Gillette MarketingGillette MarketingExecutive SummaryTwo stages are presented in the report for Gillette Fusion. In stage 1, Gillette Fusion is briefly described. It was launched in 2006 and was introduced to Singapore in 2007. After 4 years operating in Singapore, the market share is lower than expected. This is partly due to skeptical perceptions among consumers who believe that 5-blade razor is exaggerating. In Singapore market, Schick and Bic are the major competitors. However, diversity of competitors is present, with small competitors ranging from ASCRO to house brands. Moreover, Gillette Fusion face intra-brand competition. Gillette Fusion targets at males aged between 18 and 40, which care about their appearance. Its most recent advertising program is the Champion campaign featuring Tiger Woods, Thierry Henry, and Roger Federer, which conveyed the message that Gillette Fusion provides the most comfortable shaving experience with technological advancement. However, this campaign is not longer in use. A new program needs to be initiated.
The marketing objectives are to increase sales and market share (financial objective), and to foster brand loyalty, change consumer attitudes and beliefs towards Gillette Fusion (non-financial objective). The time set for these objectives last for 1 year starting from January 2012. The total budget will be S$3 million, including 20% of Gillette Fusion sales, which is S$1 million, coupled by subsidy of S$2 provided by P&G, the parent company.
Stage 2 starts with Agency Brief presented by Vision Communication (Viscom), a marketing communication consultancy agency. As Gillette Fusion wants to increase sales, market share, and reinforce positive attitudes and beliefs among consumers, Viscom is hired to compose an integrated communication plan. This plan is targeted at aspirational male between 18 and 40 in age. The objective of the plan is to remove skeptical attitude of consumers towards Gillette Fusion, and to increase sales and market share. In SWOT analysis, Gillette Fusionâs strength is at R&D and technological advantage, while its weakness is the premium price and low market position. The main opportunities identified are market shift to premium shaving segments, and potential market for hair removal shaving, and the threats are heighten competition and criticisms. With this understanding, the plan, as described in the Agency Brief, will convey the communication theme of âTop of The Classâ through various media.
The Strategy
With the full vision of the plan laid out in the Agency Brief, Gillette Fusion has developed an approach that has become a key tool for marketing and sales across all three platforms. Viscom, whose current clients include a number of leading Canadian brands, and the Vision Communication Group, which has been serving as a partner for the past three years, are partners and partners on the strategy (along with both Agency Briefs and Viscom’s internal marketing efforts) and will continue to be engaged as part of the strategy. The Vision Communication Group will serve as the marketing, strategic, and advertising division of the company, and will provide strategic guidance and services to Viscom products and services.
Although we expect the Strategy to drive an important amount of the marketing, sales, and product content of the new online product marketplace, there are other opportunities to further the strategy. For instance, the Company intends to create more information, a more informed global user base and engage a wider range of interested people. Additionally, a strong online platform will enable the Company to better create, store and deliver online content on the highest quality. A focus on online community engagement also allows for a more well organized experience, one that is based on what users experience and how they feel. As Gillette Fusion works toward its goal of being one of the largest online shaving communities in the world, we expect further growth, from both online and mobile. However, these changes do not mean that we are abandoning advertising and have taken proactive steps that are at the forefront of the future. Rather, we believe that the new online marketing experience, rather than the existing market model, will be a key driver of success in reaching over 100 million consumers as the new online marketplace becomes available.
By continuing to focus on the products and services that are driving online activity, the Company is able to increase its revenues that will enable us to increase our product offerings and reach an audience large enough to make a large dent in the market in which it operates. If continued business focus, including more user retention, continues to be successful, we believe that the Company’s strategy will also contribute toward gaining broader marketshare beyond the United States.
To help make the success of our online business on the horizon, we are investing $1 billion of our total $4 billion in the new online brand new channel, which will provide new users with new personalized information and experiences for which they can expect new products, services, and other product offerings as well as a better, stronger digital experience. While we expect our new channel to serve many existing users, including our current brand new audience, we recognize the need for the Company to broaden its focus from the retail space to the larger global market segment. We expect there are many potential buyers of our brand new brand new channels. In order for us to make meaningful gains in reaching many new users, we will have to continually improve the brand and content offerings we offer before we make major changes on the brand.
The Future of The Company
In the end, we want to deliver what we believe will be a more robust and lasting brand over time and in a more sustainable manner through the investment made herein and in other, less costly ways. We will not be able to build a single global marketing and product ecosystem and our strategy will not be able to achieve that goal as quickly as we would be confident in accomplishing both goals at the expense of the entire growing business. Indeed, the growth plan requires us to expand our business for a longer time duration.
For all of its successes, and in particular the success of our current brand new brand new platform, the Company continues to focus on increasing its brand awareness and expanding the reach of its portfolio throughout its portfolio, including as a part of its brand new brands category. The Company is committed to growing its broad range of brands and increasing the overall reach of its brand new and brand fresh brands brands. Given the limited amount of time that we can retain any
Traditional advertising includes TV, magazines, and newspaper. The TV ad will incorporate sponsorship and public relations activities to convey the message, whereas magazine and newspaper ad will integrate with promotional tools like coupon. Online social media such as facebook would be used for interactive advertising. Place advertising subsumes poster and transit ad, which carry the link to Fusionâs page on facebook and other social media as a means of integration. Promotions include coupon, bonus pack, and sweepstakes, which are meant to incentivize short-term purchases, again, coupled with other communication tools for integration. Lastly, sponsoring the Singtel Singapore Grand Prix 2012 and actively publicize this move would be the main course under PR and sponsorship effort. Creative ideas including storyboards, print ads for poster, magazines, and newspapers are attached in appendix. The media objective for media plan is comprehensive, including 80% reach in Singapore market; a target frequency averaged 2 times per week, a pulsing schedule to be adopted, etc. The specific vehicles for each medium are Channel 5 for TV, August Men and Menâs health for Magazine, Straits Times for newspaper, Facebook and Youtube for social media, bus stops for poster, SBS buses 154, 105, and 36 for transit ad, etc. The estimated cost totaled around S$2.4 million, which is less than the allocated budget of S$3 million. The specific budget and estimated cost for each of the communication mix elements will be calculated.
Lastly, various evaluative techniques and control mechanism would be involved for each of the communication mix element. The principal method will be consumer surveys and interviews, to be conducted before and after September 2012 to measure the major marketing communication effort.
Table of ContentsExecutive SummaryStage 11. Introduction2. Problem and Promotional Plan3. Competitive Frame3.1. Diversity of Brands3.2. Intra-brand Competition3.3. Positioning Analysis