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Darrin
C. Duber-Smith |
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 Darrin
C. Duber-SmithDarrin C. Duber-Smith,
MS, MBA, is president of Green Marketing, a Colorado-based strategic
planning firm offering marketing planning, marketing plan
implementation, and other consulting services to natural products
companies in all stages of growth. He has 15 years of specialized
expertise in the natural products industry and is also assistant
professor of marketing at the Metropolitan State College School of
Business in Denver, CO, as well as executive director of the
International Association of Natural Product Producers. He can be
reached at Success@GreenMarketing.net.
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Sustainability: The Green Imperative (TM)
[2005/12/01] [By Darrin C. Duber-Smith, MS, MBA]
As we have only begun to understand the dramatic impact that the human species is having on the environment, the concept of sustainability has emerged, an idea championed by many consumers and a business model that has crept into the practices of an increasing number of organizations.
| Pricing Personal Care Products
[2005/09/30] [By Darrin C. Duber-Smith]
In previous articles, we covered Product and Place, the first two of the famous "Four P’s". In addition to formulating effective product development, product life cycle management, and distribution strategies, the finished goods marketer must also consider a third area when outlining a strategic marketing plan, that of pricing.
| The Power of Place: Alternatives in Distribution
[2005/07/29] [Darrin C. Duber-Smith, MS, MBA]
marketing professionals know that marketers must mind their “P’s”, and as such are responsible for managing all aspects of Product, Promotion, Pricing, and Place strategies and implementation for their organizations. This is a tall order for any corporate executive and its challenges and increasing level of difficulty...
| Natural Personal Care Update: Self-Regulation may be around the Corner
[2005/06/27] [Darrin C. Duber-Smith, MS, MBA]
Last year, I penned an article entitled “The Meaning of Natural: A Call to Action”. That piece became the impetus for initiating and managing a task force comprised of organizations of all shapes and sizes with a specific mission of addressing what makes an ingredient natural. The result was the formation of the International Association of Natural Product Producers (IANPP), a group of 25 organizations, which began a process of defining "natural"...
| Organic Personal Care Update
[2005/05/20] [Darrin C. Duber-Smith, MS, MBA]
One of the greatest points of confusion in the world of personal care products occurs when the word "organic" is used on the label to describe the nature of a particular product. As we know, the words "organic" and "natural" do not necessarily describe the same types of products. The rule of the day is truly "caveat emptor."
| Contract Manufacturing: The Make or Buy Decision
[2005/04/21] [By Darrin C. Duber-Smith, MS, MBA]
Contract manufacturing represents a major segment of any industry’s supply chain. The decision to make your own products or outsource the function is a quandary for many a decision-maker.
| The Role of Marketing in Product Development
[2005/02/15] [Darrin C. Duber-Smith, MS, MBA]
Product development is the foundation by which organizations set and reach measurable objectives related to Return on Investment (ROI), the primary responsibility of any for-profit company. It is therefore of paramount importance that organizational leaders understand contemporary marketing's crucial role in the product development process. The answers lie in successful formulation of marketing strategy around the "Four P's"
| The Market for Natural Cosmeceuticals
[2005/01/28] [Darrin C. Duber-Smith, MS, MBA]
The natural personal care market continues to grow at double-digit rates, as organizations introduce new product lines into a variety of channels, existing companies offer line extensions, and larger players continue to enter the arena. Where do “cosmeceuticals” fit into the picture?
| Sustainable Competitive Advantage and Product Differentiation
[2004/12/01] [Darrin C. Duber-Smith, MS, MBA]
Readers should never forget the importance of embracing the “big picture” and manipulating the strategic marketing principles that comprise the foundation of what makes a product truly successful.
| "Ingestibles" for Personal Care
[2004/10/28] [By Darrin C. Duber-Smith, MS, MBA]
Another important crossover market has emerged in the Natural Products Industry. Not long ago, a synthesis between the nutritional supplement and food/beverage segments resulted in the formation of the functional/fortified foods category. The Personal Care ‘Ingestibles’ market promises to meet an identified consumer demand for internal products that address skin and hair care needs.
| Event Review: Health & Beauty America: Cosmetic Convergence
[2004/10/08] [Darrin C. Duber-Smith, MS, MBA]
Thousands of cosmetics executives converged upon New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center during the last week of September. Over 575 companies from all over the world hawked their wares to manufacturer and marketer representatives...
| The Natural Skin Care Market
[2004/09/17] [Darrin C. Duber-Smith, MS, MBA]
The natural skin care market represented 37% of total natural personal care sales in 2002 and grew at a rate of 18% over the previous year. And the introduction of ingestible nutritional supplements that promote healthier skin has attracted much attention.
| The Meaning of Natural: Part II
[2004/08/27] [Darrin C. Duber-Smith, MS, MBA]
Several months ago, this column addressed the issue of the word natural and what it means to both consumers and companies producing products that claim to be natural in some way, shape, or form. Natural means many things to many people...
| Natural Color Cosmetics
[2004/07/30] [Darrin C. Duber-Smith, MS, MBA]
Natural color cosmetics might be the next high growth area of the rapidly expanding $4.6 billion U.S. natural personal care market. A look at naturally positioned color cosmetics as they stand today reveals a category that still begs many questions.
| Developments in the Natural Hair Care Market
[2004/06/22] [Darrin C. Duber-Smith, MS, MBA]
The $4.6 billion U.S. natural personal care market (NBJ) continues to grow at double-digit rates. Everyone uses hair care products of some kind. The category includes shampoos, conditioners, hair colorants, styling products, straighteners, treatments, and others. Product developers and marketers must closely eye the consumer for valuable clues guiding the positioning and development of a particular brand.
| Event Report: Natural Personal Care Products and Global Beauty Conference
[2004/06/22] [Darrin C. Duber-Smith, MS, MBA]
Just under 100 personal care executives from around the world attended the 3rd annual Natural Personal Care Products and Global Beauty Conference, held in Chicago, IL on June 14-16, 2004. The event represented a perfect blend of marketing, regulatory, and product development/R&D content, as well as an interesting mix of both natural products companies and executives representing every other area of the personal care market.
| The Meaning of Natural
[2004/05/21] [Darrin C. Duber-Smith, MS, MBA]
Now that long-term consumer demand for natural products has been firmly established, personal care products positioned as ‘natural’ have become increasingly available in a variety of channels, well beyond availability in the traditional “natural products” stores. For many, this is a good thing. Since most consumers will never set foot in a natural products store, it follows that the only way to reach them is to expand into different channels...
| The Market for Natural Household Products
[2004/04/30] [Darrin C. Duber-Smith, MS, MBA]
Driven largely by the consumer’s quest for a healthier home environment, the natural household products market affords one of the best opportunities for growth within the natural products universe. It is now common knowledge that the average home interior is often 5 to10 times more polluted than the environment outside the home, mostly due to the presence of toxins.
| The Rise of Natural Personal Care
[2004/04/02] [Darrin C. Duber-Smith, MS, MBA]
Do you remember the days of tremendously high annual natural product growth rates? In those early times, the natural products value chain had trouble making the products quickly enough to address the rising tide of demand that lasted over a decade! Are these growth rates gone forever?
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