Transnational beauty: Avon International and the case of Italy

Abstract

ABSTRACT A clear example of the cultural adaptation process is represented by the global spread of one of the most famous American cosmetics companies, Avon Products. The products related to hygiene and cosmetics, in particular, are deeply influenced by the canons of the dominant culture regarding aesthetics, fashion, morality, gender, religion. This paper will concentrate on one of these challenges, namely, the company’s international strategy in order to expand into different countries, focusing on a case study, Italy. Avon’s history exemplifies the role of light industries during a boom in the economy; it shows the adjustments to a changing market and embodies the challenge of adapting to a different cultural context. Executives at Avon Italy were forced to consider issues like gender and class in their strategies, as their American counterparts did before them, but in a different framework. Moreover, they found that the key to success was the development of targeted marketing for Italian female consumers: a marketing where local sales representatives played a key role.