DRAFT- OPPORTUNITY ANALYSIS

RAISING AWARENESS

At the end of 2008, Mintel did market research to find out the familiarity of niche cosmetic and toiletry brands. Of the 1056, female internet consumers who were asked, a huge 81% were unfamiliar with the brand Shu Uemura.

We think that raising awareness of the brand is a huge opportunity which L’Oreal must focus on to make sure that Shu Uemura is well known and is being talked about.

There are forms of promotion which may focus on the product range, such as collaborating with another brand or persona; this can help produce more visuals and further selling points for the brand. An advertisement within magazines or on billboards is another common way of promoting the brand and reaching out to more consumers. However with Shu Uemura being a luxury cosmetic in a niche market, there are more innovative and exciting ways of connecting the brand to the right consumers.

Word of mouth is one of the most effective marketing tools for promoting a brand, however to achieve this, the brand must excel and stand out from the market and give the consumer something to talk about.

Creating a pop up store can create buzz around a brand as it is a short term and is seen to be innovative and exciting.
Creating a unique experience within the store can provoke word of mouth, whether it is the exceptional in store service, innovative visual merchandising or point of sale methods or some form of interaction with the consumer which may make the experience stand out and become memorable.

MILY