Student Blog

Arlie Abraam 4/1/26

Rare VS Rhode

Rare Beauty is a beauty brand founded by Selena Gomez. Rhode is another popular beauty brand founded by Hailey Bieber. The beauty industry is already extremely competitive and saturated with celebrity brands.

Competitor Praise & Quick Judgements

Competitor praise can be as simple as a company congratulating another company on a milestone anniversary. Having a positive attitude towards your competitors makes you seem sportsmanlike and not a sore loser. It shows your customers you can be warm and friendly. Large companies can often seem cold, cutthroat, and impersonal to consumers. Therefore, seeing large corporations acknowledge each other’s successes can humanize a company.

Seeing companies comment on TikTok has become more popular. These companies do praise each other or have fun banter in the comment section for consumers to see or further publicize. For example, Duolingo did a publicity stunt where the mascot died. A lot of major brands commented on the TikTok videos about the “death” and said favorable things about the brand. Short comments allow consumers to make quick judgments on the brand. This is an example of the thin-slice theory, where consumers decide how they perceive a brand based on little content. Commenting as if the brand is in on the joke can make the consumer feel like the brand is more relatable.

When a company shows a positive attitude towards competitors, they seem less greedy to consumers. For example, Harvard Business discusses how consumers might appreciate a nicer tone in a competitive world, such as the New York Times, encouraging readers to be open to other trusted news sources. This doesn’t mean consumers will never read the New York Times again, but it does create brand trust and loyalty. The New York Times is giving readers a suggestion and acknowledging that they are not the only new source with reliable information.

Citations

Balas, B., Kanwisher, N., & Saxe, R. (2012). Thin-slice perception develops slowly. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 112(2), 257–264. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2012.01.002

Cutright, K. M., Du, K. M., & Zhou, L. (2022, March 24). Research: When Praising the Competition Benefits Your Brand. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2022/03/research-when-praising-the-competition-benefits-your-brand

Peracchio, L. A., & Luna, D. (2006). The Role of Thin-Slice Judgments in Consumer Psychology. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 16(1), 25–32. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327663jcp1601_5

Arlie Abraam 3/14/26

I have recently found my new favorite perfume from Rare Beauty. It is their first perfume that they have launched. Rare has only launched different makeup products. It is different than other perfumes I have seen because of the enhancements you can buy separately. The perfume is good on its own, but if you want to layer the scent, you can buy one of the balms.

I found the marketing campaign for this product interesting because it is a common product, but it had an interesting twist. One of the first times I heard about the new perfume was when Rare Beauty put up a poster on the sidewalk in Soho with a scratch-and-sniff. People walking by could actually rub the perfume bottle and smell the new perfume.

Rare Beauty needed to strategically pick where these posters were going to be in order to get the most exposure. This campaign got millions of views on Instagram and TikTok because people passing by found it interesting and used social media. If this were placed in an area with the wrong demographic, it wouldn’t have gotten the same social media exposure. With the sample on the board and the QR code to order samples works to attract new customers.

The different perfume balms expand the potential customer base. Perfumes have to appeal to the majority in order to have good sales. Therefore, Rare Beauty created four different scents that complement and add to the main scent. These scents include Amber Vanilla, Floral Peony Blossom, Woody Oak, and Fresh Bergamot. This shows that Rare Beauty considered the psychographics of their target audience. This increases sales and consumer interest.

It is important to consider the demographics and geographical elements when deciding where to market your products. Behavioral and psychographic characteristics are beneficial when designing your product and how it can benefit your customer. When all of these elements are considered, the customer feels considered and even catered to.

I would be interested in looking more into firmographic segmentation. I work for my mom’s business and we do a lot of business-to-business sales. I am trying to create marketing strategies for her. This could be helpful to see how businesses make purchases and what influences their purchasing decisions specifically.

Citations

Hoenig, Henry. “Understanding Market Segmentation: A Comprehensive Guide.” Investopedia, 12 June 2025, http://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/marketsegmentation.asp.

Mejia, Maya Isabella. “Stop & Smell the Marketing.” Medium, Marketing in the Age of Digital, 18 Oct. 2025, medium.com/@mim8076/stop-smell-the-marketing-499d01164bcd.

“Rare Beauty, Sniffable Billboards and Collapsing Funnels – MediaCat UK.” MediaCat UK, 6 Aug. 2025, mediacat.uk/rare-beauty-billboards-offer-perfume-samples-to-nyc-pedestrians/#.

Arlie Abraam 3/8/26

I will be researching Nike’s marketing strategies and, more specifically, Nike Swim.

It is important to consider how the product will make the target audience feel. Can the customer improve their value by owning this item? How will potential customers see current customers with the product?

The way consumers view the company’s brand is how they will view the products, whether they need the item or not. For example, if two lipsticks in the same shade were put in front of me, I would view them as identical. If I were told one lipstick is Rare Beauty and the other is e.l.f. Cosmetics, I would choose Rare Beauty as it holds more value to me.

Nike is known as a footwear brand. They have expanded the apparel category because of the company’s affiliation with sports. Basketball players, track stars, and football players do need top-of-the-line footwear, but they also need uniforms. Nike has all kinds of sports apparel, including shorts, leggings, windbreakers, sports bras, and compression sleeves.

Nike has claimed to offer both lifestyle and athletic benefits with Nike Swim. I am curious how Nike has expanded into swimwear because I have not seen anyone wear it before. Swimming is a sport, and I have probably seen an athlete wear a swimsuit with a Nike logo on it at the Olympics, for example. However, since Nike has broadened it’s target audience from athletes, can the swim line be for more than just athletes?

“About.” Nike Swim, 2026, nswim.com.au/pages/about. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.

Fay, Ann. “Nike and the Quest for the Perfect Athletic Swimwear.” Outdoor Equipped, 4 Aug. 2021, http://www.outdoorequipped.com/blogs/news/nike-and-the-quest-for-the-perfect-athletic-swimwear?srsltid=AfmBOoop5Rwq7h9Q2nbcZWBJCaTW__Jl-o6yQ45iLjrSSw_0NuNmohYS. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.

Ford Motor Company has a good reputation because it is an American-made brand that builds reliable vehicles. Ford was established in 1903 by Henry Ford. The company is still thriving and grossed $26.558 billion in 2024 (Macrotrends, 2025). Ford is one of the top motor companies in America, with the Ford F-series being the number one selling vehicle in America. Ford has consistently produced a range of high-quality vehicles and services over the years. Ford has invested $5.5 billion in electric vehicles due to consumer demand. The consumer demand can be debated, whether it is driven by government mandates or if driven by true consumer wants. However, there is a market for eco-friendly products in every industry. Cars are not sustainable and transportation has been the center of individual conservation conversations. For example, people are told to ride bikes instead of driving cars, or take the bus around the city instead. The goal is to eliminate unnecessary car usage and, in the greater timeline, eliminate cars. However, I only see this happening for large cities with adequate public transportation. I do not live in a city where I could easily get around by bus, bike, or foot. America is a vast country with many cities that do not offer public transport, making it nearly impossible to get around without using a personal car. This target population, combined with eco-conscious consumers, creates the market for electric vehicles. Electric vehicles are only focusing on one piece of the car, which makes it harmful to the environment. Another large issue in the car industry is tires. A minimum of 4 tires are needed on all vehicles and should be replaced every 6-10 years. The EPA reports that 800 million tires are disposed of annually. There are also chemicals from tires that are contaminating our waterways through run-off. Therefore, an eco-friendly tire would be an important product for Ford Motor Company to produce. It would create positive public relations for the company as well as a positive impact on our society. 

The target audience is growing for products similar to this. I would like to see where the target audience lives and see if it surprises me. The audience could be larger than expected and in areas other than where it is easy to drive electric vehicles. Eco-friendly tires offer an alternative way to improve the impact your car is making without changing your transportation method. The tires would be sold the same way and in the same places current tires are sold. Some consumers might be skeptical of this new product, so the safety features must be highlighted when advertised. Incentives could make the tire more appealing to the target audience as well. It is important to know what incentives and prices the competition uses when selling tires. The car industry is vast and competitive; therefore, it is important to have competitive pricing. It will be important to learn if Ford or competitors follow up with customers after buying a vehicle to see if they need new tires. The Environmental Protection Agency and the Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council are investigating the impacts of 6PPD, which is used on tires to decrease degradation. It is unclear if there will be lawsuits or fines placed on any companies, but it would be beneficial for Ford to introduce the first eco-friendly tire to the market. I will be using secondary research to gain more insight into competitors and the target audience.

“Ford Motor Gross Profit 2010-2023 | F.” Www.macrotrends.net, http://www.macrotrends.net/stocks/charts/F/ford-motor/gross-profit#google_vignette.

“Where Rubber Meets the Road: EPA Researchers Study the Environmental and Health Impacts of Tires | US EPA.” US EPA, 6 Aug. 2024, http://www.epa.gov/sciencematters/where-rubber-meets-road-epa-researchers-study-environmental-and-health-impacts-tires.