lush. luxurious.

and again: it ends and starts with marketing.

i got to know lush in brasil last year, although they were sent away from the mall there, as the neighbours were complaining about the smell. if you ask me, those people will always have something to bitch about, as lush is a natural soapstore. the scents are amazing! but anyhow, from this mall in salvador they were banned; fortunately they are gaining in the Netherlands. and they ought to! 

as i wrote in a previous post, talking about my convictions about market niches and their right to existence, i believe that when companies truly understand their markets and the fit between (groups of) customers and their mission in life, they will overcome and succeed…

lush is one of those.

the mission of the company is one of fresh, handmade and natural cosmetics. now, i am not particularly crazy about cosmetics in general, but even i go crazy in this store, just because of the beautifully chosen positioning of their products. all of the products, the shampoos, the moisturizers, soaps, cremes, you name it, are as natural as possible. shampoos come in the shape of tablets, showergels in the shape of Jell-O and all of the products are presented in very basic and effective packaging. no bright colours, no excessive attention-drawing shapes and lids, just basic packaging. packaging, by the way, that you can take back, have it filled and get a discount on your next purchase. talk about putting your money where your mouth is… 

i love this. because, although i realise that they will never be a major player in the cosmetics market, they have understood one of the basics about marketing strategy: can your mission be strategised into a (n almost) perfect fit with segments of the market? their answer, as far as i’m concerned, is “yes we can!”