Marketing is one of the most fundamental elements in virtually all industries. Business inevitably involves people, and interactions between them are key to its success. It is precisely through marketing that companies are able to reach and maintain relationships with the consumers and clients. Marketing concentrates on people's needs and wants. Many mistakenly assume that advertising is synonymous with marketing, however, promotion is but a mere sliver of a pie. Marketing also encompasses other functions such as customer satisfaction, value and quality assurance. Most businesses understand the significant role that marketing plays in determining the magnitude of the success, or perhaps failure, of their product. Determining, and even more importantly, realizing the appropriate marketing strategy is crucial. Unfortunately, this task has proven to be difficult for even the most established and well managed companies.
In recent years a trend toward increased social responsibility and awareness has become prevalent in virtually all companies. Many companies, mirroring the trends of their consumers, have taken measures toward creating a more environmentally friendly image. One industry especially affected by these changes is that of cosmetics and beauty care. As early as the 1980's labels such as "not tested on animals" began to appear. These companies would advertise that their products are not harmful to the wildlife. At the same time they began to look for alternative ingredients in order to minimize use of products such as "mink oil." Also many companies now try to use recyclable materials for production and packaging. As an example, the ones popular Styrofoam as means of packaging as well as heat retention has lost favor after the knowledge, that it is not biodegradable became widespread. Even though it is still seen today, its use is by far more scares. For example, whereas coffee used to be sold in Styrofoam cups, now paper is the choice product in chic coffee houses and Starbucks.