Business Research Project
Michael G. Baab
University of Phoenix
RES 341
November 29, 2009
Introduction – IRP
The cosmetic industry has always been a domain for women from cleansing products, face scrubs, hair removal kits and moisturizers. However, today’s cosmetics counters are becoming a lot more prevalent with cosmetics for men, from grooming products to health and lifestyle magazines. Times change and so do stigmas, what was not considered normal 20 years ago is now considered standard and; leading female products such as Nivea and Dove to name a few are developing new strategies for targeting men as these companies need to stay at the cutting edge in order to keep up with the growing demand of men wanting to take a different approach to grooming. (Blakwell, Minard and Engel, 2000) “Consumer behavior of men can be explained as how, when and what they buy. It is further explained as the activities people undertake when obtaining and disposing of products and services. (Blakwell, Minard and Engel, 2000)
Glenn Voss and A. Parasuraman (2003) conducted a survey to better understand the purchase preference of men; their survey revealed that men’s purchases are primarily determined by price and pre-purchase evaluation. Their study also revealed that explicit product quality knowledge had no effect on price, price on pre-purchase and post consumption quality perceptions. Another research study conducted by Andrew Chernev (1997) on brand awareness studied the effects brand had on men, Andrew Chernev states “ when value on important attributes are in a brand they are likely to have a positive impact on the purchase of a particular brand.” (Chernev.A, 1997)
Finally, Frank Vigneron and Lestor Johnson (1999) conducted a study on the beauty consciousness in men; their study revealed that due to the changes in the times, men are becoming more cognizant of their appearance. This change has created a boom in the cosmetics industry to shift its...