J.C. Penney Faces Up to Asian Cosmetics Market

J.C. Penney Co. has stepped up its ethnic marketing in California by offering a line of cosmetics specifically for Asian women. The giant retailer and Zhen Cosmetics of St. Francis, Minn., have joined a relatively small roster of marketers targeting the enormous buying power of Asians in the U.S. By any measure, they are a highly desirable target market. They have the highest average household income: $46,695 compared with $40,646 for whites, according to research by KSCI-TV, a Los Angeles independent broadcaster that targets Asians with native-language programming. To reach Asian women, Zhen had to fine-tune its media mix. After finding differences in shopping patterns between Chinese and Vietnamese consumers, Zhen and J.C. Penney started using print to reach Chinese consumers and radio for Vietnamese ones.