Tambrands Companys Marketing Strategies - Assignment Example

Tambrand’s Case Study Discussion 1 Procter & Gamble is popularly established for its innovation in disposable diapers and detergent. P&G has matured and developed in recent years by securing products and marketing them on internationally level. Tambrands made an executive decision by signing a $1.85 billion deal with P&G. P&G is a world-class company with universal marketing and distribution capabilities which will hasten the worldwide growth of Tampax as a single-product company P&G will empower the brand to realize its full potential. Therefore, P&G will allow the business to acquire skills and understand the feminine protection program and use it to a new market with Tampax. According to stock market analyst, P&G will boost Tambrands infrastructure to capture the wider market in developing countries. It would have been very difficult for Tambrands to launch a worldwide marketing program without merging with P&G. The deal signed benefited both parties; P&G was put back in the tampon business while Tambrands was now marketing its products on an international platform (Yomiko Ono,1997). This deal meant a new dawn for the Tambrands Company. P&G had induced a global marketing infrastructure and better distribution capabilities that brought worldwide growth of Tampax tampon up to speed to meet the out bursting market in developing countries. Discussion 2 The goal put in place by Tambrands of its universal marketing strategy was to “market to each cluster in a similar way.” This was because while scheduling for growth and development into a global market, Tambrands categorized the world into three clusters, in accordance with how resistant women are using tampons and not in accordance with their locations. In the first cluster, majority of women already use tampons and possibly feel they know all they need to know about the product. In the second cluster 2, approximately half of the women population in this category use tampons. There have been concerns regarding the loss of virginity when using tampons and they are often viewed as peculiar products that block the menstrual flow. In the third cluster, which is the most puzzling, there is the virginity issue and the order subject where Tambrands must articulate how to use a tampon without making them feel uncomfortable. Tambrands objective for its universal marketing plan was to “advertise to each cluster in a similar way”. This is because by categorizing based on resistance as a substitute for location, Tambrands is also trying to create a more consistent brand for its Tampax tampons. The advertising messages vary extensively from region to region. Advertisements in each area show successive number of women standing outside proclaiming the tampon message, with some clutching a blue box of Tampax. They end the ads with the same slogan, “Tampax. Women Know” (Sharon Walsh, 1997). Discussion 3 Most marketing consultants suggest that Tambrands’ marketing strategy is a step which is heading in the positive direction; however, some marketing consultants restrain that tampons are one of the most challenging products to market globally. This is because global expansion of tampons is challenged by issues relating to religious and cultural practices. Most cultures prohibit the use of these tampons hence creating a resistance to the global marketing. The great frontier of tampons is the third cluster; however, it could be the seductive noose of the global expansion goal. In the third market cluster, the company’s new global campaign demonstrates a significant shift from other feminine protection product advertisements, which frequently show energetic and playful women fitted in white pants, performing such activities as biking or cartwheels, while tactfully asserting messages of comfort. The new campaign features local women talking frankly about what had been a taboo subject in many countries. Recently, an advertisement for third market cluster focusing on Brazil market, demonstrations a close-up of a tampon while the narrator chirps, “It’s sleek, smooth, and re- ally comfortable to use.” Women in Brazil fear losing their virginity while using the tampons. This misconception of information is not easily broken by a conventional advertising. The new Tambrands hopes to embolden campaign advertisement and bring change in the Brazil market mindset. Second cluster market countries such as France, South Africa, and Israel are categorized in this cluster. Half of the women in this cluster of the population already use tampons, and they are well conversant with knowledge in relation to the tampons. However, the issue of virginity remains unresolved with a sizable portion of people believing in the misconception of tampons. Advertisements need to act appropriately through informative adverts to settle down the myths and capitalize on the developing market. In the first cluster, countries such as United States, United Kingdom and Australia, women in this category are well equipped with knowledge concerning tampons. Religion and cultural practices in these regions do not necessarily affect them. Therefore, a high understanding of the theories plays a significant advantage of how Tambrands can market their product with much ease. Discussion 4 According to approaches identified in each cluster, employing similar ways of marketing will prove useful in tapping the developing market. Religion and cultural practices seem to be the most challenging issue. Tambrands should identify religious and cultural practices in these clusters and use the available information in correcting the misconceptions in the markets of these clusters. Advertisements and social awareness programs to educate and inform women in each cluster will help solve the problem of resistance in the market. Tambrands' risky new advertisements are just part of a high-stakes campaign feature to increase the markets where it has long encountered cultural and religious sensitivities. The new advertisements feature local women being amazingly blunt about such a personal product. For instance, China is identified as a challenging market for Tambrands, therefore in a new advertisement demonstrates a Chinese woman put in a tampon in a test tube full of blue water. This advert proves the effectiveness of using tampons while demonstrating comfort in using the products. Discussion 5 According to P&G, when they gathered women in Venezuela for a focus group, women stated their concerns and expressed similarities with Mexican counterparts. The Venezuela women emphasized similarities in “virginity issue” as their counterparts in Mexico. Following P&G's great success in Mexico, the same strategies and methods could be applied in Venezuela to curb the misconceptions (Emily and Miriam, 2000). This attitude steered P&G marketers to settle that Tampax publicizing could be racier in Venezuela. On a list of common delusions, led by “will I lose my virginity?” P&G wrote, “La ignorancia es la madre de todo los mitos,” (Emily and Miriam, 2000) which interprets as “ignorance is the mother of all myths.” This one catchphrase, though, failed merely because in Latin culture the term ignorance and mother do not go together. The focus group women were not satisfied with this slogan and hence, scrapped it off. Eventually, P&G marketing group revealed advertisements such as “Es Tiempo De Cambiar Las Reglas,” for magazines, buses and billboards. The marketing group distinguishes that Venezuelan women will hook the pun: “reglas” is the vernacular they use for their menstrual. The Mexican model advertising the P&G products having the similar physical characteristics, religious and cultural practices would be an added advantage. It is particularly difficult to identify the origin of the model however the concept of close similarity helps the country women to relate to the advertisements placed (Emily and Miriam, 2000). Discussion 6 In regions where the online marketing is not readily accessible to the target market, a more undeviating and personal methodology involves a health and education weight. The P&G products; Always and Tampax, have merged with 'HERO,' an awareness building and fund- raising enterprise of the United Nations Association, to lift off the “Protecting Futures” program calculated to assist in giving girls in Africa an improved opportunity in education. Teenage girls living in sub-Saharan Africa often fail to go to school up to four days each month because they lack the necessary requirements of sanitary towels and other means to be able to manage their menstrual. According to statistics done by HERO program, 1 in 10 school-age African teenage girls do not attend school during theirs periods phases or drop out at adolescence because of the lack of clean and private hygiene amenities in schools (Richard Weiner, 2004). Protecting Futures program is an inclusive care program which conveys adolescence teenage girls’ education, a traveling healthcare provider for all the teen girls in African schools. The program focuses on nutritious feeding programs, educational funding services, a pad distribution program, and substantial building projects to add washrooms and renovate the school buildings. Sustenance for this program is part of the P&G company basis, Live, Learn, and Thrive which has helped over 50 million children in need. All of this work is done with the impression that better health education and the use of the company’s products will effect in fewer absent days spent by girls in African schools during menstruation. Therefore, better education for female students (Richard Weiner, 2004). References Yomiko Ono. (1997). Tambrands Ads Aim to Overcome Cultural and Religious Obstacles. The Wall Street Journal, p. B8. Sharon Walsh. (1997). Procter & Gamble Bids to Acquire Tambrands; Deal Could Expand Global Sales of Tam- pax. The Washington Post, p. 18. Emily Nelson and Miriam Jordan. (2000). Sensitive Export: Seeking New Markets for Tampons, P&G Faces Cultural Barriers. The Wall Street Journal, p. A1. Richard Weiner. (2004). A Candid Look at Menstrual Products: Advertising and Public Relations. Public Relations Quarterly, Summer Read More