Global Image of Espoir Cosmetics - Essay Example

From this meeting alone, it is evident that Espoir does not have a clear global brand image for all its head managers, and as a result, Singh encounters challenges and opportunities in promoting a global marketing campaign.

To understand the global marketing strategy further, it is important to describe the characteristics of Espoir Cosmetics’ global customers in demographic, psychographic, behavioral, and geographic terms. Demographically, the target market consists of women with varying income levels, and educational backgrounds, while they are generally part of Gen X and Gen Y markets. Psychographically, Singh sees the global market as a composition of independent women who are smart and not afraid to take risks. Behaviorally, the markets are differentiated across regions, and to some extent, across nations. Regions are different, in that Asia tends to imitate Western trends, while Eastern Europe is not as similar in beauty trends as Western Europe. For example, some Indians want the latest global brand, not the ones based on local trends. Ravi Narayan, the head of South Asia marketing, learned that teenagers are looking for “the latest color” that they saw being advertised in an “English serial” without asking about the price. The case suggests that because people are more connected nowadays through access to mobile communication and international media, some of them are more open to and identify with global brands. Furthermore, regions can have sharp cultural differences too. For instance, Singh once had to campaign for pricing and packaging to be different for India, where income levels are lower. Geographically, Espoir is sold across the globe, specifically in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia, North America, and South America. Hence, these characteristics show that some customers may react more positively to a global marketing image than others, although the extent and degree of differences in purchasing attitudes and behaviors are under-studied.

The survey proceeds to describe five arguments in favor of going ahead with the movie's global branding strategy. First, a global branding strategy leverages the opportunities and resources in the global market. Second, a global brand can be more cost-efficient and effective than highly differentiated and fragmented local marketing strategies. Third, a global brand can reduce brand confusion across regions and nations, thereby strengthening global brand positioning. Fourth, a global brand can also improve international cohesion among managers which can result in global innovations. Fifth, a global brand can result in improved global performance because of marketing and functional synergies.

While there are pros to a global brand, there are also drawbacks. First, a global marketing strategy may oversimplify and over-standardize marketing efforts, at the expense of local cultural differences and local innovations. Second, Singh is risking low buy-in among head managers, which can affect the implementation process and success of the headquarters-imposed global marketing campaign. Country heads know their markets best and if they think that there are national or cultural differences, then they may be right. Third, Singh does not have a clear role and authority in connection to local marketing strategies, thereby diluting her power and ability to make organizational changes. Fourth, the company lacks a clear and compelling definition of a global brand and a vision of a global brand building that is consistently known and accepted across the organization. Fifth, Espoir has no international marketing experience yet, which decreases its ability to successfully handle a global marketing campaign.

Given these drawbacks, it is recommended that Espoir Cosmetics should not go forward with Diana’s She-Devil without clarifying the roles and responsibilities of head managers in the global marketing strategy and ensuring their full participation in the global marketing campaign’s design and execution. Espoir has no global brand yet so it must make one first. However, it cannot do so through a centralized approach. Instead, Singh should create a global marketing team composed of the national head managers, where there are clear roles and responsibilities for the campaign. The team can increase accountability and result in a sense of urgency among country head managers. Furthermore, the campaign must be general in some dimensions but provide localized opportunities, such as in pricing and additional promotions. The global marketing strategy, hence, must no go forward until all country managers are on the bandwagon and are active makers and executioners of its important dimensions.