CHAPTER 18: SALES PROMOTION AND PERSONAL SELLING

Personal selling is one of the oldest forms of promotion. M.A.C Cosmetics follows this strategy and stands out as the world's largest make up company. Through the execution of  make up tutorials by employees to customers, there is excellent communication which increases sales. M.A.C. focuses on developing a relationship with customers and potential buyers with the objective if making a sale. In terms of sales promotion, M.A.C. Cosmetics uses incentives like display of items, exchange offers, fashion shows, magazines, and the like to attract customers. With its "back to M.A.C" program, M.A.C. promotes recycling  by allowing customers to bring back six empty product containers for a free lipstick of your choice. The WAD promotion doubles M.A.C.'s usual philanthropic commitment, directing 100% of sales to the M.A.C. AIDS FUND.

CHAPTEER 17: ADVERTISING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS

M.A.C. Cosmetics was initially distributed among friends only in the fashion industry and till today M.A.C. does not ever have to conduct any kind of advertising, and yet all the same succeeds in bringing in the customers and make a great deal of sales. This is all credited to word of mouth publicity and celebrity endorsements, which usually includes models, pro make-up artists and actresses. M.A.C. Cosmetics are endorsed by celebrities like Diana Ross, Elton John, Boy George, RuPaul, Kd Lang, Sandra Bernhard, Raquel Welch, Eartha Kitt, Missy Elliott, Dita von Teese, Mary J. Blige, Pamela Anderson, Fergie, Christina Aquilera, Cyndi Lauper, Lady Gaga and more. “I have always resented the image of the nineteen-year-old beautiful blonde, white model being shoved down people’s throats.” To prove the point, M.A.C.’s first spokesperson was drag queen Ru Paul. “M.A.C. has broken the traditional industry way of selling product,” says Toskan. Toskan and Angelo’s business model relied on a formula of low prices and word of mouth, no advertising, and no gift with purchase promotions. “I always believed in earning your customer, not buying her,” says Toskan. Without this sales pressure, the M.A.C. people could concentrate on giving service that would keep the customers coming back. In addition to creating the beauty trends on the runway, fashion shows around the world play a critical role in the M.A.C. Cosmetics Product Development process. Artists use this unique opportunity to test-drive product prototypes sometimes years before they reach consumers. M.A.C. Cosmetics is the official sponsor of Fashion Week in London and Sydney and supports fashion weeks in cities throughout the world including Athens, Copenhagen, Delhi, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Singapore, New Zealand, and Moscow. M.A.C. also co-sponsors Tokyo Fashion Week. Beginning in New York, M.A.C.’s international team of over 120 PRO Makeup Artists joined by the most talented freelance artists from around the world embark on the fashion migration trail going from New York to London, Milan and Paris. The M.A.C. PRO Teams work closely with such legendary makeup artists as, Charlotte Tilbury, Val Garland, Lucia Pieroni, James Kaliardos and Polly Osmond and play key roles in creating the makeup looks on the most famous runways in the world. M.A.C. signature cosmetics are also co branded with Hello Kitty to target bubbly younger girls attracted to use luxury cosmetic brands. Along with treating customers with respect, M.A.C. Cosmetics is also acknowledged for its recycling program. In return of every 5 products, M.A.C. gives each customer one free lipstick of her choice. Viva Glam lipstick was introduced in 1994, and since then, the highlight of M.A.C., is with every purchase of this lipstick or Lipglass (retail price 14 $), 100% of the selling price is donated to the M.A.C. AIDS Fund.

When it comes to Public Relations, M.A.C. is very efficient and has earned their brand image. You can walk into any one of M.A.C. stores and trust me, you will get a personalized customer service. I, personally have been their loyal customer for 10 years now. The sales representatives are very customer friendly and knows their job value. They use bold PR. That is, they make sure their clients’ messages are being heard, valued, and covered by the media. This is the most important aspect of public relations, but that goes hand-in-hand with the need to maintain strong media relationships. Editors/writers must know they can rely on them for newsworthy information and angles, to get them what they need in a timely and respectful manner. Plainly, this philosophy is what makes M.A.C. Cosmetics so successful. More significantly, M.A.C. holds parties for different occasions globally, all over the world. Thus, it naturally brings the celebrity life world and the people together under the same

CHAPTER 15: RETAILING

 

M.A.C is one of the most famous cosmetic retailing stores nationwide. M.A.C was a independent retailer it was first introduced to famous make-up artist  became a franchise when Estee Lauder decided to buy it over to widen its cosmetic line. M.A.C provides their customers with in-store retailing and non store retailing. Online retailing for M.A.C has increased dramatically due to the fact that most of M.A.C consumers have been with M.A.C since it was introduced to the public, so consumers trust that they are getting what the pay for just as if they were to visit the stores themselves.

M.A.Cs' first retailing mix of products attracts consumers by using celebrities to promote their products through high organized events to promote their product and to introduce a new product to the line. By staying in the spotlight, M.A.C observes fashion trends to influence the next product.

Since M.A.C cosmetics is influenced by fashion forward movements, M.A.C cosmetics open locations in countries that are fashion forward such as Italy, china and Canada. They open in major cities where the company can be exposed to high profile people, then slowly by word-of-mouth strategy, M.A.C is exposed to the locals, offering M.A.C products at affordable prices for the working class. Customer service is the eye catcher for M.A.C when selling its products. M.A.C allows its customers free make overs when the visit the stores for a celebrity treatment experience and will even give away product sample to allow the customer to use M.A.C at home to see that the product are truly easy

CHAPTER 6: CONSUMER DECISION MAKING

Consumer decision making is characterized by the individual, his or her cultural and social values and the willingness to make a purchase. In purchasing M.A.C. Cosmetics products a consumer uses a five stage decision making process. First the consumer must be triggered by M.A.C. products through their own personal usage, recommendation of others, advertisement and or packaging. Consumers may need to research M.A.C. Cosmetics either by using the internet, seeking information from a product user or by going to the store and asking for information about the products. This process fall under the external information source. Makeup Art Cosmetics, abbreviated M.A.C. is a way of narrowing alternatives and making it the ultimate choice. For first time users and customers of M.A.C. Cosmetics, their postpurchase behavior shows their satisfaction with their purchase.

CHAPTER 5: DEVELOPING A GLOBAL VISION

M.A.C. Cosmetics is a multinational corporation engaged in international trade beyond exporting and importing. Sold in over 70 countries worldwide, M.A.C. is the world's largest makeup company. Its global vision, M.A.C. AIDS FUND helps promote M.A.C. Cosmetics in other countries such as China. The prices of  M.A.C. products vary from country to country. M.A.C's variety in makeup caters to different ethnicity and cultures around the world, making them accessible to all.

 In China, M.A.C. developed Hello Kitty brand that fosters to help people affected with HIV/AIDS. M.A.C. created a line for Asian culture by making vegan based products and using henna ( a plant used to dye hair and create designs on the body), with products such as lip stain, eye shadow, nail polish and the like.