Janelle Aslam is Product Manager of the only FDA-approved analgesic pain patch SALONPAS®, a line of over-the-counter (OTC) personal care products manufactured by Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Co., Inc. of Tosu City, Japan. Janelle has spent the last decade managing top-selling products within the beauty and personal care vertical.
We asked Janelle some questions about marketing beauty and personal care products online, specifically about digital coupons, social media and consumer buying habits.
Q: Do you see digital coupons playing a key role in online product promotions? How?
A: Yes. To build trial and incentivize a consumer to sample products, digital coupons can benefit most brands. The key in implementation of digital coupons is the sophistication of brick-and-mortar registers reading these coupons, ensuring fraud is minimized, and being able to measure results to a greater extent than existing coupon programs.
Q: How does social media help in the personal care products category? Any insights?
A: We view social media as primarily a loyalty builder for personal care/OTC brands as it strengthens the relationship a brand can have with its consumers directly and provide a barometer for consumer sentiment. It can also aid trial and awareness since more consumers state that a recommendation from a friend or a family member means more than a professional recommendation of a new brand, product or service. The key is obtaining internal alignment on your brand’s social media strategy and not relying too heavily on the medium itself to drive your brand objectives. It must be a concerted effort to utilize social media in ways that bolster satisfaction and build rapport.
Q: Have online buying habits changed recently? How must product managers adapt?
A: We have not seen an increase in online orders for our brand, mostly due to the fact that our brand is an OTC and our core consumer is older. Whether the majority of your consumers value e-commerce options or not, brand managers should provide online ordering options to ensure consumers can buy their preferred product as easily as possible.
Q: What cross-cultural marketing trends must global brand managers consider?
A: I believe that a brand image should have more global consistencies, with slight tweaks based on local tendencies, or a “glocal” strategy. It’s also important to scan every business aspect globally to see if there are best practices or lessons learned to factor in to your region-specific objectives.
