There are many high end brands, that have the same owners as some drugstore brands, which means that some of their products are the same or very similar, as mentioned in my first post, there are many videos on YouTube that highlight the similar products from certain brands. But here is a list of some of the main brands that are owned buy the same people..
L'oreal are the owners of; L'oreal, Shu Uemura, Maybelline, Garnier, Essie, Redken, Kerastase, Matrix, Giorgio Armani, YSL Beaute, Biotherm, Kiehl's, Ralph Lauren, Diesel, Viktor and Rolf, Stella Mccartney, Vichy, La Roche Posay, Sanoflore, Roger and Gallet, Inneov, Skinceuticals and finally The Body Shop.
The Wertheimer family owns; Chanel and Bourjois
Estee Lauder owns; Estee Lauder, MAC cosmetics, Bobbi Brown, Prescriptives, La Mer, Jo Malone, Tom Ford, Smashbox, Clinique, Origins, Ojon, Aveda, Bumble and Bumble, Coach, American Beauty, GoodSkin Labs, Donna Karen, Micheal Kors, Tommy Hilfiger, and finally Aramis.
Shiseido owns; Shiseido, Nars, BareMinerals.
Sources:
http://www.elcompanies.com/Pages/Our-Brands.aspx
http://www.loreal.co.uk/_en/_gb/index.aspx
http://group.shiseido.com/business/cosmetics-general/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Wertheimer
Throughout the following posts references to theories (for example Edward Bernays and Bourdieu) can be found in the A2 Communication and Culture textbook (Peter Bennett and Jerry Slater, 2008, A2 Communication and Culture, The Essential Introduction-2009 Specification)
Friday 10 May 2013
Edward Bernays suggested that we all have unconscious desires, and advertisers use techniques (including those mentioned in my post about why advertising techniques are so effective) as well as other persuasion techniques that make sense to us.
Our fears are our weaknesses and if we want to rid ourselves of the fears we have we have to find a solution. The advertisers take those fears and make their products appear as though they are the solution to our problems even if they aren't. They manipulate us into believing that they will and provide a solution to problems even if we are unaware that they are a problem to us. Bernays also suggested that advertisements should operate entirely on feelings and emotions. This means that the advertisers want to make you feel inferior to other people (including the actors in the advert) to make you feel as though you need their product as it is the ideal solution, leading you to buy it.
Some people I asked believed that conspicuous consumption no longer existed. But I have witnessed it personally. Some teenagers whose parents are in extremely high paid jobs, or have inherited wealth often put makeup on in inappropriate situations. They do this so that everyone can see the makeup they own and the brands that they use, to show that they have more than enough money to live on and the things that they have aren't necessary, or even useful. This occurred more at a younger age than now, but it does still occur. Conspicuous consumption in the beauty industry also occurs on a much larger scale too. There are thousands of videos on YouTube filled with 'beauty gurus' showing their makeup collections, this isn't necessary and is encouraging teenage girls to purchase excessive amounts of makeup that they don't need. Although Veblen was discussing this topic a while ago it doesn't necessarily make it out of date. We buy things that we don't need in order to make ourselves appear as though we have spare money. I have definitely done this, all I have to do is refer to the drawer full of foundations that I don't use, over half of which I bought when I was with someone. Although at the time it didn't seem like I was doing it to appear as though I could afford it, looking back on this now it is probably the only reason I did buy them.
I asked some friends to show me some makeup they bought because they was with someone, but they didn't actually need (or use!), and all of them said that they had done this.
Not everyone has done this, but if you have then total the price of the products that you bought but didn't need, and leave it in a comment, or tell me the thing that you regret buying just because you had the money to.
Veblen also questioned whether our sense of taste and beauty was just a reflection of the costliness, or because we do actually think that the item is beautiful and worth our money. Sometimes we buy things that are expensive that we are never going to use. I once bought a bright blue eyeshadow from Estee Lauder just because of the brand name even though I was well aware that its something that I would never use. It's safe to say that's long gone now though.
Are you a Sucker Consumer?
Airbrushing is used in so many advertisements, and the majority of the audience is aware of it, but yet they still have high hopes for a product that wouldn't be that effective. Some people believe that airbrushing in adverts should be banned, but if it is, then shouldn't the use of false lashes in mascara adverts be banned too?
Mark Paterson discussed the sucker consumer, and the savvy consumer. The sucker consumer believes what they are told about a product, and they go out and buy a product because of one simple advert. Once they have the product they use it only for the one purpose that it was advertised for, and if it doesn't work for them they throw it away. (Am I describing you?)
The savvy consumer on the other hand, researches a product, sees if there is something just as good but better value, the same price but with more product, even just an outright cheaper product of the same quality. They buy the product with the best quality and value. Once the product is in their possession they find other ways to use it, or change it so something else. (With makeup this can include pressing a loose eyeshadow that was better value for money, or mixing two cheaper ones to create a colour that is the same as one that would be triple the price that they paid for the two, pressing a loose face powder that was a better value for money, or using a lipstick as a cheek product too). The savvy consumer gets the most out of a product they paid the smallest possible price for. If the original purpose they bought the product for doesn't work for them they find another way to get their moneys worth.
Here are some examples:
Leave a comment letting me know which one person you relate to more, and if you want to change the type of consumer you are.
Being a savvy consumer or a sucker consumer involves the attitudes we hold towards objects and purchases, as does commodity fetishism, which was something that Karl Marx spoke about. Marx suggested that we are in a society overwhelmingly obsessed with objects, and suggested that we treat some objects as though they have special powers, even though we think that our purchases are modern and up to date our attitudes towards them is not even close.
Bourdieu considered the view that our class is reinforced by our purchases, this includes the makeup that we buy. Working class makeup wearers are more likely to go for the cheaper makeup, which generally has less shade range. Whereas middle class people would more likely buy high end makeup which is more expensive but has a wider shade range. Although they could be similar products the limited shade range means that working class people are more likely to get a foundation that is too dark and look orange. An orange face is judged by other girls, affecting the individuals self esteem and therefore their identity too. This means that they are likely to conform to the label that they have been given and continue to keep buying the things that their class are more likely to buy. This 'class fraction' shows the line between middle class spending habits, and working class spending habits, Bourdieu did argue that the decisions we make that can in some way reinforce our position in the class structure, but are made fairly automatically so the class division is how we are bought up and we don't completely control the choices we make while shopping.
Mark Paterson discussed the sucker consumer, and the savvy consumer. The sucker consumer believes what they are told about a product, and they go out and buy a product because of one simple advert. Once they have the product they use it only for the one purpose that it was advertised for, and if it doesn't work for them they throw it away. (Am I describing you?)
The savvy consumer on the other hand, researches a product, sees if there is something just as good but better value, the same price but with more product, even just an outright cheaper product of the same quality. They buy the product with the best quality and value. Once the product is in their possession they find other ways to use it, or change it so something else. (With makeup this can include pressing a loose eyeshadow that was better value for money, or mixing two cheaper ones to create a colour that is the same as one that would be triple the price that they paid for the two, pressing a loose face powder that was a better value for money, or using a lipstick as a cheek product too). The savvy consumer gets the most out of a product they paid the smallest possible price for. If the original purpose they bought the product for doesn't work for them they find another way to get their moneys worth.
Here are some examples:
- Person A (sucker consumer): Sees an eyeshadow they already have a similar colour of advertised, buys the eyeshadow, doesn't like the eyeshadow, so keeps it until it expires and then throws it out, and realises they could have spent that £15 on something a little more wise and useful like saving up for a new laptop?
- Person B (savvy consumer): Sees an eyeshadow they already have a similar colour of advertised, so decides not to buy it. They wait for a new lipstick that is nothing like they already have. When they see it advertised they check blogs and testers in the shop to see if it's anything like they already have, they ask people they know who have the product if they think it's worth the money. They decide to opt for a cheaper version of the product from a different brand. When they have bought the product they use it to the full potential, by using it on the cheeks occasionally and mixing it with other colours to create something they don't have. When they realise they have stopped getting use out of the product they sanitise it a give it to a friend so that it all gets used before it expires.
Leave a comment letting me know which one person you relate to more, and if you want to change the type of consumer you are.
Being a savvy consumer or a sucker consumer involves the attitudes we hold towards objects and purchases, as does commodity fetishism, which was something that Karl Marx spoke about. Marx suggested that we are in a society overwhelmingly obsessed with objects, and suggested that we treat some objects as though they have special powers, even though we think that our purchases are modern and up to date our attitudes towards them is not even close.
Bourdieu considered the view that our class is reinforced by our purchases, this includes the makeup that we buy. Working class makeup wearers are more likely to go for the cheaper makeup, which generally has less shade range. Whereas middle class people would more likely buy high end makeup which is more expensive but has a wider shade range. Although they could be similar products the limited shade range means that working class people are more likely to get a foundation that is too dark and look orange. An orange face is judged by other girls, affecting the individuals self esteem and therefore their identity too. This means that they are likely to conform to the label that they have been given and continue to keep buying the things that their class are more likely to buy. This 'class fraction' shows the line between middle class spending habits, and working class spending habits, Bourdieu did argue that the decisions we make that can in some way reinforce our position in the class structure, but are made fairly automatically so the class division is how we are bought up and we don't completely control the choices we make while shopping.
Why are Advertising Techniques so Effective?
I have briefly mentioned the techniques used in advertising in my essay and was a topic area that needed to be researched in more depth. Here are some of the techniques that I have found to be recurring and some examples in advertising in the beauty industry concentrating mainly on makeup.
There are many ways that we are drawn to a product and although advertising it seems like a simple single step there is far more detail in them that the target audience does not seem to be affected by, but when thought about, everything is there to sell the product. So what things are in these adverts for certain makeup products that we over look, but still affect our views on the product?
First is the individual, or group of people, that are in the advert. Celebrities are often seen advertising a certain brand or product, and this could influence people who admire them and look up to them to purchase from that particular brand. Here are just a few that come to mind:
The techniques used in advertising are key to who buys the product, for someone who doesn't like to be a follower but someone who likes to be followed in their sense of purchases then some adverts suggests that using a particular product would put them ahead of everyone else, meaning that they want to buy the product quickly because they don't want to seem like they are following everyone else.
The opposite of being a leader is a being a follower which is another technique used. If individuals don't want to be left behind they might 'jump on the bandwagon' meaning that they buy a particular product because other people have it, and don't want to be left behind. This is exploited in advertising as the company make the audience believe that they are one of the few people who are yet to own and try this product.
When asking a friend about how adverts affect her choices as a consumer she mentioned that sometimes she likes to have a product so she feels as though she is part of the group who has it. Although this links to 'jumping on the bandwagon' it also links to how some brands appeal to consumers who want to be part of an elite group of people who own the product. Beauty adverts that use this technique often show women in expensive clothes and are set in extravagant places to portray the owner of the product to have this type of lifestyle.
On the opposite end of this scale if settings are simple and the people using the product are ordinary people it is portrayed that the users of the product could be anyone so the product appeals to the average consumer.
Adverts use statements that seem as though they have a positive meaning even though they aren't actually providing a guaranteed result from the product. For example when an advert uses statistics with the words 'up to' beforehand. 'up to 90% of women agree' this means a percentage below or equal to 90% (it could be as little as 12%), but that is not what the consumer is told.
Some products claim to have a special ingredient, that has just been discovered for a new use makes the new product seem much better than any that were previously used. But would the average consumer look into this, or just take the companies word for it?
If someone is still looking for that something extra they might be more likely to buy something if they are going to get more for their money, for example if you buy one product from a particular company you might get some free samples of other products. This works as a small bribe but also makes the consumer try out more of their products, leading them on to purchase more, and a vicious cycle of trying new things and buying them arrives.
Source: http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson1166/PersuasiveTechniques.pdf
There are many ways that we are drawn to a product and although advertising it seems like a simple single step there is far more detail in them that the target audience does not seem to be affected by, but when thought about, everything is there to sell the product. So what things are in these adverts for certain makeup products that we over look, but still affect our views on the product?
First is the individual, or group of people, that are in the advert. Celebrities are often seen advertising a certain brand or product, and this could influence people who admire them and look up to them to purchase from that particular brand. Here are just a few that come to mind:
- Cheryl Cole for L'Oreal
- Emma Stone for Revlon
- Alesha Dixon for Avon
- Kate Moss for Rimmel
- Eva Longoria for L'oreal
- Cara Delavigne for Burberry
- Zooey Deschanel for Rimmel
- Lily Cole for The Body Shop
Emma Stone for Revlon.
There have also been many other celebrities that have collaborated with MAC and OPI that produce collections that are then wanted by fans of those particular celebrities, some examples of that is Mariah Carey for OPI, Katy Perry for OPI, and Hayley Williams for MAC. These people can be seen as opinion leaders, which influence other people to buy the products.
Hayley Williams MAC Collection.
The techniques used in advertising are key to who buys the product, for someone who doesn't like to be a follower but someone who likes to be followed in their sense of purchases then some adverts suggests that using a particular product would put them ahead of everyone else, meaning that they want to buy the product quickly because they don't want to seem like they are following everyone else.
The opposite of being a leader is a being a follower which is another technique used. If individuals don't want to be left behind they might 'jump on the bandwagon' meaning that they buy a particular product because other people have it, and don't want to be left behind. This is exploited in advertising as the company make the audience believe that they are one of the few people who are yet to own and try this product.
When asking a friend about how adverts affect her choices as a consumer she mentioned that sometimes she likes to have a product so she feels as though she is part of the group who has it. Although this links to 'jumping on the bandwagon' it also links to how some brands appeal to consumers who want to be part of an elite group of people who own the product. Beauty adverts that use this technique often show women in expensive clothes and are set in extravagant places to portray the owner of the product to have this type of lifestyle.
On the opposite end of this scale if settings are simple and the people using the product are ordinary people it is portrayed that the users of the product could be anyone so the product appeals to the average consumer.
Some products claim to have a special ingredient, that has just been discovered for a new use makes the new product seem much better than any that were previously used. But would the average consumer look into this, or just take the companies word for it?
If someone is still looking for that something extra they might be more likely to buy something if they are going to get more for their money, for example if you buy one product from a particular company you might get some free samples of other products. This works as a small bribe but also makes the consumer try out more of their products, leading them on to purchase more, and a vicious cycle of trying new things and buying them arrives.
Source: http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson1166/PersuasiveTechniques.pdf
Tuesday 12 March 2013
Advertising Models and Consumer Behaviour
Do you buy high end makeup just because the brand has released a new product, and it is advertised as having better qualities? I'm gulity of it, and I know that you are too! Even if you haven't there is a high chance that you have definitely thought about it, even if it was just for a second.
We all expect higher end products to be better, purely because they are more expensive. But if you look hard enough then I'm sure you won't feel as though you absolutely have to but high end products again.
The media is constantly pushing new products onto our televisions, into our newspapers and covering our magazines. And we just accept that there is a new product that we apparently need, and head to the nearest shop with our cards or cash, almost as if it were a necessity to our existence. We just accept it. If you think that you don't do this then the next time an advert pops on to your television screen in the middle of your favourite program, concentrate on what the first things that came into your mind really were. There was probably something about how the product would be good for you or how you need to pick it up next time you're near a counter of that brand. How many new products have you bought just because you have been told it's great on an advert? My answer is quite a few. This is the hypodermic needle model this suggests that the media is injecting us (the passive audience) with the idea that we need this product.
The hypodermic needle model (included briefly in my essay) affects our consumption. This model suggests that we are mindlessly and thoughtlessly buying the products that are advertised purely because we are told to. The need for stuff is growing continuously, but in reality we don't need all of these things, how much of the makeup that you own really gets a lot of use? And adding to it every time a new product is advertised is hardly going to help the situation. To put it more clearly, I am stating that people shouldn't buy products that they don't need, but in this statement I am being hypocritical, as I do this constantly.
What some people don't realise is that many high end brands, are owned by 'drugstore' brands, or own 'drugstore' brands, meaning that many of their products are actually extremely similar! (if you want to find out about what brands are connected then I have also written a post on this)
So why do people pay £31 for a blusher from Chanel (maybe something like this) when they can get something that is extremely similar, so similar in fact that the owners of the brands are the same for a fraction of the price, like Bourjois for £7.49 (for example this product), I have found a video comparing the two, this comparison is from a makeup artist, so if it's okay for him then why not the average makeup user too?
We all expect higher end products to be better, purely because they are more expensive. But if you look hard enough then I'm sure you won't feel as though you absolutely have to but high end products again.
The media is constantly pushing new products onto our televisions, into our newspapers and covering our magazines. And we just accept that there is a new product that we apparently need, and head to the nearest shop with our cards or cash, almost as if it were a necessity to our existence. We just accept it. If you think that you don't do this then the next time an advert pops on to your television screen in the middle of your favourite program, concentrate on what the first things that came into your mind really were. There was probably something about how the product would be good for you or how you need to pick it up next time you're near a counter of that brand. How many new products have you bought just because you have been told it's great on an advert? My answer is quite a few. This is the hypodermic needle model this suggests that the media is injecting us (the passive audience) with the idea that we need this product.
The hypodermic needle model (included briefly in my essay) affects our consumption. This model suggests that we are mindlessly and thoughtlessly buying the products that are advertised purely because we are told to. The need for stuff is growing continuously, but in reality we don't need all of these things, how much of the makeup that you own really gets a lot of use? And adding to it every time a new product is advertised is hardly going to help the situation. To put it more clearly, I am stating that people shouldn't buy products that they don't need, but in this statement I am being hypocritical, as I do this constantly.
Although the majority of the makeup I own isn't from a high end brand, I cannot stress enough how much makeup I have that I just don't need, I doubt all of this will get used up buy its expiry date, but I'm holding on to it anyway. In fact the majority of my products are unopened. I hated having all of these products I never used so I the things that weren't opened I gave away, and the things that were open I sanitised and passed on to someone who would get more use out of it than I was. I used to see this as a collection of things that I like but now I just see it as money that I have wasted on bottles full of chemicals. But I have come to a point were I no longer want to be part of this consumer driven society where the commodity fetishism is driving us all..
Less stuff, less stress right? Everything feels clearer now I have cleared away the things that I don't use. Before I considered myself a savvy consumer when in reality I was a sucker consumer, but now I completely believe that I am a more savvy consumer.
What some people don't realise is that many high end brands, are owned by 'drugstore' brands, or own 'drugstore' brands, meaning that many of their products are actually extremely similar! (if you want to find out about what brands are connected then I have also written a post on this)
So why do people pay £31 for a blusher from Chanel (maybe something like this) when they can get something that is extremely similar, so similar in fact that the owners of the brands are the same for a fraction of the price, like Bourjois for £7.49 (for example this product), I have found a video comparing the two, this comparison is from a makeup artist, so if it's okay for him then why not the average makeup user too?
What are the main things that appeal to you when buying a high end makeup product? The adverts that have been showing you the products, the people around you, the ingredients, the formula, the finish, the packaging, the shade range, or is it just the brand name? Let me know what you personally think that has made you buy a high end makeup product, because here is what I have found:
I asked 6 people 'What draws their attention to higher end makeup?' Giving the options listed, and for each they said yes to I marked a tally, so here are the results:
Adverts: I I I I I I
Shade range: I I I I
Ingredients: I I I
Formula: I I I I I
Friends/family members/others opinions: I I I I I I I
Finish: I I I
The lasting power: I I I I I
Packaging: I I I I I I
Brand name: I I I I I I I I I
So nine out of the ten people I asked agreed that a brand name is something that draws them in. Let me know what draws your attention the most to higher end products in the comments! But if everyone was to ignore it would the brand name would become irrelevant? If so then all we as the consumer would be interested in was the quality of a product, value for money and possibly other peoples opinions.
But can't you get the same thing from cheaper, lower end makeup? Yes! A lot of the time it is possible for you to find something that is the same in a lot of ways (so that the difference is hardly noticeable). But it's clear from the results I gathered that consumers are influenced by the name of the brand, but just because the name is there it doesn't make the product change. Next time you are buying a high end product, you should ask yourself if you would buy the exact same product if it wasn't Chanel, Burberry or something of the same stature. Do you actually need that particular product or could you buy something the same or extremely similar for a fraction of the price? Let me know with a comment!
The AIDA model (which I also mentioned in my essay) shows that the companies create this need for the products. First they create the awareness, then the interest and the desire. The companies that are producing the adverts are the reason we are creating the first three steps of the model and all the consumers do is mindlessly fulfil the action. We assume that because a high end brand name is on the product it's going to be great and work well for us, but everybody has different skin. So a product that works for one person isn't necessarily going to work for you, which means that a cheaper brand could possibly benefit you more, even though it may be looked down on by other people.
The desire from this model can be created by the company in a number of ways. Certain techniques are used by companies to create this by causing an awareness, and interest. Some brands sponsor programmes that have an audience that is the same or similar to the target audience of the product or brand. One example of this is that the programme Made in Chelsea, is sponsored by Rimmel (the majority of viewers for Made in Chelsea is young female audience as is the target audience for the makeup brand Rimmel). They create a higher awareness of the brand or product, some PR companies send out their products to certain people who write blogs, or create videos on YouTube to promote their products with reviews and recommendations. Some bloggers write sponsored posts, which they are paid for in order to create an awareness of the product or brand in general, the readers and followers of the blog then become aware of the particular product but read the review, and how it works, and the writers opinions it so their interest grows.
If the reader only follows one blog who has written about the product they might research into it more to increase interest higher, the desire then occurs, some of the time the reader feels although they need to buy the product simply because so many other people have it (I mean who hasn't felt like this?) So the desire could stem from actually wanting the product, or it could be because they are envious of the people that already own it. When the desire has grown to the point where they believe that they have to have the product they take action, which is the last step in the model, and purchase the product, which is giving in to consumer society, and in turn also giving in to capitalism.
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