Running Head: Burt’s Bees Case Study 1

Burt’s Bees Case Study

by

Denny Soler-Alemañy

Johnson & Wales University

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MRKT5500: Burt’s Bees Case Study

Answer each of the questions listed below. Each question has an equal weighting in the

assessment.

1. How can Burt's Bees continue to be a leader in social environmental innovation, while

also sharpening its focus on growth and profitability as a part of a public company with

fiduciary responsibility to its shareholders?

Burt’s Bees can be a leader in social environmental innovation by creating new product

or services. What the company can do is to start opening different stores around the country that

offers more than products. They can offer food or specialized services like a beauty salon or spa.

The increment of these new products and services will provide more profit to keep the fiduciary

responsibility to its shareholders. Later, the company can acquire back its shares to reduce to cost

of this. Creating new services to a product only company can be difficult, but the company needs

something to make it unique than only using natural ingredients, and people need to be interested

back in Burt’s Bees product again.

2. How can the company deliver on the "Triple Bottom Line" of environmental, social and

financial performance?

The Triple Bottom Line can be delivered in different ways. Environmental Triple Bottom

Line can be measured and delivered by letting the people know how the product of Burt’s Bees

influence the environment. Like how the company is very committed to using natural

ingredients, how they use recycled packaging which can be used again and avoid the creation of

new trash. Also, the ingredients used in Burt’s Bee products from nature, and most of them are

not manufactured in a lab.

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The Triple Bottom Line of social performance of Burt’s Bee can be delivered of measure

by calculating the different social aspect that these products bring to a community or region.

Socially the product represents earth-friendly personal care product, and by the company using

natural product can socially make people be interested in this kind of product that uses natural

ingredients.

The Triple Bottom Line of financial performance can be delivered and measure base in

the flow of money in the company. The flow of money from income to taxes to cost of

employment, and anything that can be measured in dollars. In the beginning, the company did

not need it to have sales forecasting, but since it started selling to big companies like Walgreens

and CVS, they need to forecast because of inventory purposes. The company has been getting a

better financial organization and all kind of adjustment since the new management started in

2006. (Wathieu, Winic, 2007)

3. What strategies do Burt’s Bees use to differentiate itself in the market?

The different strategies that Burt’s Bees are using to differentiate from the market are the

packaging, the pricing, and the way of distribution. In the packaging, they try to specify that they

use natural ingredients, and sometimes they show them in the packaging. Also, the color of the

package and the logo of the company. This a way differentiates from other product in the market.

The pricing of the product can separate this product in the market. Before the company was

purchased the price of the product was decided before checking the cost of it. Later, the price of

the product was chosen to be specific to each product, but cheaper. Finally, the way that the

product is distributed can make the difference in the market. The product can be sold in on

shelves or like what they like to call “the hive”. The hive is what they call in boxed product.
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CVS let clear that this is the easier way for them to sell this product, and it makes the difference

in the market because it is a unique way to show how unique it is.

4. What did Roxanne mean by the company becoming ‘the Starbucks of personal care’ and

what strategies were employed, or would be necessary to achieve such an aim?

What Roxanne wanted to the company when she stated, ‘the Starbucks of personal care’,

was that she wants Burt’s Bee to be as popular and as necessary as Starbucks. Starbucks was

known as the third place to be after work before going home. Roxanne wanted of Burt’s Bees to

be this kind of product that people always need in the home, so she decided to compare her

product with the product of Starbucks. Strategies that were employed to these products are that

they are natural. Also, their strategy of selling products in Whole Foods is a good idea. People

that buy at Whole Foods are always looking for natural products, so they can identify themselves

by selling Burt’s Bees product in big quantities in this store.

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References

Lamb, C., Hair, J. and McDaniel, C. (2017). Mktg11. 11th ed. Cengage, pp.1-29.

Wathieu, L. and Winic, L. (2018). Burt's Bees: Leaving the Hive. [online] Hbr.org. Available at:

https://hbr.org/product/burt-s-bees-leaving-the-hive/507017-PDF-ENG [Accessed 7 Apr.

2018].