External Envrionment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

External Envrionment - Essay Example Mr. Curran Dandurand was thinking of the dynamics of the organizations international marketing operations. For more that fifteen years, the company had sold products outside the united states of America. However, when it came to 1992, out of the totals sales of $1billion, the company’s international sales accounted for only 11 per cent. This is opposite to Avon, a rival company which delivered more that 55 per cent of a total of $3.6 sales from the international markets in the same year. The company got a chance to venture into the international market. Among the international market ventures included launching of its operations in Japan. Japan is considered a mature market but then it happens to be lucrative in its operations. The other major market is the rapidly upcoming market in china. China happens to be quite unknown but the potential is enormous. Mary Kay Cosmetics Company was in competition for customers in both direct selling and cosmetics industries. Just to mention , the major competitor in the united states in 1992 were four companies. They included Avon, L’Oreal, Revlon and Procter & gamble. When it came to international marketing, Argentina and Australia were not chosen because of reasons bent on the company’s strategy. However, the company had a presence in many other countries and was hoping to do extremely well. In Canada, the Mary Kay cosmetics company was perceived as outdated, a clear indicator of its poor market analysis as a new entrant. This was in accordance to the research that was conducted. All this happened in the year 1992. This definitely tainted their image. Mary Kay Company needs a renewed approach that pays attention to the needs and culture of the local markets. Customers’ thoughts about a product are of utmost importance, because it determines how they shall respond to the same product. The Mary Kay cosmetics company had a lot of work to do after it suffered a low brand image. This may as well mean that the company never took enough time to understand the market requirements of the Australians. The brand image was positive in Mexico. Many people were aware of the brand in the same country. The company had rapid expansion in Taiwan, which was able to raise $3.3 million through sales. One of the mistakes Mary Kay Cosmetics Company did was to apply US market strategies directly without an acute understanding of the other markets. To be more specific, the company used the same marketing strategies used in the United States in new markets. These strategies were not even modified to pay any special attention to the new market requirements. This can be done through forecasting which could play a great role in learning the behavior of the market (Mullins, Boyd & Walker, 2010). Instead, Avon paid attention to the needs of the local markets. This included setting apart enough resources for international marketing strategies. This was important as a new entrant. Avon did not ignore other new market entrants. Mary Kay Company downplayed the implications and threats of other new entrants. Besides, in some markets the consumers were not aware of the products and services associated with Mary and Kay Cosmetics Company. Definitely, this led to low brand awareness that ended up hurting the overall sales of Mary Kay incorporated. One of the requirements of successful marketing is an acute understanding of the needs of the market. This on its own is not enough. After understanding the needs