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- August 2021
- Case
Perfect Diary
By: Shunyuan Zhang and Sunil Gupta
Jinfeng (David) Huang founded Yatsen Holding Limited in 2016 and launched the first direct-to-consumer (DTC) cosmetic brand, Perfect Diary, in 2017. Perfect Diary used social influencers or key opinion leaders (KOL) to successfully build brand awareness and to grow...
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- July 2021
- Case
Mary Kay Inc.: Enriching Women's Lives while Embracing Change
By: Elie Ofek, K. Shelette Stewart and Julia Kelley
In December 2020, Mary Kay Inc. Chief Marketing Officer Sheryl Adkins-Green considered several strategic dilemmas. Founded in 1963 by Mary Kay Ash, Mary Kay was a direct sales company whose Independent Beauty Consultants purchased its beauty and cosmetics products at...
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Keywords:
Advertising Campaigns;
Demographics;
Marketing;
Brands and Branding;
Marketing Channels;
Marketing Communications;
Marketing Strategy;
Product Marketing;
Product Positioning;
Social Marketing;
Salesforce Management;
Organizations;
Mission and Purpose;
Organizational Change and Adaptation;
Innovation and Invention;
Innovation Strategy;
Competition;
Competitive Strategy;
Competitive Advantage;
Beauty and Cosmetics Industry;
North and Central America;
United States;
Europe;
Asia;
Texas
- July 2021
- Case
A Close Shave at Squire
In 2020, just after closing a $34 million Series B financing round, Dave Salvant and Songe LaRon consider how to adjust their business, Squire Technologies, to the new realities posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Their barbershop technology, including tools to run a shop...
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- April 2021
- Supplement
Exercise for Revlon: Surviving Covid-19
By: Kristin Mugford and Sarah Gulick
Exercise for Revlon: Surviving Covid-19
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- March 2021
- Case
Mary Kay Ash: Changing the World
By: Robert Simons and Shirley Sun
This case describes the rise of Mary Kay, the founder of the worldwide cosmetics company. As a young single mother, Mary Kay had to overcome many obstacles to start her business and guide it to success. Today, there are more than 3.5 million Mary Kay beauty consultants...
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- March 2021
- Case
Revlon: Surviving Covid-19
By: Kristin Mugford and Sarah Gulick
In October 2020, Revlon faced a crossroads. While it had been struggling with high levels of debt before COVID-19, the pandemic had caused it to go further into debt. Unlike other financial crises, many consumers had stopped buying skincare or cosmetics, and sales of...
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- February 2021
- Case
Sarah Breedlove: Changing the World
By: Robert L. Simons and Max Saffer
This case describes the rise of Sarah Breedlove, who later called herself Madam C.J. Walker, from the cotton fields of Louisiana to the head of a successful, nationwide beauty company providing opportunity and hair care products to Black women. The case describes how...
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- September 2020
- Teaching Note
First Aid Beauty
By: Karen G. Mills and Annie Dang
Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 319-082.
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- August 2020 (Revised January 2021)
- Supplement
Facelift at Olay (B)
By: Sunil Gupta, Rajiv Lal and Olivia Hull
This supplement to Facelift at Olay (A) explains the major steps Procter & Gamble’s skincare brand Olay took to reverse several years of declining sales.
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- August 2020 (Revised September 2020)
- Case
Facelift at Olay (A)
By: Sunil Gupta, Rajiv Lal and Olivia Hull
By October 2017, Procter & Gamble’s skincare brand Olay has been struggling with declining sales for several years. The team has tried many remedies, but none has returned the brand to growth. As pressure grows from Olay’s competitors, including hundreds of new...
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- July 2020
- Case
Amanda and Kristen: Mented Cosmetics
By: Steven Rogers, Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Alterrell Mills
The co-founders (Black HBS alumnae) of an e-commerce beauty startup explore the unmet needs within the beauty industry. This case study examines the entrepreneurial opportunities that come from identifying an underserved market, specifically within the Black community...
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Keywords:
Brands and Branding;
Competition;
Customers;
Disruption;
Disruptive Innovation;
Distribution Channels;
Entrepreneurship;
Finance;
Macroeconomics;
Marketing;
Marketing Channels;
Marketing Communications;
Marketing Strategy;
Mission and Purpose;
Organizational Culture;
Product Design;
Product Development;
Product Positioning;
Sales;
Social Issues;
Social Marketing;
Business Startups;
Strategic Planning;
Strategy;
Supply Chain Management;
Venture Capital;
Beauty and Cosmetics Industry;
Beauty and Cosmetics Industry;
Beauty and Cosmetics Industry;
Beauty and Cosmetics Industry;
Beauty and Cosmetics Industry;
Beauty and Cosmetics Industry;
North and Central America;
United States;
New York (city, NY);
New York (state, US)
- June 2020
- Teaching Note
Shiseido Acquires Drunk Elephant
By: Jill Avery
On October 7, 2019, the Shiseido Group announced that it would acquire clean skincare brand Drunk Elephant for $845 million, a valuation of 8.5 times sales. Did Shiseido pay too much or too little for this brand asset? How much was the Drunk Elephant brand worth and...
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Keywords:
Brand Management;
Brand Valuation;
Brand Equity;
Brand Value;
Mergers ＆ Acquisitions;
Startup;
DTC;
Brand Portfolio Strategy;
Marketing;
Marketing Strategy;
Brands and Branding;
Mergers and Acquisitions;
Valuation;
Entrepreneurship;
Business Startups;
Beauty and Cosmetics Industry;
Beauty and Cosmetics Industry;
United States;
Japan;
Asia;
North America
- May 2020
- Teaching Note
Shiseido: Reinvesting in Brand
By: Jill Avery
Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 519-026. Shiseido was in the midst of a six year corporate turnaround, trying to reverse the effects of decades of under-investment in R&D and marketing that had led to a vicious cycle of declining customer support and brand value. Would...
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- April 2020
- Teaching Note
Glossier: Co-Creating a Cult Brand with a Digital Community
By: Jill Avery
Teaching Note for HBS No. 519-022. Flush with cash from its Series C fundraise, cult beauty brand Glossier considers its next phase of growth, facing critical decisions on how to allocate its capital to support various marketing communications and distribution...
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Keywords:
Digital Marketing;
Crowdsourcing;
Social Media;
CRM;
Startup;
Direct-to-consumer;
DTC;
Marketing;
Marketing Strategy;
Brands and Branding;
Consumer Behavior;
Customer Relationship Management;
Venture Capital;
Business Startups;
Entrepreneurship;
Beauty and Cosmetics Industry;
United States
- February 2020
- Case
Leading Change in Talent at L'Oréal
By: Lakshmi Ramarajan, Vincent Dessain and Emer Moloney
Jean-Claude Le Grand just stepped into a new role as Executive Vice-President for Human Resources at the global cosmetics company, L’Oréal. He is now responsible for the hiring, development, promotion, and retention of 83,000 employees worldwide. The highly successful...
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Keywords:
Advertising;
Business Headquarters;
Business Divisions;
Business Organization;
Change;
Change Management;
Transformation;
Competency and Skills;
Experience and Expertise;
Talent and Talent Management;
Demographics;
Diversity;
Gender;
Nationality;
Multinational Firms and Management;
Human Resources;
Employees;
Recruitment;
Retention;
Selection and Staffing;
Innovation and Management;
Jobs and Positions;
Employment;
Human Capital;
Leadership;
Leadership Development;
Leadership Style;
Leading Change;
Management Practices and Processes;
Marketing;
Brands and Branding;
Product Marketing;
Organizations;
Organizational Change and Adaptation;
Organizational Structure;
Personal Development and Career;
Planning;
Strategic Planning;
Problems and Challenges;
Networks;
Social Psychology;
Attitudes;
Power and Influence;
Social and Collaborative Networks;
Business Strategy;
Advertising Industry;
Advertising Industry;
Advertising Industry;
France;
Paris
- November 2019 (Revised June 2020)
- Case
Shiseido Acquires Drunk Elephant
By: Jill Avery
On October 7, 2019, the Shiseido Group announced that it would acquire clean skincare brand Drunk Elephant for $845 million, a valuation of 8.5 times sales. Did Shiseido pay too much or too little for this brand asset? How much was the Drunk Elephant brand worth and...
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Keywords:
Personal Care;
Startup;
Brand Equity;
Brand Valuation;
Brand Value;
Brand Storytelling;
Brand Management;
Brands and Branding;
Valuation;
Marketing;
Marketing Strategy;
Mergers and Acquisitions;
Entrepreneurship;
Business Startups;
Beauty and Cosmetics Industry;
Beauty and Cosmetics Industry;
United States;
Japan
- October 2019 (Revised December 2019)
- Case
La Roche-Posay: Growing L'Oreal's Active Cosmetics Brand
By: Jill Avery, Vincent Dessain and Mette Fuglsang Hjortshoej
As 2018 neared its end, Laetitia Toupet, international general manager of L’Oréal’s La Roche-Posay brand reflected on the brand’s achievements over the past year. At €1 billion in revenue, La Roche-Posay had recently become the number one dermocosmetics brand in the...
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Keywords:
Branding;
Brand Management;
Consumer Products;
Brand Positioning;
Target Market;
Global Brands;
Global Marketing;
Marketing;
Marketing Strategy;
Brands and Branding;
Globalized Firms and Management;
Consumer Products Industry;
Consumer Products Industry;
Consumer Products Industry;
France;
Europe;
Brazil;
China;
Asia;
South America;
United States;
North America
- Other Article
#HerImpact: Leading the Innovation Lifecycle
This blog post describes how entrepreneurs can scale their leadership and organization as they scale their business.
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- January 2019
- Case
First Aid Beauty
By: Karen Mills and Annie Dang
In 2008, Lilli Gordon, an experienced financial and skincare entrepreneur, founded First Aid Beauty (FAB). She had discovered a white space in the prestige beauty market: high-end skin solutions that were suitable for sensitive skin. After initial success through...
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- January 2019 (Revised October 2019)
- Case
Glossier: Co-Creating a Cult Brand with a Digital Community
By: Jill Avery
Glossier’s proclaimed strategy was “born from content; fueled by community.” The digital-first, direct-to-consumer beauty brand had experienced rapid growth, with sales up 600% in 2017 and a customer portfolio that grew by threefold. But, its founder, Emily Weiss, was...
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Keywords:
Brands;
Brand Management;
Brand Communication;
Retailing;
E-commerce;
DTC;
Influencer;
Digital Marketing;
Social Media;
Startup;
Internet Marketing;
Big Data;
Crowdsourcing;
Growth and Development Strategy;
Consumer Products Industry;
Consumer Products Industry;
Consumer Products Industry;
United States;
North America