The Methods and Strategies of NIVEA

This research is of the methods and strategies that NIVEA should take to increase its market in U.S. .The research is geared towards learning from the successful beauty companies in U.S. the study also wants to look at the ways the company can expand their market in U.S, by eliminating the factors that are making NIVEA less competitive as compared to other beauty products.

Statement of the problem

This proposed research aspires to investigate new options for NIVEA to win more customers in U.S. In order for this to happen, the researcher will do analysis on the full stakeholders and use other successful companies as their benchmark for improvement in the region.

Research questions

How can NIVEA expand their market in U.S?

Which marketing strategies should NIVEA use to win more customers in U.S?

Introduction

1.1 Background of the Study

NIVEA means snow white was derived from a Latin word nix, nivis. In the year 1890, they managed to discover about a ground-breaking emulsifying agent called Eucerit (it is an ancient Greek expression for beautiful wax ( FRIEDMAN, 2008). They then developed the worlds first stable oil-and-water-based cream that was suitable for mass production in 1911 and called it NIVEA. Throughout the years, NIVEA has expended their products having skin care, bath products, sun blocks, baby care, facial products, hair hauls, and products for men as well. The company has built quite an empire to this very day. Over 150 countries have already heard of NIVEA and purchased the brand. NIVEA not only has good products, but they also have good marketing strategies to triumph over their competitors. They have produced wonderful advertisements that related to consumers all over the world. Using their NIVEA girl to target lady audiences but soon after a NIVEA boy focusing and letting the consumers know that the products are now available for men as well. Furthermore, an unforeseen ad was being showed that a more elderly lady around her 50s would be an ideal model to flaunt. This cause the company to earn the title Most trusted brand sixth time in a row from Readers Digest. Even with their miraculous amount of success the company still faces many different challenges. For example, in the U.S, NIVEA is not as famous as other brands. Therefore, this research is to carry out how to strengthen their marketing strategies in U.S. and to overcome their obstacles.

1.2 Research Objectives

To determine the demographics of target audiences in the U.S starting from the famous states.

To identify NIVEA target market

To determine which gender uses much of NIVEA products.

To determine American skin preferences

Determine how the economic, cultural and legal factors affect the marketing of NIVEA.

Hypothesis

If there are good marketing strategies, customer relations, and quality products, then more customers will be prompted to use NIVEA. Companies with better marketing strategies will have more customers than the ones with poor management and marketing strategies.

Having good customer relations and quality products is likely to result in better customer relations.

1.3 Literature review

The term NIVEA means skin care (HOLLENSEN, 2013). Marketing is one of the most important factors for NIVEA as a business. This research provides a deep research on the consistencies that NIVEA has on its global marketing and the way to deal with the different cultures they encounter. Different studies were carried out in U.S using their very own assessment instruments. NIVEA consistency in marketing study was out using the survey as the primary source of the information. The management then was to analyze the results and determine the action henceforth. Customer satisfaction can be defined as the as the feeling that a customer gets after buying a product and putting its worth into a consideration with the expected contentment of the product (MORLEY, 2009).The customer may feel disillusioned if the quality of the product goes below their expectations, and they feel great enjoyment for satisfying products. In the modern world, customers have become educated, and they know exactly what they want. They are also aware of healthy and appropriate customers approach and the detrimental ones. The most difficult part of the task has been left to the companies that offer products to the customers as their offers have to be presentable to the customers. Their products must fulfill the expected qualities, and they have to be in the right designs.

Lack of adequate research on the marketing strategies can lead to customers dissatisfaction (KAPFERER, 2008). This raises an alarm to the marketing strategy that is used. Looking at other economic sectors, a lot has been done on attempts to satisfying customers and optimization of profits in various business sectors. One of the asserted ways of maximizing profit in organizations and ensuring customers satisfaction is by utilizing promotional activities maximally (BELK, 2006).

The context of the research emphasizes on other methods of familiarizing their products to the customers as compared to the promotional method. The research is therefore aimed at finding out the appropriate promotional strategies that can lead to customers satisfaction and the effects of promotional plans to the customers

For NIVEA to win the US market, they need to have a strategic marketing plan, introduce new and competitive market to the U.S market and carry out serious marketing through the media. This research talks will help to determine the marking techniques to be used to win the U.S market.

PROJECT TIMELINE/BUDGET TIMELINE

As has been stated in the above category, the research will be done in a three weeks timeline. The timeline however gives a one-week margin thus bringing a total of four weeks to allow for time flexibility in the three-week segments.

Research Design

This section of the research proposal will outline the overall research approach, the data collection methodologies to be applied, the data analysis techniques to be used and the research ethics to be maintained during the research. The research will focus on various subjects.'

The research of the improvement of customer relations by NIVEA will be carried out in U.S as it is the target market for expansion. The overall approach of the research will utilize both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Here survey method, questionnaires, interviews and use of secondary sources where the researcher will look at the information that have been published by the companies.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

In order to research on the aims and purposes of this investigation, the researcher will use both qualitative and quantitative research methods. The qualitative research methods will be important in this research because they will arm the research with the necessary knowledge of the existing situation. They will provide a textual description of marketing strategies that are used by some of the successful sectors in the economy. Besides that, they will also give the canvasser the current methods that are being used by these cosmetic companies to retain customers. Secondary sources of data will be significant in the qualitative research methods applied in this research since they will provide the researcher with the study that has already been done by other scholars. From their description, the investigator will be in a position to weigh the existing approaches and the appropriate promotional strategies .The conclusion will be arrived at on the urgency and the complexity of the issue facing NIVEA.

The researcher will use the following qualitative research methods:

- In-depth interviews

- Participant observation

- Case study

IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS

The researcher will carry out a thorough interview with several customers from customers from different states. In-depth interviews will be vital in this research since they will provide the researcher with the first-hand descriptive information about the history of usage of the other companys products. A direct response from the consumers of this product will help the investigator to get a lucid understanding of the approaches that are currently being used to attract the customers and to retain them. The researcher will tape record their response to ensure all relevant information has been captured. They will also enable the researcher to analyze and compare their perspectives on the current trends in the market concerning the modern promotional strategies.

PARTICIPANTS OBSERVATION

The investigator will take the initiative of visiting the marketing departments of each of the five companies. The research will then pay attention to their customer attracting and retention activities and strategies. Notes will be recorded for future analysis and decision making. The researcher will also listen to other analysis of the promotional strategies within the beauty companies probably from the journalists in radios and television or from the from the market analysts. The information obtained from the researchers observation will be critical in arriving at convincing decisions since it is first-hand and there is no risk of the information being tampered with there before.

CASE STUDY

In the qualitative research method, the researcher will conduct a detailed research on two of the chosen companies. These two groups will be randomly selected with the intention of getting a detailed analysis of the marketing strategies. Within the two companies, the researcher will use observations, interviews, and use of documented information to obtain the required information. Descriptive notes will be written for future use while analyzing the data on the promotional strategies used. The case Study qualitative research method will be vital in this research since it will enable the researcher to get in-depth information about the marketing strategies used by the companies. The quantitative methods of research will be used in this research to obtain the quantified information related to promotional strategies that are suitable for use by the cosmetic companies in U.S..The researcher will use quantitative methods to find out how often promotional techniques are used in these companies. The researcher will also use quantitative methods to investigate the sample population satisfaction of the current methods being used to attract customers. Quantitative methods of research will be important in this research because they will provide the investigator with the correct information regarding the extent to which promotional strategies are needed in the mobile communication sector. The investigator will also get to know percentages that can be awarded to the current promotional methods that are being used in these companies an aim of satisfying customers. The quantitative research methods that will be used in this research include:

- Surveying

- Sampling

- Closed-ended questions

SURVEYING

Through the assistance of a survey expert, the research was able to design a survey that will be used to acquire information on the level of satisfaction that is attained by the current methods that the mobile beauty and cosmetic company are using to approach their customers. This survey will be conducted to one thousand users of the products and services that are offered by these companies. The users will be randomly selected with the assistance of these firms. The researcher will conduct a survey online via email to make it possible to achieve the targeted population. The survey method will provide the researcher with quantified data that can be easily analyzed and used to make general conclusions.

SAMPLING

The researcher will take a population sample of ten shops of each of the five cosmetic and beauty shops. The shops to be investigated will be lo...