Investing in Beauty
As a leading publisher of women's glossy monthly magazines, beauty is a category of key importance to IPC SouthBank. Investing in Beauty is a comprehensive research project which explores consumers' attitudes to premium beauty products, price points and promotions.
Among the key findings are,
• The identification of two distinct types of premium beauty consumer, Brand Loyalists and Experimentalists
• A three stage purchase decision making process during which media has potentially a lesser or greater influence
Loyalists - always buy the same premium beauty brand; feel overwhelmed by the huge selection of premium beauty products in store; feel intimidated by in-store beauty advisors
Experimentalists - like to try out and experiment with premium beauty products; enjoy visiting the beauty counter; claim that magazines help them find out about beauty products before going shopping; word of mouth is key … as is advice from their magazine's beauty expert
Three stages of purchase - Awareness, Active information gathering, Final decision.
A multitude of influences effect each stage and media's potential to determine the outcome varies:
Awareness. Glossy magazines and the internet are the only media to feature in the top 10 list of influencers
Active. TV is not as strong at this stage but websites play an important role. Glossy magazines are used as reference guides. The most effective forms of advertising are those where the consumer is in control.
Final. Glossy magazines are the only form of advertising to perform above average, having an even stronger influence than editorial in newspaper supplements. Direct mail is also valuable and, to a lesser extent, TV.
For much more information and /or to arrange an appointment to see Investing in Beauty in full, please contact the IPC SouthBank Insight team Lynne Springett or you can download the summary presentation here.
