Marketing Makeup for Men

Makeup for men is gaining increased marketing attention worldwide. "Makup for men is a thing now" read the headline on MarketWatch last August, and it's even more of a thing in 2018.

For instance, David Beckham has a new men's grooming brand, House 99, marketed by L'Oreal. Just launched--and already its Facebook page has more than 11k followers.

MMUK Man opened the first retail store specifically for men's skin-care products only a few months ago. The five-year-old brand is growing rapidly and showing bigger brands that this is a niche worth watching.

Another startup, Ava-J, is also leveraging men's interest in skin care by marketing grooming products and looking for boutique distribution, not supermarket distribution.

Cosmetics for men are a major trend in China these days, where global brands like L'Oreal, Nivea, and Clinique are especially prized.

Watch for more major brands to launch product lines targeting men and create distribution deals to ensure that men know where they can find these new products in retail channels.

Global Brands Market to China

Nissan Micra

The consumer market in China, which has seen its buying power grow year after year, continues to be the focus of many multinational brands' marketing efforts.

The Japanese automaker Nissan recently announced that it expects China will be the brand's top market within four years. Detroit-based Ford has actively marketed to Chinese consumers for years and, after a reset in 2018 to introduce new products, it sees China as a key market. "In China, you get a big uptick with a new product. And if you don’t have new product, you pay a little bit of a price for that," explains a senior Ford official.

California-based streetwear brand Vans is emphasizing social and digital media in targeting Chinese consumers, using the highly popular WeChat social network in particular. Well-known global fashion brands like YSL, Chanel and Dior are extending their names to makeup products and attracting fans in China, competing with established cosmetics brands popular there, such as Estee Lauder and Shiseido.

Brands can pursue omnichannel marketing to offer consumers in China multiple ways of making a purchase. The ecommerce giant Alibaba, for instance, serves as a valuable distribution channel for global brands like Burberry.

Meanwhile, Chinese brands are targeting US consumers. As just one example, China-based automaker GAC will begin marketing its electric cars and SUVs in America next year. Watch for more Chinese brands to enter Western markets year after year, even as US brands continue entering China.