Branding: Elizabeth Arden launch its skincare line in China

Cosmetics and fragrances US giant Elizabeth Arden has been launched in 2005 across mainland China, focusing on Shanghai and Hong Kong. After having commercialized their iconic red door fragrance, it’s their skincare line that they’re putting out on the Chinese market.

Western creams and masks are popular in China

As Chinese consumers are keen on all types of masks (sheet masks, clay and argile masks, peel-off masks…), their Eight Hour Skincare Line was met with spectacular popularity : western creams are sometimes known to be a tad too expensive for Chinese skin, that’s why Chinese bloggers made the Eight Hour Cream popular in China by using it as a sleeping mask (a mask you put on your skin before sleeping and that you leave on your face during the night) or as a treatment mask.

What’s Elizabeth Arden’s branding strategy in China?

It seems Elizabeth Arden has kept it quite simple.

First, for their naming in China, they have chosen the name 伊丽莎白雅顿Yilishabai Yadun, which is a phonetic translation of the brand’s original name, but using characters that would appeal to Chinese consumers because of their link to the beauty and cosmetics world: the character 白bai means whitening, which is a property lots of Chinese women seek for in a cosmetic product, while the character ya means elegance. Even if one was not to know Elizabeth Arden, reading the name would be enough for this person to know what it’s selling : cosmetics, and given the length of the brand name, there’s no mistaking the foreign origins of it. Indeed, it’s quite in opposition to the usual 3 to 4 characters name used in China: sometimes, it can become an asset to stray away from the route everyone has taken, just like Elizabeth Arden has done.

On top of that, they have chosen to keep it simple as for the skincare lines: they’ve named their millennium range 银级系列Yin Ji Xi Lie which can be translated as Silver Line, relaying the ideas of finesse and purity, and their ceramide range 时空系列Shi Kong Xi Lie, meaning Temporal Line, accurately attracting middle aged women by the anti-aging promise kept in the name. By choosing names that would appeal to the Chinese clientele and that would at the same time carry the main focus of the line, Elizabeth Arden has built a winning marketing strategy in China, accounting for 20 per cent of their business according to branding consultants.

Additionally, Elizabeth Arden has developed Asia-exclusive skincare lines such as its White Glove Skincare Line, and a few beauty capsules, that Asian women love, matching their original skincare lines.

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