Ch 5: Developing a Global Vision

Mary Kay: Developing a Global Vision

Since less than a decade, after the company has been founded,  Mary Kay has had a global vision. Mary Kay opened its first international venture in Australia in 1971. Since then, it has expanded to more than 35 markets around the world. Mary Kay products are sold in those markets worldwide, and the company's sales exceed $ 3 billion in wholesale  worldwide. 

  Since 1990, Mary Kay Inc. has experienced significant growth, opening in more than 20 new markets around the world. Its largest markets include China, Mexico, Russia and the United States. Since it is the top selling country, China is the market where the company gets more growth. Mary Kay, which has invested about $100 million in China since 1995, expects sales to increase 30 percent this year, compared with 20 percent last year.  Mary Kay, which sells skin care and color cosmetics through 600,000 independent saleswomen in China, will this year start building a distribution center in Hangzhou, the site of its only overseas plant.

In addition to opening new markets oversea, Mary Kay company gives worldwide  employment opportunity as it is domestically. The Company's global independent sales force exceeds 2.4 million with 600,000 independent beauty saleswomen in China.




Besides that opportunity, Mary Kay  has  developed "The Mary Kay Leadership Program", which aims to stimulate its global recruiting efforts by expanding the business opportunity of the Mary Kay independent sale force in an international forum.

In order to enter global marketplace, Mary Kay company has Chosen direct foreigner investment, which has high risk and high return. The fact that Mary Kay cosmetics products have the best quality and it is well know, the risk is limited. More, the company has adopted global marketing standardization. It is the same way of production and selling the products oversea as domestic.

Mary Kay Inc. has implement global marketing mix in the same way in all its market place.

•  One product, one message: The company promotes its products    oversea the same way domestically through the beauty independent consultants. 

• Place: There is not place for direct selling. Consumers buy directly from consultant.

• Price: The price is same, it may slightly change because of exchange rate.

Social media is the mean that the company adopts to promote its products the most: E-catalog, blog. Each consultant has his own company web, which allows them to promote the product through their personal website.

Mary Kay enjoys a reputation as a respected beauty company and direct seller around the world.