• Investment World
• eWorld
• Brand Line
• Mentor
• Life
• Brand Quest
• The New Manager
• Smartbuy

Stocks

• Quotes
• SE Diary
• Scoreboard
• Open-End Mutual Fund

Cross Currency

• Rates
  
  

Shipping

• Ports
  
  

Archives

• Yesterday
• Datewise
• Resources
• In Focus
• In Depth
• Events 2007

Group Sites

• The Hindu
• The Hindu ePaper
• Business Line
• Business Line ePaper
• Sportstar
• Frontline
• The Hindu eBooks
• The Hindu Images

Purvita Chatterjee

Mumbai, Aug. 5 The US-based direct selling company Mary Kay is planning to enter the men’s grooming segment in India with a slew of products ranging from fragrances to soaps. The skincare and cosmetics major, known more for ‘enriching women’s lives’, is now turning to the men’s category.

According to Ms Hina Nagarajan, Country Manager, Mary Kay Cosmetics, “Men’s care is a developing category in India and very few players have made an effort to grow in this category.” While players such as Nivea and Emami have been offering men’s care products, the nascent category is now luring direct sellers such as Mary Kay. “While skincare and whitening will be the predominant range in the Indian market, we will be launching men’s care products and pitting ourselves against retail brands such as Nivea,” said Ms Nagarajan. With 3,000 beauty consultants currently working for Mary Kay, the company would be investing in brand building, training and infrastructure. It has already earmarked an investment of Rs 100 crore, for the next five years, for the Indian market. “We are just 9-months-old in India and have opened our second beauty centre in Mumbai recently,” said Ms Nagarajan.

Rather than other direct selling companies, Mary Kay claims that its real competitors would be the retail brands. “Today, we have Amway as the largest direct selling company in the country but our real competition would be all the retail cosmetic and skincare brands,” said Ms Nagarajan.

In India, the Dallas-headquartered Mary Kay is expecting to repeat its performance in the China market. In China, it has clocked revenues of Rs 2,800 crore in the past 10 years. “We expect to reach a turnover of Rs 100 crore in the next 3-5 years in the Indian market,” Ms Nagarajan said.

Meanwhile, Mary Kay has been developing products specific to the Indian market under its ‘Botanical’ range. It has also launched a new print campaign along with a pageant under the theme Mary Kay Model of Beauty search. “We have a panel of eminent judges, including people like Kiran Bedi and Gopika Pillai, who would choose the faces for our campaign as there will be no celebrity endorsing our brand,” Ms Nagarajan said.

More Stories on : Direct Marketing

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line