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MISTINE: DIRECT SELLING IN THE THAI COSMETIC MARKET

HILLARY GALLAGHER

HARLEIGH RUUD

HARRISON McCORROW

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AGENDA

Case Summary

Key Issues

Analysis

Recommendations

Implementation

Expected Outcomes

Conclusion

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CASE SUMMARY:MISTINE IS A COSMETIC BRAND OF BETTER WAY (THAILAND) CO.,LTD. WHICH IS NUMBER 1 COSMETIC BRAND AND COSMETIC DIRECT SALES DISTRIBUTOR IN THAILAND.

Uses Direct Sales Model

2014

Mistine is ranked the 33rd world's direct Selling and generated revenue of 407 million dollars.

2011

Employed more than 3,000 staff, joined by more than 1,000,000 direct sales reps worldwide, delivering 190 million units of its own products

2004

Mistine was run by the second generation of executives, led by Dr.Amornthep's son, Danai Derjanawong as new CEO

1988

Better Way (Thailand) Co., Ltd. was founded in 1988 and established cosmetic brand, namely "Mistine"

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KEY ISSUES

Lower cost implies lower product quality

High salesperson turnover rate

Recognition and competition

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INTERNAL ANALYSIS

  • Low pricing on high quality products
  • Popular for lower class thai
  • Production team developed hundreds of new products each year
  • At least 2-3 new products are released each month

Competitive advantage

Resources

  • Partnered with Better Way
  • Largest Distribution warehouse in Asia

  • Five categories of products to choose from
  • Leader in the Thailand direct selling cosmetics market

Core competencies

Capabilities

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INTERNAL ANALYSIS

V

O

I

R

Brand image: Sustainable competitive advantage

Strong global presence: Temporary competitive advantage

BRAND IMAGE

STRONG GLOBAL PRESENCE

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

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EXTERNAL ANALYSIS

  • Political

  • Lower prices for products target lower class people.
  • Implication: loss of buyers in higher markets
  • Environmental
  • The products are distributed using trucks and planes causing pollution
  • Implication : loss of supporters
  • Social
  • Using popular actors, actresses and bands as brand ambassadors
  • Implication: people see celebrities using the product so they buy it
  • Technology
  • Created a facebook page to sell products
  • Implication: more sales due to global marketing
  • Economic
  • Wage increases mandated by thai law causes product pricing to rise
  • Implication: loss of buyers and increased wages

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EXTERNAL ANALYSIS

Power of buyers: high

The company runs off of its buyers

Power of suppliers: high

Many other successful makeup companies

Threat of substitutes: high

Many substitutes in this market

Threat of competitors: high

Competitors in the market that have similar products

Threat of new entry: low

There are already many cosmetic companies

Porter’s 5 forces

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MARKETING MIX

Product

Makeup

Skin Care

Personal Care

Body

Fragrance

Promotion

Coupons and Promo Codes

Satisfaction Guarantee

Place

Direct Selling Industry

Online Retailers

Price

Targets middle to lower income market

Value Pricing- Cheap quality products

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Competition

Targets teenagers and working women

Provides beauty tips and customer service

Medical roots, founded by a team of doctors and pharmacists

Developed and tested with highest standard of quality

Sells various consumer products, uses multi level marketing approach

Owns actual shops, Expensive products that are high quality

Positions itself to products directed towards asian skin tones

Popular among Thai housewives, factory workers and teenagers

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STRATEGY CANVAS

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STRENGTHS:

  • Leadership within direct selling (+9)
  • Offer a wide variety of products (+9)
  • Customer satisfaction guaranteed (+6)
  • High level of brand awareness (+6)

SWOT

WEAKNESSES:

  • High turnover rate among employees (-9)
  • Difficult to expand product line beyond female customer base (-6)
  • People perceive the product as cheap or bad quality (-6)

THREATS:

  • Many international competitors (-9)
  • Trade barriers (-9)
  • Products are price sensitive so during an economic downturn it could be difficult to generate sales (-9)

OPPORTUNITIES:

  • Increase sales easily (+6)
  • Good relations with other countries (+9)

Diversification (many internal strengths/many external threats)

+30

+15

-21

-27

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RECOMMENDATIONS

2. Create a more masculine product-line for male customers

  1. Expand to more international countries

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IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

Create and manufacture new male product line

X

Establish a marketing plan for male product line

X

Launch new male product line

X

Develop a new employment system (lower turnover rate)

X

Raise brand awareness internationally

X

Expand celebrity social media marketing

X

Launch products to more international countries

X

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EXPECTED OUTCOME

Revenues

495,000,000

Expenses

115,000,000

Total

380,000,000

% of Budget

Cost

Benefit

Male Product line

30%

34,500,000

148,500,000

Employment system

20%

23,000,000

99,000,000

Brand Awareness

15%

17,250,000

74,250,000

Social media marketing

10%

11,500,000

49,500,000

International products

25%

28,750,000

123,750,000

Total

100%

115,000,000

495,000,000

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Expected Costs

2020

2021

2022

2023

Male Product Line

34,500,500

Employment System

23,000,000

Brand Awareness

17,250,000

Social Media Marketing

11,500,000

International Products

28,750,000

Total

34,500,000

40,250,000

11,500,000

28,750,000

$115,000,000

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CONCLUSION

Every year, all Mistine’s trucks travel more than 30 million kilometres to deliver its products to their customers door-to-door. That’s equivalent to the distance of 76 return trips from the Earth to the Moon.