Introduction
Whenever it comes to marketing, every single factor must be taken into account, otherwise, the product is most likely to meet a cold reception among most of the clientele, which the case of Procter & Gamble’s recent promotion campaign.
Among the most important issues, the buyer behavior and the product positioning seem to be the most influential, as Hooley, Piercy, & Nicoulaud (2008) claim: “Competitive positioning strategies […] form the cornerstones of effective future marketing” (xiv).
Hence, it is obvious that Procter & Gamble needs considerable changes in their market positioning strategy based on the current customers’ preferences. Such specifics as the product shelf life and its efficiency are to be considered the ones of top priority.
Moreover, since there are some services in demand relevant to the ones provided by Procter & Gamble, it is highly desirable that the plan for strategic alliances with certain companies is to be formed. In addition, the branding strategy could use some improvement:
“Our successful brands can lose their popularity if our marketing techniques and product purposes do not fit the customers’ needs” (Marketing Plan Marketing plan evaluation and recommendation case study, para. 12). Moreover, the reconsideration of the branding strategy is needed. Once the above-mentioned issues are addressed, the company will be able to solve the current problems.
The Buyer and the Current Positioning: Something That Leaves Much to be Desired
As it has been mentioned, the current means which the company utilizes to position their products is not quite as efficient as it might have been. According to what Cravens, Fitzhugh& Piercy claim, the company has already formed a team which is responsible for the Procter & Gamble branding strategies, known as Customer Business Development (Cravens, Fitzhugh& Piercy, 2011, 33).
Moreover, it seems that the given department has already come up with certain innovations: “CBD team members work collaboratively with experts from finance, management systems, customer service, and brand management to develop and implement business strategies that deliver sustainable competitive advantage for P&G brands” (Cravens, Fitzhugh& Piercy, 2011, 33).
However, it seems that the company must consider not only the issue of competitiveness, but also the company’s reputation in the eyes of the population.
As for the buyer’s behavior, the company must focus on the online relationships with the clientele. According to Hooley, Piercy & Nicoulaud, the company’s attempt “to get ever closer to the public depend heavily on the Internet” (Hooley, Piercy & Nicoulaud, 2008, p. 113) is bound to be rather efficient. Therefore, it is important that the company should create a positive image of itself among the online visitors.
The given objective can be achieved with the help of involving the buyers into opinion polls and offering them questionnaires. Thus, the company will learn what exactly the customers like/dislike about the products and, therefore, develop/improve the issues which the clients emphasize. Hence, the buyers will see that their opinion is valuable for Procter & Gamble and, thus, trust the company better.
Moreover, more care should be taken of the negative feedback which Procter & Gamble receives from its customers and which also contributes to the perception of the brand all over the world: “The box indicated that there were 40 loads. We used the low setting of the little cup and got 34 loads” (Hooley, Piercy, & Nicoulaud, 2008, 113).
Hence, the company needs to come up with a way to whitewash the product and restore its reputation. As a possible strategy, the emphasis on the actual qualities of the product can и suggested; e.g., on the product’s ability to make the clothes cleaner than a regular powder does, etc. In the given case, honesty about the product is the key to success.
What Needs to Be Done: The Necessary Changes and the Suggested Strategy
Hence, it is obvious that the company needs to reconsider its promotion strategy, as well as the feedback which the company receives from the people who sue Proctor & Gamble products.
To start with, the company is definitely in desperate need for cleaning its name – according to the analyzed case study, there are a lot of negative responses from the people who tried some of the company’s products. Once the company wins back its clientele, the financial issues are to be reconsidered.
Further on, the company needs to get rid of the fear that “at P&G, information is a substitute for inspiration” (Hooley, Piercy, & Nicoulaud, 2008, 114) and approach the analysis of the data provided by the fictionalized family in a more productive way. At present, it is obvious that the company needs to check the most frequently occurring complaints about the services and focus on fixing the given problems.
As soon as the newly developed products are ready for providing to the customers, the company must develop a promotion campaign which will drive peoples’ attention to the асе that they are being offered not only new, but also improved services.
In addition, as it has already been mentioned, the company must be completely honest with the clients, pointing at certain issues, e.g., the fact that certain products take much time to have an effect. However, these issues must be offered not as drawbacks, but as the specifics of the product. With these issues in mind, the company is most likely to win.
Reference List
Cravens, D., Fitzhugh , K. L. M., & Piercy, N. F. (2011). The Oxford handbook of strategic sales and sales management. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Hooley, G., Piercy, N. F., & Nicoulaud, B. (2008). Marketing strategy and competitive positioning (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Marketing plan evaluation and recommendation case study (n.d.) MS Word file.