Marlijn van Straaten – Dr. Hauschka

Dr. Hauschka is a German natural cosmetics brand founded in 1967. Today, Dr. Hauschka is available worldwide but has its production and laboratory based in Germany. This insightful interview with Marlijn van Straaten, CEO of Dr. Hauschka Benelux, highlights the brand’s holistic approach to skincare, and delves into the strategic nuances of promotions within the cosmetics industry, illustrating the brand’s commitment to growth through innovative consumer engagement and sales activation.

The Dr. Hauschka Brand Experience

Dr. Hauschka encompasses a holistic approach to skincare, emphasizing the natural rhythm of the skin and the adaptation of skincare routines according to seasonal changes. The brand focuses on creating products that align with nature’s cycles and considers the time of year and life phase that the consumer is in. An important element in the marketing strategy is therefore to get the user to “experience, feel and live the brand”.

One way of doing this is working together with skin therapists. In the Netherlands and Belgium alone, Dr. Hauschka works with 165 skin therapists. “As a brand, we want to move beyond the ‘old and dusty’ image of what a skin therapist is, and instead provide classical treatment that collaborates with the lymphatic system,” Marlijn says. This has proven to be very successful in creating a holistic brand experience with very satisfied users as well.

However, not everyone has the opportunity to go to a skin therapist and get this experience. Therefore, online channels are also used for building brand awareness. “Our brand thrives on storytelling, which is why we seldom engage in straightforward advertising. You need to experience, feel, and live it,” Marlijn explains. To do this, Dr. Hauschka uses their own social media channels, influencers and PR for storytelling and recruiting new trialists. A mix of online activities, both SEO and SEA, is also used to build brand awareness and increase purchase intent. “This advertising is less straightforward and again more focused on the brand experience, but it triggers people to test the products,” Marlijn emphasises.

“Our brand thrives on storytelling, which is why we seldom engage in straightforward advertising. You need to experience, feel, and live it.”

Sales Activations for Brand Growth

When asked about the strategy for brand growth, Marlijn reveals that Dr. Hauschka is currently focusing on brand growth through sales activation. This is done mainly through increasing distribution and gaining a larger share in drugstores in the Netherlands and Belgium. “For the next two to three years, sales activation and our brand’s growth will stem from sales promotions. We grow through distribution and 360 sales promotions on the shop floor,” Marlijn says.

A successful example that Marlijn highlights is Dr. Hauschka’s collaboration with Holland & Barrett, providing coverage in over 230 stores across the Netherlands and Belgium. “We’ve essentially designed the entire sales activation calendar with them,” she reveals. The main driver is how the activation is implemented on the shop floor, “It’s not just about selling new products but also about organising training for all sales staff,” Marlijn says, referring to the full brand experience again.

The most common sales activation tactic that Dr. Hauschka uses, and has proven to be successful for them, is giving gifts or samples with purchases. For example, when launching their sunscreen last year, Dr. Hauschka added a yellow bandana as a gift with purchase. These products ended up selling out within three weeks at retailers. “Adding additional promotional products within an existing brand works well and doesn’t undermine the brand,” Marlijn says. She is not in favour of price discounts. These might lead to short-term sales but do not contribute to the overall brand positioning.

“Adding additional promotional products within an existing brand works well and doesn’t undermine the brand.”

Sales promotions usually highlight one product, as the average Dutch consumer does not usually buy three products at once due to price considerations. However, gift sets around special days or holidays with smaller product sizes work well, as this makes the price for the whole package more attractive. This method also encourages trial among new customers.  Marlijn emphasizes that this comprehensive approach, which incorporates product, promotional aspects, store location, price, and experience, proves to be most effective when aligned with a new launch.

Measuring effectiveness

This holistic strategy for promotions is not taken out of the blue. It is based on historical data and planned 2 years ahead. Dr. Hauschka uses both external market research agencies to understand the perception of the brand among consumers, and internal tracking of previous sales and prices to determine the best mix. “We’re constantly analysing both short and long-term effectiveness,” Marlijn says. “Our category manager plays a key role in this, continuously examining sales data and evaluating the impact of our promotions to ensure we’re not just achieving immediate results but also fostering long-term growth and brand loyalty.”

Ultimately, the strategy is more about distribution rather than sales promotions, as sales promotion is always more tactical. But growth can also be achieved through product innovation, especially packaging innovation is often overlooked. “Growth doesn’t only come from discounts. I think we need to start thinking differently about each other’s industries. It’s more about how you can communicate your unique selling proposition and such,” Marlijn concludes.

“The impact of our promotions is always evaluated to ensure we’re not just achieving immediate results but also fostering long-term growth and brand loyalty.”