Entry to the foreign market with special strategy

The competition of bath gel market is intense in China. There is no absolute leadership brand in bath gel market. It is more easily for new brand of bath gel to enter the market. The target customer group of bath gel market is women or young women, few men are included, the main reason is that the bath gel buyers are dominated by women, The choice of product in function is smell, nourishing, good cleaning performance, sterilization. In the current situation, how is industry investment potential in china bath market? What experience is worth to draw lessons from the outstanding enterprises? We can see a example from Johnson (USA). This maybe can help the French brands to have a broad insight on this market.

Johnson -- multidimensional strategy, enhance public recognition.

Johnson established the first joint venture in China 1985, Now Johnson, having more than 7000 employees, unites in a concerted effort to promote the development of Chinese people's skin-health.

Johnson have different market center of gravity in the direction of product sales and the research, from the infant health care products, feminine hygiene products, adult skin care and wound care products, medical equipment, clinical diagnosis to the medical point of professional, and pharmaceutical products, Johnson supply a full range to promote China skin-health care, to provide safe, effective health services.

At the same time, Johnson commits to serve the society, to reflect their value with practical action. Cooperate with China Red Cross, save more leukemia patients life; start child safety education project, try to reduce the occurrence of accidental injury of children; hold regular community mental health promotion; carry out the "millions of families health line" diabetes jogging activity...... These public activities make the China consumers have more and more confidence about Johnson brand. At the same time, Johnson becomes one of the most popular shower-gel brands in China.

Have a good shower! 

Xueru Ti

Sources：

https://www.jnj.com.cn/ 
http://www.baike.com/wiki/%E5%BC%BA%E7%94%9F%E5%85%AC%E5%8F%B8 

NEW in the shower !

The latest innovation from Nivea "Body Lotion in the shower" attempts to answer an alleged need: save time by applying his body milk directly in the shower. Wait until its dry body milk to be able to dress would be burdensome for busy women. This is not a shower gel, not a 2 1. It is BETTER! 

Therefore it is necessary to apply after washing, but in the shower and rinse. Nivea strategy is clear, be the first brand to launch a new range of cosmetics that would revolutionize the shower.
However the first criticisms say these products are not suitable for all skin types. This product does not treat severe dry skin. However Nivea develops a communication based on the "skin personnality" and is known for the moisturizing quality of its products. A study of the organization Que Choisir even shows that the product is not recommended because of its composition. In addition from an ecological viewpoint, women need to use more water with this Body Lotion...

Good marketing strategy or innovation too risky? Does this new product correspond to the personality and values of the brand?

Have a good shower!

Léonie

Sources:
http://www.nivea.fr/Les-Produits/Soins-pour-le-Corps/Lait-corps-sous-la-douche
http://www.quechoisir.org/sante-bien-etre/hygiene-beaute/actualite-nivea-lait-corps-sous-la-douche-coup-d-epee-dans-l-eau

Beauty is not a luxury but a right

In May 2012, the retailers Carrefour launched “Nectar of Nature” a new brand of beauty products included shower gels category. 1/3 of cosmetics products are sold via the retailers, so Carrefour saw a real interest to play a big part in this market. However, the sales of beauty products under the brand “Carrefour” represented less than 10% over all the beauty products sold.

Carrefour wanted to create a brand “for all the women” and “Nectar of Nature” targets more particularly the women in search of natural solution. They keep the idea of “retailer product” offering products less expensive (from 20 to 30% less) than the competition on the shelves. Their main message was to offer professional quality at the best price.

Some category markets, such as the beauty products or the vine for example, are more difficult to enter as “a retailer brands”, Carrefour created a specific brand exclusively sold by his stores.  The beauty product are also difficult because the reach directly the intimacy of the consumers. So, Carrefour needed to reassure his clients. They consequently communicated on the control made on the products by experts and the tests validated by a consumer panel.

The communication strategy was enough consequent to launch the new brand. They used different communication tools: a TV campaign (on the main channel), board campaign, communication in women’s magazines and a web campaign (which is rather new in this category of product). They tried to create an atmosphere of high quality products with the uncluttered packaging, the consequent campaign and the quality proved by expert. But , they also keep so basics from the “retailer brand” as they didn’t work with stars or muses notably. Their slogan remembers that they want their products accessible to all the women: ‘Beauty is not a luxury but a right”.

Have a good shower!

Myriam 

Sources : 

- Carrefour press release (21^st May 2012) : Carrefour launches Cosmétiques Design Paris, a new brand of beauty products for all women

- Carrefour s'offre une campagne de communication massive pour sa MDD “Les Cosmétiques Design Paris”, AMELLE NEBIA , May 2012

The Mediterranean shower

Le Petit Marseillais was initially a small company from Dijon before being owned by the Laboratoire Garnier. In 2006, the american group Johnson & Johnson bought the company.
This purchase have been very important for the company. Indeed, it permits to Le Petit Marseillais to have more substantial budgets to launch new products or to conquer new markets. The marketing budgets have been increase by 40% between 2006 and 2007.

Since 2008, Le Petit Marseillais is the leader on the french shower gels market.

This is the result from a marketing strategy positioned on the « made in France » ideology. The brand organized event on the TGV Paris-Marseille, in markets in the south of France, or in the motorway rest area. This events goal is to create proximity between the brand and the consumer.

All the Le Petit Marseillais brand strategy is based on the Mediterranean aspect of the product. To improve this mediterranean aspect, the first strong of the brand is its name. The brand use the Provencal universe for its advertising and use scents from Provence for its product.

Le Petit Marseillais is very attached to its brand value that are simplicity, natural and Mediterranean. The brand does not want to make its shower gels enter the cosmetics products category as most competitors do.

Le Petit Marseillais aims for a very large target attached to his natural image.

Le Petit Marseillais strategy is a success, the brand is the leader on the french market, since 2008. This is only two years after Johnson & Johnson bought Le Petit Marseillais.

Have a good shower!

Alexandre

Sources:

http://www.lsa-conso.fr/le-petit-marseillais-joue-dans-la-cour-des-grands,64768

http://www.journaldunet.com/economie/face-a-face/dove-petit-marseillais/1-marche.shtml

http://www.lepetitmarseillais.com/la-marque

http://www.lsa-conso.fr/les-gels-douche-aux-petits-soins,127995

http://www.journaldunet.com/economie/face-a-face/dove-petit-marseillais/1-marche.shtml

http://www.lepetitmarseillais.com/publicites/2142

Tempt from the smell...

 

MARKETING & COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES
The differentiate

As a brand that born for 18-35 year old male, Axe uses a marketing campaign to differentiate themselves from other brands. While some brands like to make the perception of their products as “tough” and “working good,” Axe shows their mission is full of stimulus and challenge: let a man has more tempting smell, to help them has more superior performance in the process of encounter. It plays to a known fact, having a good, strong, masculine smell is important. So, Axe has a significantly different marketing strategy from the competition.

Emotions of performance

They appeal to a guys feeling about hot and attractive women.  Some are very sexual in nature. To a certain extent, Axe establish an attractive man image with the aid of communication mode:“Girls are getting hotter! Keep your cool with AXE; “Leave a Man, Come Back a hero”…

In addition, Axe also use some instructive words to name its product:

Apollo;

Dark temptation;

Black chill;

Excite;

Tempt;

Cool metal;

Shock…

Under the deep influence with these words, it seems as if you can appeal to women as it named after you use the product.

Customer insights

Many people have a good opinion of Axe, whatever man or woman. They think that the advertisements are real and it is as good as they thought. Axe have about 4 millions like on Facebook, over 55,000 fans on MySpace, almost 100，000 followers on Twitter, a YouTube page with over 3 million total views and a website. This shows Axe’s significant social following and highly Brand identification. Some girls even use it to remind of their boyfriends while the boys use it to keep feeling good themselves.

BRAND & CUSTOMER
Transform needs into brands benefits.

Thanks to Axe’s special and powerful advertising campaigns, which include point of purchase promotion, sponsorships, free samples, viral marketing as well as traditional advertising. The brand is not only easily recognizable, but is strongly associated with their brand image: Axe shower gel contains the flavor of women especially love, which can induce irresistible Masculinity.

Brand share the value of their target and create long durable brand awareness.

The target consumers of Axe are mostly young males who are single and active. They are mostly not concerned with hygiene. The brand has a very distinctive and seductive smell to it that is long lasting. With Axe, you can immediately to enhance male charm after bathing, wash out the masculine. These include attracting women, making a guy smell good. Further more, this kind of consumers also lazy with shopping, so the Axe made it can be bought in many different places, such as supermarkets, super centers, and various local drug stores. Except that, the brand also keeps launching new smelling, which can meet young people seeking novelty mind. Add attract and funny advertising, these younger guys may stay with the brand for years.

Simply, they just get what their brand means and know how to bring this understanding with compelling messages to their customer segmentation. So, they can create long durable development.

Brand & Consumer relationship

Axe has solid customer understanding and clear brand definition, which can help them meet what their target consumer want. Simultaneously, the consumer can engage with this brand easily. No matter what the psychological level and function one.

Have a good shower!

Xueru TI

Sources:

http://marketingworldblog.com/

http://www.theaxeeffect.com/#/axe-campaigns/axe-black-chill
https://www.facebook.com/Axe?v=app_106927425995485
https://myspace.com/axe
https://twitter.com/axe
http://www.youtube.com/user/axe/custom

The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty!

MARKETING & COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES 

The differentiation: In 2005, the company Dove launched a new campaign of communication based on the “self-esteem” “for all beauties”. This change in communication is a breaking point in the marketing strategy. According to a survey showing that only 5% of women consider themselves beautiful, Dove decided to differentiate clearly its communication from the competitors. Beauty is too long put forward by narrow and fixed stereotypes. The company has estimated that beauty could be represented by all shapes, all sizes and all ages.
Emotions & elements of performance: With its new slogan “For all beauties” (“Pour toutes les beautés”)  the brand clearly plays on emotions and feelings of its target. But the new aspect of this new strategy is to communicate about beauty without top models or fake perfect women because “real women have real curves”. Moreover they Dove denounces the dishonest advertisements which seek only to put down and demoralize women.
Dove clearly emphasizes its personality: the sincerity (J.Aacker, Aspects of Personality). Dove wants to go back to the basics: simplicity. Today there is an escalation of products that tend to perfection. Dove does not propose new magic products and does not promise the moon, only well-being.
Customer insights: A second survey by Harvard University & London School of Economics also showed that 68% of women think that the image of women given by the media has to be changed. The communication does not highlight a product but a consumer, it does not highlight beauty but well-being (the essence and roots of beauty).



BRAND & CONSUMER
Transformation of needs into brands benefits:
This new strategy was developed through a 360 communication. All media were involved: press, TV, internet, social media, posters and radio. It creates a real Marketing Buzz thanks to this 360 communication and the word of mouth. The benefits are numerous: many international advertising awards, a “media tsunami”, a better brand awareness (89% of women think that Dove makes thm feel beautiful) and it changed the standards of beauty.
Associations in place to create long durable brand awareness & knowledge: Thanks to this new message, Dove succeeded in emphasize the awareness of the brand: its identifier (a brand for all beauties), a signal of quality (moisturizing), a source of value (beauty with Dove is not superficial and only for models) and a though leader. The more the brand communicates, the more it sells and the more it is perceived as a leader.
Does the consumer engage with this brand easily? The consumer engages with Dove at a psychological level and also an emotional one. The impact of the 360 communication was huge. For the first time, a cosmetics brand has managed to convince its consumers differently : women can identify themselves with the brand image.

Have a good shower!

 

Léonie

Sources:

http://www.e-marketing.fr/Marketing-Magazine/Article/Pourquoi-Dove-a-brise-les-stereotypes-de-la-beaute-feminine-14468-1.htm
http://www.strategies.fr/actualites/marques/215637W/la-beaute-cachee-de-dove.html

Does your soap know what you feel?

Do you think marketing messages can influence you? You hope to be able to respond “no”… But when you are going to buy a product, you are imagining yourself using it, are you? Are you feeling good, are you? Yes and you put the product is the cart…

The reality is that all consumers are more or less, positively or negatively appealed by marketing message, but they are anyway. And the brand, specifically the shower gels’ brands like play of the emotions the consumers feel and what type of emotion can trigger the consumer to buy their products.

As we already said, for most people the shower time is important in the good roll-out of a day and people feels a lot of emotions when they take their shower. Some of them would tell that it’s a relaxing moment, a invigorating moment, a moment of care etc… Emotions are even more important than the shower moment is linked to the intimacy of the consumer.

Many shower gels’ brands have well embraced the marketing technique of playing on the consumers’ emotions. The most interesting is that they have chosen different emotions to use for their image.

For example, Axe plays on the need of belonging to a group and the trend-setting emotion (the fact that people want to be cool and trendy). Axe creates at atmosphere of community with special events (ex: axe boat). A community you need to use axe to be in there and becoming a hot guy.  To feel cool you think you need to be hot and attract a lot of women.

Dove plays on other types of emotions: sort of fear and care of yourself.  People of the 21^st century are more and more afraid of their wealth. Sometimes when you read the news have you the feeling that everything is carcinogenic, dangerous for you wealth? And it concerns very common things? Like the way you wash yourself? Yes. Dove takes care of your skin, be reassured. They also reinforce this feeling with their ad campaign “for all the beauty”, don’t be afraid everyone can use Dove and feel good and beautiful.

Other brands on another emotion: the guilt and values, notably with the biological range of products. Most of people buy a biological product just because they heard something like “it’s better for the earth” or because the value of the biological speak to them.

There are many other examples because the emotions very numerous and personal for each consumers. Some emotions interesting to use in marketing messages are : time, gratification, competition… So, let’s think about what the brands make you feel ! And enjoy it !

Have a good shower!

Myriam 


Sources :
- 10 Common--and Effective--Emotional Triggers, Susan Gunelius (march 2010)
- A Contemporary Framework for Emotions in Consumer Decision-Making: Moving 
- Beyond Traditional Models, Holly A. Bell