Felisa cosmetics to invest more on brand marketing

Malaysia-based Felisa Cosmetics Private Ltd., a new entrant to the Philippine cosmetic industry, is poised to invest more on branding campaigns to hit its upper-end target market.

Although Felisa cosmetics brand has strongly established itself in Malaysia, Filipina proprietress Felisa Palis said the company has to work hard in developing a market-base in the Philippines, so that it can pursue its plan to offer Felisa's Cosmetics Center for franchise.

In an interview with Palis, she said that aside from spreading product awareness to the cosmetic end-users, both men and women, the company has also decided to establish the brand early to the children.

She said introducing the brand to next generation cosmetic users would help strengthen its brand-recall in the future, thus, she will also spend on product awareness to hold several campaigns largely involve children, such as creating a "Little Miss Felisa", and "Felisa Make-Over" campaigns for teenager and adult consumers.

Based on branding creation study, companies are advised to build their brands early through exposing it to the children or the Generation Y population, those who are born from 1980 onwards.

Palis opened her one-stop-shop vanity center, offering her products like make-up collections, body care, hair care, skin care, and specialized treatment products, the Felisa Cosmetics Center, Spa and Wellness along Gorordo Avenue here in Cebu early this year.

She admitted that the company still has to work harder in order to establish her brand here especially that Filipino market is a brand conscious consumers.

Her products, which is targeted for upper middle to high-end markets, is closely competing with international brands like L'oreal, Maybelline in Malaysia, and Singapore, she said.

Palis said the Felisa Cosmetics Center, Spa and Wellness is the only vanity center in the Philippines, that is offering its own brand.

Palis, a native of Dumanjug, Cebu, migrated to Malaysia some years ago, and went through several seminars and workshops and research and development (R&D) on soap making, and later cosmetics manufacturing. Now, she is active in the company's R&D operation.

In Malaysia she said the company had been allocating P60 million to P70 million for promotion a year. The company is planning to invest large amount, although not a huge amount as in Malaysia, to establish good branding foundation for Felisa Cosmetics in the Philippines.

Soon, Felisa one-stop-shop vanity center will be open in Davao, she said.

She said there is a huge potential for her products in the Philippine market, although the company has to spend a huge amount for promotional investments as it is still establishing its brand.