Should they launch now or wait?
For proctor & Gamble, there are various challenges that face its launching plan. The company should launch its product now. Firstly, the time it has spent conducting market survey is enough to convince the marketers about the projected returns from the liquid product.
Despite the competition from Henkel and the projected internal competition from Aerial, the introduction of the liquid detergent will set a new track for this company (Harvard Business School 1989). Waiting for some time will lead to the release of Henkel’s new product and this may affect the response from the customers.
Timeliness in the release of new products is very important. Although it gives the competitors something to learn about the product, it still creates an opportunity to get popular and gain consumer loyalty. By being vibrant in the launching campaign, the company will be in a better position to introduce a new wave of culture, in the use of liquid detergents.
This will lead to great market command in liquid detergents since Henkel might be on the verge of releasing a liquid detergent that might make it hard for Vizir product to succeed in the market. There should be no more wasting of time in the release of the product as it may allow for other competitor brands to be launched and hence affect the popularity of Vizir upon its release.
Should they launch the brand as euro brand?
There is usually a connection of consumers with local brands; they are usually influenced to purchase local products as a form of identity creation. In the case of Vizir, however, it should be introduced as a foreign brand and not as a European brand. The main reason for this is the washing culture in Europe and the differences that arise when compared to American culture. Introducing the brand as a European one would require to be changed wholly so as to make it compliant with European standards.
The brand should remain as a foreign product in order to make it easier to expand the sales to other countries. Developing a European brand would require changes in the marketing strategies since the customers’’ preferences have to be re-evaluated and re-strategized.
Consumer preferences have to be altered and before the brand can penetrate the local brand under local registration, it would take time and more money (Harvard Business School 1989). For this reason, the brand should remain as a foreign brand but with characteristics that favor the European markets. This might reduce the limiting factor associated with marketing and expanding the brand to other regions.
What should their structure be?
The organizational structure should not be different from the already existing one. This will make it easier to manage the new product. Being a company that is affiliated to the main brands, Procter & Gamble should elect a manager in every country to foresee the developments and acceptance of the new brand in the new market.
There should be two managers rather than three in order to reduce the expenses incurred at the executive level. The laundry and cleaning department as well as the personal care products departments should be headed by a single manager; this reduces the expenses and increases the possible returns on investment.
The sales team and product development managers should be supplied with more subordinate employees to help in popularizing the product upon its launch. With proper follow up from the executives, it would be easier to control the employees in sales and marketing departments in order to make the brand popular and establish its mark in the European market.
Proper definition of roles and responsibilities is one of the major concepts that will influence great returns upon investment. With a slight reduction in executive management and an increasing number of junior employees, the company has the manpower it needs to influence popularity of the product.
References
Harvard Business School 1989, Procter & Gamble Europe: Vizir launch, Harvard University Press, Cambridge.