ASSIGNMENT

Integrated Marketing
Communications

The Gillette
Submitted by:

Group 1
Amitesh Gupta PGP/24/011

Company: Dry Parth Choudhary

Arushi Kashyap
Mayank
PGP/24/046
PGP/24/071
PGP/24/159
Aditya Thapliyal PGP/24/433

Idea Advertising Tanmay Pandey PGP/24/483

Question 1
Analyze Deo market and Dry Idea's Place in it. What drives the category from the consumer
behaviour point of view?

Ans. In 1983, 506 million units were sold in the US market for deodorant and antiperspirants for
a total sale of $1 billion. Two primary deodorants

(1) for the protection against odour (25% of the sales)

(2) for the protection against transpiratory moisture were included in this category (75 % of the
sales)

In this area, the goods have a few major active components that have been used to manage the
odour or moisture. Other components such as oils and product uniformity methods have been
improved.

Market Landscape:

The main purchasing factors were product efficacy, aesthetics and form choice was the
dominant factor. In food store, pharmaceutical and mass commodity outlets, the purchases
were made. This also implies that it is an intriguing concept to attract additional consumers and
maintain existing variants in various segments by enabling for example in fragrance, the same
form. Advertisements were also highly important for the success of existing Dry Idea.

The Dry Idea brand was launched with a trend towards non-aerosol goods. It was a roll-on anti-
perspirant, introduced in 1970 with scented and unscented fragrances. With a strong growth
rate, it was successful early. However, currently the market size of dry idea is decreasing and
hence a reason of concern for top leadership.

Competition:

Six major participants in the market were Proctor & Gamble, Gillette, Carter Wallace, Mennen,
Bristol-Myers and Shulton. There were two other companies. Strong and unique brand
placement, strong publicity and support for existing products and the development of the
product range were key success factors for this category.

Manufacturer Market Share

Proctor & Gamble 21.8%
Gillette 17.1%
Carter- Wallace 11.4%
Mennen 9.9%
Bristol Myers 9.1%
Shulton 6.2%
Gillette’s Overview:

The company Gillette was formed in 1901 with the aim of manufacturing and marketing King C.
Gillette's safety razor and blade. World-wide Gillette's 1983 sales were over $2 billion and over
$239 million in pre-tax earnings. U.S. operations of the company generated around $157 million
on sales of roughly $906 million to operational profit

Company had 4 major product lines, Blades and razor, Toiletries & Cosmetics, Writing
instruments, Electric shavers and small appliances

The company was divided into 3 product-focused units, The safety Razor division, The paper
mate division, The personal care division

Personal Care Division: Products in the deodorant/anti-perspirant, hair care and skin care
accounted for approximately 20% of Gillette’s total U.S sales

Dry Idea’s Place:

● Dry Idea was created to address "wet and sticky roll-ons" problem, which was a major
customer concern.
● The product was available in both scented and unscented forms.
● It improved protection against dryness and dry feeling after use.
● Strategically placed as a Unisex product.
● Premium pricing reflecting the high performance.
● 'Contains no water', which helps consumers get dressed instantly, unlike other wet or sticky
roll-ons.
● Balanced product efficacy and aesthetics.

Consumer Behaviour Drivers:

● Consumers are busy and active, which makes them sweat a lot and thus wishes to protect
themselves all day long.
● The customers are really ambitious and want to be clean and dry to be confident all day
long.
● They are also well-educated and affluent customers who are more conscious of
manufacturers and their products.
● Besides the utilitarian ones that improve their lifestyles, there is a requirement for an
emotional benefit.
● The market was driven by form, and the rate of product efficacy for roll-ons was between
40% and 55%.
● The consumers are loyal to brands.
● Key drivers in this category: non-Aerosol products, Strong Brand Perception.
Question 2
Understand the Brand management (client-gillette) and Account management (agency-BBDO)
organization based on the case data, read and follow the interactions (scenes 31-32, 62-44 in
video transcripts) and analyze/ compare the client and agency perspectives on the Gillette
marketing and advertising issues faced during the period.
Ans.
Issues:
● The advertisements aren't very effective. It had a poor recall rating. Customers were
unable to make the connection.
● The market for roll-ons is shrinking.
● Movement towards sticks and solids was indicated via signals.
● Competitors' advertising costs are almost three times those of Gillette.
● There is no distinct brand personality.
● They continuously altered the advertising themes, resulting in a lack of effective
placement in the eyes of buyers.

Client – Gillette’s perspective:

➔ Starting a strategy test with no unusual factors.
◆ Figure out what motivates your company - efficiency, beauty, or both.
◆ If they have to go into solids, what should they do?
➔ They should run the "Start to Finish" campaign because it
◆ effectively conveys the balanced efficacy and aesthetics story
◆ is in line with the "Challenge" campaign
◆ offers long-term viability. It has a distinct personality, which they may develop
further.
➔ Put “Start to Finish” on your calendar for the next six to twelve months at the very least.
➔ “Spokesperson” no-water
◆ Not benefit-oriented, rather attribute-oriented
◆ Is it a short-term gain?

Agency – BBDO’s perspective:

➔ Consumers are confused by three campaigns with three separate marketing ideas.
➔ Until they produce a stronger commercial, “Spokesperson” should be on the air.
◆ It conveys the brand's history.
◆ Mentions no-water.
◆ Among women, it has a stronghold.
◆ Has a high rate of recall.
➔ Ads are attribute-oriented rather than benefit-oriented. The emphasis is on performance
images rather than user imagery.
➔ "Spokesman" is an innovative solution for a limited time.
➔ Multi-form brands are performing better than single-form ones.
➔ There is no emotional end benefit, which distinguishes Dry Idea from the competition.
Question 3
What really is the problem? What alternatives Carol has and what should she do?
Ans.
Multiple problems are observed in the case, some were open ended strategic decisions and
some were insights that affected the strategy. These problems were -

● Consumer study revealed that neither of the two new Dry Idea television commercials
outperformed the goal recall scores.

● Carole requested a no-go ruling. They spent $500 thousand on the creative and a lot of
time and work on it, but the result was simply mediocre advertising. This was quite
alarming.

● How could ‘Dry Idea' obtain the kind of ground-breaking advertising and brand recall that
it required?

● Carole believes they aren't getting BBDO's full attention and that Dry Idea isn't a top
priority for them.

● In 1984, they planned to debut an upgraded roll-on product, and they needed some
seriously innovative advertising to go along with it to build brand recall.

Carol has a number of alternatives available to her.

“New start to finish,” “Spokesman,” and “all you feel is dry” were the three ad campaigns
available. Carol had to pick one of them for the short-term ad campaign.

The journey ahead -

● BBDO Agency working on another round of copy development.
● Fire BBDO and hire a new firm to start from the ground up.
● Develop fresh campaigns using both BBDO and another firm.

Recommendation -

1. Keep running the "Spokesman" ad for the time being.

○ A fresh campaign may confuse clients due to a lack of clarity in strategic
positioning.
○ The “Spokesman” campaign was continuing, had a greater impact than
newly designed campaigns, and provided superior brand memory and
persuasion.

2. It's preferable to give BBDO another chance.

 ○ BBDO has a lengthy history of working with Gillette (almost 25 years). They have
a thorough understanding of the brand and its products.
○ Any new agency will take longer to get to know the brand and run the risk of
miscommunication.
○ Employees would be emotionally taxed if they had to work with more than one
agency (including BBDO), and marketing and advertising costs would double.

3. A long-term strategy -
○ It is preferable to anticipate the expansion of a product line. As consumer
preferences shift away from roll-ons and toward sticks and solids, the roll-on
market is expected to diminish.
○ Determine the brand personality and gain strategic clarity in positioning.
○ Choose a firm that can better communicate the product to clients than BBDO.