商學院學生開闢新營銷模式

When Katia Beauchamp and Hayley Barna met as twentysomethings on their first day at Harvard Business School they had no plans to create a global beauty business. They had more pressing concerns as they had almost immediately to co-ordinate a spring holiday to Mexico for 50 of their classmates.

當凱蒂婭·比徹姆(Katia Beauchamp)和海利·巴爾納(Hayley Barna)在進入哈佛商學院(Harvard Business School)的第一天碰面時，她們還只是二十幾歲的年輕人，從沒想過要創辦一家國際化妝品公司。當時她們手頭有更急迫的任務——兩人幾乎必須馬上爲50位同學協調安排一次赴墨西哥的春遊。

Organising the holiday served a purpose. It helped the women to realise they worked well together as a team, “but we didn’t necessarily want to start a business together”, says Ms Barna, now 29, a management consultant before going to HBS.

籌備這次假期旅行產生了一個成果。這兩位年輕女性意識到倆人作爲一個團隊工作起來非常合拍。巴爾納表示：“但我們並沒有因此想要共同創立一個公司。”巴爾納現年29歲，在進入哈佛商學院之前是一位管理諮詢師。

That all changed less than a year later, when Ms Beauchamp and Ms Barna became the co-founders of Birchbox. Each month the New York-based company sends a box filled with beauty samples to subscribers in the US, the UK, Spain and France.

但不到一年之後就發生了巨大的變化，比徹姆和巴爾納成爲了Birchbox公司的聯合創始人。這家總部位於紐約的公司每個月都會向美國、英國、西班牙和法國的訂購客戶們寄送一個裝滿化妝品小樣的盒子。

From a tiny venture in 2010, Birchbox has now grown to 300,000 worldwide subscribers who receive a box for ·13, 13 or $10 depending on location. One box includes four to five cosmetics samples such as mascara or hand lotion, some in larger sizes.

2010年時還只是一家小型企業的Birchbox現已在全球範圍內擁有30萬名訂購客戶。這些訂購客戶根據所在地區的不同分別交納13英鎊、13歐元或者10美元的費用，即可收到一盒產品。盒中裝有四至五樣化妝品小樣，例如睫毛膏或護手霜等，部分產品則可能爲較大容量包裝。

On the Birchbox website users can see how to incorporate the beauty products into a daily routine, as well as buy regular sizes of the samples. To date the company has secured $11.9m in venture-capital investment.

在Birchbox的網站上，用戶們可以學到如何把美妝產品融合到自己的日常生活中，以及購買與小樣對應的正規包裝產品。到目前爲止該公司已經獲得了1190萬美元的風險投資。

Rather than starting a business in parallel to their studies, Ms Beauchamp and Ms Barna integrated their beauty business idea into their courses in their last semester.

比徹姆和巴爾納沒有選擇成立一個與自己研究方向一致的公司，而是將自己經營化妝品業務的想法融入到了最後一學期的課程學習中。

“We would negotiate with the professors where the final project would always be about Birchbox,” says Ms Beauchamp, 30, who worked in commercial real-estate investment banking before going to HBS.

比徹姆表示：“我們會與教授們協商，使課程的終期項目總是與Birchbox有關。”比徹姆今年30歲，在進入哈佛商學院以前曾從事與商業地產有關的投資銀行業務。

One class really stood out. Harvard professor Clay Christensen’s course on disruptive innovation encouraged the two founders to think of a big idea that is an industry game-changer. “One of our first insights was that the beauty industry – in terms of marketing and retail – had not experienced significant innovation for many years,” says Ms Beauchamp.

有一門課程給比徹姆和巴爾納留下了深刻印象。在哈佛大學教授克雷·克里斯坦森(Clay Christensen)有關“顛覆性創新”(disruptive innovation)的課程啓發下，兩位創始人產生了一個可能改變行業規則的宏大構想。比徹姆表示：“我們最初的一大感悟是，美妝行業已經連續多年未曾經歷過重大創新了——無論是在市場營銷手段還是零售模式方面。”

“That concept ties directly [to] what we learnt about examples of successful disruption in established industries.”

“這個想法與我們所學的成熟行業中獲得成功的破壞性創新案例有直接關聯。”

The two women were placed second in an HBS business-plan competition, which helped them build more confidence in the concept.

比徹姆和巴爾納在哈佛商學院的商業計劃大賽中取得了第二名，這增強了她們對自身構想的信心。

The VCs offered the co-founders money but they turned it down because the company was still in its infancy, says Ms Barna. Instead, they favoured launching a lean start-up with minimum means. Going through the process “helped crystallise our approach”, Ms Beauchamp adds.

風險投資基金向這兩位創始人表達了注資意向，但遭到了拒絕。巴爾納解釋稱，這是由於Birchbox仍然處於初創階段。與之相反，她們更傾向於依靠儘可能少的資源發展一家小型創業企業。比徹姆補充稱，經歷整個創業過程“有助於使我們形成一整套的方法”。

They used their student status as a way to get their foot in the door at some of the largest beauty brands. “We were able to credibly present [the concept] as a test that we were exploring while in business school to potential partners,” Ms Beauchamp says.

憑藉自己的學生身份，她們獲得了向某些大型化妝品品牌展示自身構想的機會。比徹姆表示：“我們得以向潛在投資者有說服力地闡述我們的商業概念，以此檢驗我們在商學院就讀期間所做探索的結果。”

The winter break of their second year turned into back-to-back appointments as the partners presented their idea to beauty companies in New York.

兩人利用商學院第二學年寒假的時間進行了一連串會面，把自己的構想展示給紐約的一些化妝品公司。

“We had three very intense days in walking to boardrooms with prototypes,” Ms Beauchamp says. Cosmetics companies including Keihl’s, Nars and Benefit signed, giving Birchbox credibility with other large beauty companies. Having a tangible box to show companies was important.

比徹姆表示：“我們度過了非常緊張的三天，帶着構思趕赴一個又一個會議室。”與她們簽約的化妝品公司包括科顏氏(Keihl's)、納斯(Nars)以及貝玲妃(Benefit)等等。這使她們在與其他大型化妝品公司洽談時更具說服力。擁有一盒看得見摸得着的樣品以供展示非常重要。

“We had to come in there with something more than just an idea.”

“我們必須展示出比單純的一個想法更加實際的東西。”

Without waiting until there was a more concrete plan in place, they used the flexibility of their last business school semester to dive in and start the company in its test phase. Impromptu strategy sessions took place before class. “We would wake up every morning, emailing each other about how to make it work,” Ms Beauchamp says.

她們沒有等到形成一個更加具體的方案，而是利用了商學院最後一學期空閒較多的條件一頭扎進了項目，成立了公司並進入試運營階段。她們每天在上課之前就公司的經營策略展開即興討論。比徹姆表示：“我們每天早晨醒來以後，都會發郵件和對方討論如何推動公司運轉。”

Taking two years away from the workforce was key in helping the business grow quickly, say the classmates.

兩人表示，爲期兩年的脫產學習對於幫助Birchbox快速成長至關重要。

“Being on campus was a huge benefit [allowing us] to have the time to start something,” Ms Beauchamp adds.

比徹姆補充稱：“身處校園的這段時間使我們受益良多，我們得以有時間去開創一番自己的事業。”

“By the time we were [graduating], we were not just an idea on paper.”

“到我們畢業的時候，我們所擁有的不再僅是停留在紙面上的一個構想了。”

Three years later they have 140 employees and Birchbox is growing quickly. However Ms Beauchamp is keen to retain the company’s start-up culture as a means of spurring more innovation. One of the biggest challenges Birchbox is facing is “growing up and showing our team that we are progressing,” she says.

創業三年後，Birchbox現已擁有員工140人，並且公司本身正在快速成長。但比徹姆仍然喜歡保留公司的創業文化，把這作爲激發更多創新的一種方式。她表示，Birchbox目前所面臨的最大挑戰之一是“不斷壯大並使團隊看到自身的進步”。

Since Birchbox’s launch at least half a dozen imitators have come on to the market but its monthly box remains one of the most affordable.

自從Birchbox創立以來，市場中至少已經出現了6家模仿者，但Birchbox每月提供的禮盒相對而言仍是最價廉物美的。

Global growth is one strategy helping the company stay ahead. Last September Birchbox acquired JolieBox, a Paris-based competitor, allowing the partners to move into the European market. Expanding worldwide “is a huge focus right now,” says Ms Beauchamp.

拓展全球市場是幫助該公司保持市場領先地位的策略之一。去年9月，Birchbox收購了一家總部位於巴黎的競爭對手JolieBox，這使比徹姆和巴爾納得以進軍歐洲市場。比徹姆表示，全球化擴張是該公司“目前的關注重點”。

“Many of our beauty brands are global, so it’s the same thing for the customers.”

“我們代理了很多國際性美妝品牌，因此我們的客戶羣體也應該是國際性的。”

They are also expanding the samples. Last year Birchbox started offering Birchbox Man, a $20 box filled with men’s grooming samples and lifestyle products.

比徹姆和巴爾納目前還在擴充產品種類。去年Birchbox開始提供一款名爲“Birchbox Man”的禮盒，這款定價爲20美元的禮盒內含適合男士使用的洗漱用品小樣以及時尚產品。

In December the company also tested a limited edition “home box” for $58 containing products such as sea salt, a spatula set and cocktail napkins for the holidays. When it comes to participating brands not all make the cut and products are tested in-house before being boxed and posted, the founders say.

去年12月，該公司還嘗試推出了一款名爲“home box”的限量禮盒，這款定價58美元的禮盒內含海鹽、抹刀組合以及假日使用的餐巾紙等產品。兩位創始人表示，不是所有合作品牌的產品都能達到Birchbox的標準，產品在被裝盒付運以前都先通過了公司的內部檢測。

So far Birchbox has been an attractive proposition for brands eager to stretch their marketing budgets. Allowing consumers to test samples is a more hands-on approach to acquiring new customers. As a marketing strategy, the company allows brands to offer sample products “rather than paying for expensive print and advertising campaigns”, says Ms Beauchamp.

到目前爲止，對於急於提高自身市場營銷預算效果的品牌而言，與Birchbox合作一直是一個頗有吸引力的選擇。允許消費者試用樣品是一種更具實效的吸引新顧客的手段。比徹姆指出，Birchbox使品牌能把提供小樣作爲營銷手段，“而不是僅僅支付昂貴的印刷以及廣告宣傳費用”。

“It’s a way [brands] can get close to consumers.”

“通過這種方式，品牌能夠貼近客戶。”