Introduction
The emergence of the concepts of global and international marketing was primarily due to the globalization of business activities and the liberalization of trade. Yet it raised many issues, for example, the need for identification of key markets, challenges and opportunities they withhold, development of strategic plans by company’s divisions worldwide, and more. In the framework of this paper, we will analyze the experience of Maybelline New York.
Main body
First of all, it is essential to highlight the difference between global and international marketing. Although some might believe these concepts are more of the same, global marketing is concerned with building a unified plan of operation in the worldwide market, while international marketing entails developing different approaches towards markets globally (Farell 5). Maybelline is one of the world’s leading cosmetics brands and is represented in 129 countries (Maybelline). Its approach relies mostly on the first concept, as the company has a unified image for its products worldwide, making them recognizable everywhere as something known, yet wanted by women.
Developing a global strategy involves the definition of business and reassignment of the rest to strategic business units (SBUs). SBUs deal with the development of global strategy and can be divided into groups depending on the type of customers to serve or the products and services the company produces (Farell 282). For Maybelline, the message revolves around accessible cosmetic products for young women with middle-to-low income requiring products of high quality (Maybelline).
Conclusion
Different motivations could drive companies’ internalization. For example, they could be doing it because of the benefits that come with entering a new market (proactive) or could be doing it because they have to (reactive) (Farell 153). For the multinationals like Maybelline, internalization is a rational track of development, as, generally, it is pushed by the company’s successful performance domestically and the request for expansion. Still, Maybelline does not operate in every market in the world yet, even for multinationals, there do exist unattractive markets that invoke more losses than benefits.
References
Farell, Carlyle. Global Marketing: Practical Insights and International Analysis. SAGE, 2015.
Maybelline. Maybelline New York. Web.
Retail Trends Of The Millennial Generation
Introduction
Generation Y (Millennials) have confused many informed retailers for longer than a decade. They are characterized as those born within the early 1980s and the late 1990s (Fry, 2020). Most importantly, Millennials are currently the largest generation (Fry, 2020). Overall, about seventy-five million United States residents are part of this group, representing a broad collection of preferences. There is a stereotype that members of this group are poor and remain living with their parents until the late 30s. However, these kinds of people constitute a small fragment of the sort. To learn lessons for offline and online retailers, it is essential to examine what members of the Millennial Generation have in common, misunderstandings about the group, and their segments. Lastly, untouchable products of the economy can provide more context for successful business owners.
Main text
Numerous Millennials are homeowners, married, have children, and are interested in expenses and university savings instead of playing computer games. Despite differences, such as the broad spectrum of race, gender, and interests, all Millennials are similar in connectedness to the digital world (Berman & Evans, 2017). Even though this generation was not entirely born in the age of the Internet, they went through their essential years of social and cognitive development using smartphones, computers, and more (Berman & Evans, 2017). Notably, Millennials have spent their adult years buying items, paying invoices, and banking through the Internet.
Moreover, they communicate with each other through social media and are very knowledgeable about Internet jargon. In terms of retail, Millennials find it particularly important for companies to have a strong internet presence and do not tolerate businesses that struggle with technology. This is good for most retailers capable of competing with other companies with an online presence. The possibility to sell goods and services online enables businesses to sell regardless of the time of the day, weather, traffic, and infrastructure that might be negatively influencing offline sales.
Some aspects of the Millennial generation are misunderstood, such as the periods of late-blooming and a substantial debt burden. They are described as “late bloomers” because of a high possibility of living at home for a more extended period, waiting longer to get married, having children, and buying their own house. Moreover, modern households are dealing with substantially higher student loan debt (Berman & Evans, 2017). All of the above creates a false image of Millennials being too poor for retailers to be interested in such a market. However, in reality, the Millennial generation is spending money using a different cost-benefit analysis (Berman & Evans, 2017). They prefer paying more for experiences and will more likely inherit wealth from other generations.
“Maven” is a category of Millennials that are more mature and financially independent. High-earning young parents experience several lifestyle changes. Thus, a full-time job and a more significant constant revenue reduced monetary dependencies on their families and limitations of undergraduate life, including the obligation of sharing their living space (Srivastava & Culen, 2019). This process tends to be affected by decisions and patterns of purchase of personal belongings and furnishings. Therefore, it is best to appeal to them by highlighting the quality and reliability of products, as these Millennials can afford dependable commodities. Moreover, I would like to emphasize the furniture’s materials focusing on comfort and sustainability, as these aspects are essential for this type of customer.
Furthermore, the group of Millennials called “Up and Comers” is similar to the previous group because of their high income. They are characterized by not living in a traditional family unit and by usually being male and single (Srivastava & Culen, 2019). Moreover, this category usually possesses a low-awareness level about products. Thus, it is essential to present a product as accessible as the target audience may perceive a product like electronics as complicated. The emphasis of the appeal should be on the exclusivity and the experiences a person might get from purchasing a product (Srivastava & Culen, 2019). Moreover, statistically, Millennials are particularly interested in such electronics brands as Apple, Samsung, and Sony, which might be the best companies for appealing to them (Srivastava & Culen, 2019). Overall, targeting this group can be done by drawing attention to comfort, exclusivity, accessibility, experiences, and focusing on the mentioned three companies.
Additionally, offline and online retailers have different tactics that can positively influence Millennials. First, this generation is predominant in the “sharing economy” sector, as they tend to be fond of renting products or buying those that propose short-term use (Srivastava & Culen, 2019). Thus, they are more likely to use services or goods that provide an opportunity to be rented or borrowed. Therefore, offline businesses can consider this trend and enable such services within their companies. Second, research suggests that such customers gain more pleasure in experiences than in physical possessions (Srivastava & Culen, 2019). Overall, Millennials focus more on the authenticity of their purchases rather than on the idea of luxury. Therefore, businesses can learn to adapt their marketing strategies to emphasize the uniqueness of their products, making them worth buying. Third, most Millennials trust their acquaintances and social media channels rather than conventional advertising (Srivastava & Culen, 2019). Thus, businesses need to build trustworthy, long-term relationships with their clients and use non-traditional advertisement techniques to seem more credible.
Moreover, online retailers need to learn more about Millennials to satisfy their needs. Berman and Evans’s (2017) study estimated that 47% of the generation’s members preferred shopping online, and more than a half would choose a business with an instant delivery option. Therefore, the first lesson is to provide such customers with an opportunity to arrange quick delivery because the Millennial generation does not enjoy waiting for their products. In addition, Millennials are regularly overwhelmed with excessive volumes of information on various electronic devices and media outlets. Thus, online businesses should appeal to them with concise information that is easy to access. Lastly, digital retailers should use a simple design for their web pages because these individuals prefer to get data and purchases in a fast manner.
Furthermore, market trends are dynamic, as specific industries can be considered expendable or untouchable. Consumers declare products such as a new piece of clothing, eating in upscale restaurants, and purchasing expensive makeup, or a high-end handbag to be expendable. In contrast, untouchable services and goods are described as the most essential. Figure 1 in the Appendix presents that on the top of the list of untouchable items are digital services, mobile technologies, video-streaming providers, and more (as cited in Berman & Evans, 2017). Overall, these trends are beneficial to online retailers rather than offline ones because the economy is shifting towards Internet-related businesses.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Millennial generation is a unique and valuable member of the modern market. This group of individuals tends to be active on the Internet, which is suitable for retailers as it brings various advantages to their businesses. Furthermore, even though the stereotypical image of a Millennial does not include high income, it is widely a misconception. Moreover, Millennials are divided into various subgroups, including “Maven” and “Up and Comers,” all of which need an individualistic marketing approach based on their distinct features. Offline and online retailers should learn from trends associated with this generation to be more successful in business. Finally, digital services are considered to be untouchable, which is less beneficial to offline companies.
References
Berman, B., & Evans, J. R. (2017). Retail management: A strategic approach (13th ed). Macmillan.
Fry, R. (2020). Millennials overtake Baby Boomers as America’s largest generation. Pew Research Center. Web.
Srivastava, S., & Culén, A., L. Implications for transitions to sustainable consumption: Finding Millennials’ behaviour archetypes. IASDR 2019 (International Association of Societies of Design Research Conference). Web.
Appendix
Antonio Vargas’ “Documented”: The Challenges Immigrants Face
Introduction
Immigration has been a hotly contested topic for many years. Many people, especially in developing nations, want to move to developed countries like the United States to seek better ways of livelihood and better-paying jobs. However, the traditional way of being registered as a migrant is long and tiresome and ends up denying numerous persons the opportunity to move to the US. As a result, innumerable persons opt to use dubious and illegal methods to get to the states. Vargas was born in the heart of the Philippines to a poor single mother and then sent to live with family in the United States at twelve years old in hopes of finding greater economic freedom and the chance to provide financial support for his family back at home. As a young man, Vargas witnessed his grandparents’ hard work as they sent money back home to their less fortunate relatives who were experiencing economic depression. While immigration has been happening since time immemorial, undocumented immigrants still face countless challenges, such as language barriers, prejudice, isolation, cultural differences, and unequal employment opportunities. This essay highlights the plight of undocumented immigrants, basing its arguments on the film, Documented by Jose Antonio Vargas.
Language barriers and prejudice
First, immigrants face language barriers as well as prejudice. With Jose starting school, he became very confused as to why he sounded ‘different’ than the majority of the students. He was very insecure with how he spoke compared to everyone around him. He started to watch American movies in order to construct a more “American” accent. I’d compare Jose with Panchito because they both taught themselves how to develop their brain on their own. Not only is he smart, but he is successful. During one of his interviews, when that guy started to interrogate him about how ‘those people should go back to their home,’ Jose explains that he pays his taxes and was raised in America (Vargas, 2017). The guy then quickly changes his attitude about what he was saying. “I couldn’t be in the closet about two things at once,” is what Jose says in one of his speeches to a crowd full of students. In order to get out of one of them, he spoke up a junior year in history class about being gay. It seemed more comfortable at the time, but now the ability to marry will be challenging. Not only that, but his grandparents did not take it well. His grandmother became very angry, and Jose, obviously disappointed, moved out.
Living in the shadow
Second, undocumented immigrants do not have any legal paper to demonstrate, they have to live in the shadow, but they still have to pay bills and taxes to get legal resident status. According to Jose Antonio Vargas, whose video is Documented, “In 2000, undocumented people like me paid $11.2 billion in taxes.” Most Americans prejudge, “Undocumented immigrants are unproductive people who live depending on governmental subsidization, and cannot support themselves.” Jose wants to oppose that he and the undocumented immigrants are not useless, and they still have to work hard to pay taxes for government, not “spongers” in some of Americans’ thought. This personal story of one undocumented immigrant shows that Jose had to work under the table to get less than the standard way and pay the other expenses (Vargas, 2017). Well into his teenage years, Vargas learns of his status as an undocumented immigrant following an unexpected encounter involving his forged documentation. Shocked at the news, he begins to live, as he describes, a life of fear and paranoia brought about by a fear of being sent back to the Philippines. Eventually, he attends college and becomes a successful journalist. Vargas becomes a regular contributor on news media conglomerates such as CNN, MSNBC, and FOX News. Soon, he wins a Pulitzer Prize for his work in journalism. However, throughout much of his life, the secret Vargas has carried with him begins to eat at him, and he decides to expose himself as an undocumented immigrant. He soon faces an onslaught of criticism, prejudice, and calls for deportation as he begins his activist campaign in the United States. The film continues by following Vargas as he hopes to challenge widespread stigmas of both undocumented and documented immigrants of the United States.
Isolation
Third, immigrants face isolation. The scene where Jose is having a Skype conversation with his mother, who still lives in the Philippines and whom he has not seen since he was twelve, is extremely sad. It isn’t surprising, but the scene is overwhelmingly powerful and has the strength to move. Is the reason he can’t visit his mother because he fears he would be unable to return? If so, is his love to be with his mother not enough to go to the Philippines and live where he was born? He probably thinks about these things every day, and it is crazy to me how many laws and regulations still stand today. When Jose found out his green card was fake, everything was very confusing to him. He realizes his life is practically a lie, and the people who care about him most and who have brought him up to have lied to him his whole life. As a teenager, I would also lose my trust in my guardians (Vargas, 2017). At least he has something to fall back on, like education, and says, “School was my second home.” He eventually realized his skills for journalism and described it as “writing my way to become a citizen.”
Cultural differences
Fourth, undocumented immigrants face cultural differences. One moment in the film accurately represents popular stereotypes of immigrants in the United States. When speaking at a high school about his status as an undocumented immigrant, Vargas asks a class what comes to mind when they picture an immigrant in their head. One student says that most people would think of an individual from Mexico. Vargas agrees with this remark, then shocks the class when he reveals his immigration status to them (he had not announced his immigration status to the public by this point in the film.) Through this, Vargas does well to expose the United States to immigrants who challenge prejudice and racist ideas of immigration, showing himself as a real-world representation of the American Dream in the United States. Starting from nothing, Vargas’ journey through America ended with a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalistic career, all while an undocumented immigrant of the United States.
A significant deterrent to immigration reform is the bigotry of the descendants of yesterday’s illegal immigrants. Many Americans simply don’t want foreigners coming into their country. This is ironic considering America, the country nicknamed the melting pot, was a country built on immigration. A lot of xenophobic views stem from ignorance. During the movie, people at a Mitt Romney rally were asking Vargas why he won’t become a legal citizen. They had no idea that there was no way for Vargas to do so. They were also surprised to find out that Vargas does pay taxes and is a successful journalist for the New York Times. Many Americans have negative connotations towards illegal immigrants because they make judgments’ based on prejudices. They generalize all undocumented immigrants as lazy and on welfare when that’s not the case. There needs to be more education and awareness about undocumented Americans’ lives, so the misconception about them disappears, making way for an America ready to accept comprehensive immigration reform.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the film does an effective job of representing undocumented immigrants’ life and hardships in the United States. The film’s themes included said difficulties, the challenges of prejudice, and the harmful intention of the phrase “illegal alien.” As an immigrant, Vargas represents how the American Dream is fulfilled every day in the lives of undocumented Americans throughout the country. Laws cannot be based on emotion. Immigration laws cannot be based on who has family in the United States versus who doesn’t, or who is skilled enough to come into the country versus who is not. It’s too complicated. That is why amnesty for all law-abiding undocumented Americans is the answer, along with a more accepting process for entry into the country legally and a more secure border. Immigration is a core American value, and we should stop ignoring the fact that we are a country of immigrants.
Reference List
Vargas, J. A. (2017). Documented. Film Movement LLC.