014. Mary Kay currently offers ninety skin and

body care products to India, which would make the introduction of hair care products a smooth transition.

2. In addition, Mary Kay needs to decide when to launch the products into India. Some executives believe

that it is too early to launch a new category into India while others believe a hair care product launch could

come as early as January 2012. Since product development and a marketing launch could take up to 18

months, a realistic time frame for launching this product would be two years from now. This would give

executives and the team adequate time to determine product characteristics, pricing strategy, marketing

plans, and package considerations.

3. Next, Mary Kay needs to provide training for India consultants regarding the new products. Mary Kay’s

direct selling is the key component to the brand’s marketing strategy. New independent sales

representatives receive two to three days of intensive training and a starter kit that includes products,

information about products, sales presentations, the company’s history, and team building. Culture training

is very important to Mary Kay. Without adequate training, a possible language barrier could form, which

can hurt the sales of the hair care product line introduction.

4. In addition, Mary Kay needs to determine product characteristics. Branded and packaged hair care oils,

shampoos, and conditioners are sold in sachets and bottles. Sachets are small, closed plastic packets that

are convenient for traveling and small gifts. Sixty percent of shampoo and conditioner unit sales in India

come from sachets. In rural and northern India, consumers prefer bottle-styled packaging. Therefore, Mary

Kay needs to introduce the sachet products due to the affordability for the lower-income consumers as well

as the bottle-styled packaging for the rural and northern consumers.

5. Mary Kay also needs to introduce three types of shampoo and conditioners. The first type of shampoo

and conditioner is the cosmetic platform, which contains shine, health and strength. This type of shampoo

and conditioner will strengthen and protect hair. The second type of shampoo and conditioner is the anti-

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dandruff platform. The objective is to reduce the shedding of dead skin cells from the scalp. The final type

of shampoo and conditioner is the damage repair platform. This type of shampoo and conditioner will fix

dull, brittle, frizzy and out of control hair.

6. Lastly, Mary Kay needs to determine the packaging sizes for the shampoo and conditioner. Mary Kay

needs to introduce a 6 milliliter sachet and a 200 milliliter bottle for the three styles of shampoo and

conditioner. Compared to the competition, the sachet packaging sizes range in sizes from 6 to 8 milliliters.

The bottle packaging sizes range from 80 to 400 milliliters. By developing the 6 milliliter packaging, Mary

Kay will have affordable products for lower-income consumers. The bottle packaging is more popular in

urban areas than rural areas, which will attract the middle class consumer. By launching a 6 millimeter

sachet and a 200 milliliter bottle, Mary Kay will be able to reach various income groups as well as be

aligned with their competitors.

B. Set of Plausible Alternatives

1. Mary Kay should not introduce hair care products in India.

2. Mary Kay could only introduce a bottle for shampoo and conditioners.

3. Mary Kay could only introduce a sachet for shampoo and conditioners.

4. Mary Kay could create a bath soap to act as a shampoo.

5. Mary Kay could introduce a standardized hair shampoo and conditioner that can be sold around the

world in other markets.

6. Mary Kay could provide information about the products instead of hands on training.

7. Mary Kay could introduce a 2-in-1shampoo and conditioner product.

8. Mary Kay could produce a 7.5 millimeter sachet to match with other competitors

9. Mary could produce a different bottle size anywhere from 80 to 400 millimeters to match with other

competitors

C. Incorporated Assumptions

1. Some executives are weary to introduce a new product line, especially only in India. The executives

fear a new hair care product line would not easily be represented or demonstrated.

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2. The bottles are more popular in urban areas. The growing market could keep costs down from having

to produce a sachet package style.

3. Bath soap is often used as a substitute for shampoo products.

4. Some executives believe it is too soon to launch the new product line. Beauty consultants are still

learning about the company and the existing products.

D. Supportive Argument

1. Mary Kay needs to extend production in India with the addition of hair care products. The hair care

industry in India consists of colorants, conditioners, perms and relaxants, shampoos, styling agents, and

salon hair care. In 2009, the beauty and personal care market in India produced $55.6 billion and the total

hair care market produced $14 billion. In 2009, the top selling items were conditioners and shampoos.

Currently, Mary Kay has five competitors in the India hair care product market. In order to stay competitive

with current brands, Mary Kay needs to develop a hair care line to obtain market share in the industry. The

top two companies are Hindustan Unilever Ltd. with 18.7% and Dabur India Ltd with 13.0% of the market

share. The market share is very competitive, which would allow Mary Kay to have a stable market share

with the launch of hair care products. With high hair care product sales and lower market share

competition, Mary Kay will effectively and efficiently develop hair care products in India.

2. Mary Kay needs to launch the hair care products in December 2011. With a launch date in 2011, Mary

Kay will have a little more than a year to determine the product development process in a feasible time

frame. By launching the hair care products in December, Mary Kay will develop greater product

determination before the spring season begins. With a launch date in January, many consumers will have

less discretionary income after the holiday season. Mary Kay will be able to utilize the holiday season for

greater sales incentive.

3. Furthermore, Mary Kay needs to develop training consultants in India. Mary Kay's key marketing brand

strategy is direct selling with consultants. In 2010, Mary Kay had 4,000 independent beauty consultants

present in over 200 cities out of about 1,500 Indian cities and towns. The consultants receive two to three

days of intensive training and a starter kit. By utilizing online training, Mary Kay can effectively and

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efficiently develop additional consultants. The online training would be in various languages depending on

the country where Mary Kay uses consultants. The company’s approach to direct selling utilizes the “party

plan,” in which independent sales representatives host parties in a customer’s home to demonstrate and

sell products. Attendees have the opportunity to experience the products before they make a purchase

decision. In addition, Mary Kay can use "How To" videos and various other platform tools to further train

beauty consultants.

4. Mary Kay hair care products must utilize the sachets and bottle packages. Currently, the top-five

competitors use both styles of packaging. The sachet package size is very popular as sixty percent of the

shampoo and conditioner unit sales come from sachets. The bottle packaging is the standard in most

countries, which is a benefit for Mary Kay. The bottle packaging will appeal to standard and everyday

consumers. The sachet packaging style would appeal lower-income consumers, first time consumers, and

can be used to stimulate new brands. In addition, the sachet and bottle packages can be used for gifting

and convenient purchases. In order to compete with top competitors, Mary Kay needs to utilize the bottle

and sachet packaging styles.

5. In addition, Mary Kay needs to introduce three styles of shampoos and conditioners, which will be

catered for the certain hair types and features. The three features will include specialization for cosmetic,

anti-dandruff, and damage repair. The features are benefits of hair care products and are necessary to

satisfy consumers. By proposing three styles, Mary Kay can develop the hair care brand. Once the hair

care product is successfully established in the country, Mary Kay will be able to produce different features

and product styles in the near future.

6. Mary Kay needs to introduce a 6 milliliter sachet and a 200 milliliter bottle for the shampoo and

conditioner. Out of the top five competitors, these two sizes are the most popular and most commonly

used. Currently, three out of the top five competitors use the 6 milliliter sachet package size, while four out

of the top five competitors produce the 200 milliliter bottle package size. By producing these two packaged

sizes, Mary Kay will be aligned with the competition and reach various income level consumers. Mary Kay

will be able to design, develop, and launch the hair care product line strategically and cautiously.

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