Good Example Of Quarter: Case Study

Gillette

Introduction
Gillette has been known for long because of its innovation in marketing strategies and development of products. Within the competitive razor and blade market, Gillette has been competitive and holds a market share that is commanding and worldwide. In 2006, Gillette had its peak of innovation because of the introduction of a fusion 5-bladed razor. Presently, innovation of razors and blades has been thwarted by insufficient technology and reluctance of consumers. Consumers are not in a position to pay for greatest and latest technologies of shaving. Gillette has had product leadership, product innovation, integrated marketing, pricing strategy, segmentation, competition, communication, strategic focus, sports marketing and global marketing for success (Robin, 78). Also, Gillette must make a decision of putting razor wars behind them in order to maintain and increase its share within the market of razors. This paper is a case study of Gillette and will explore with its marketing strategies.

Themes

For Gillette, key themes include how it markets its products, product development, market selection, post purchase dissonance and success in technology. Gillette markets its products through research , and it identifies needs of consumers and their wants. Gillette has had research and more people have been ascertained to remove their hair daily with above eighty percent using razor blades (Mark, 109). Through this research, Gillette has been able to calculate how razors and shaving creams get to excess with the consumption of shavers. With proper research, Gillette has been able to account for two of every three of razor blades sold in the world. Product development has enabled Gillette to realize a disposable razor blade. This disposable razor blade is convenient and beyond that, it generates a continuous stream of revenue. Market selection for Gillette is based on economic, cultural, political and legal environment. With a market strategy that is based on grooming of people, the Gillette market selection supports other grooming products like deodorants and antiperspirants. The market selection is strategized to be global and economic based on profits made from sales, culturally defined to promote a culture that is groomed and political environment that is to promote groomed leadership.
Based on the theme of post purchase dissonance, Gillette’s marketing provides positive reinforcement to consumers after the purchase of commodities. Gillette reduces consumers post purchase dissonance by assuring the buyers have made the right choice and providing mechanisms that ensure the consumers obtain further information about the products. Technological success for Gillette has been seen to be that of manufacturing razor blades with swiveling- ball hinges those enable the blades to pivot (Tungate, 61). The flex ball technology is also a kin that has been evidenced in the Gillette production, and it is used in the hyson ball vacuums.

SWOT Analysis

SWOT analysis for Gillette explores its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Gillette’s strengths include a triple blade razor, uranium coating, aggressive advertising and provision of quality and innovative services and products to users. Weaknesses are that Gillette is costlier that other razors, not easily available and is an expensive brand to maintain. Opportunities for Gillette include consumer brand preference, increase in male grooming leading to an increase in demand for sophisticated products and an increasing demand for high-quality products with different technology (Robin et al., 145). Threats that Gillette may face include growth in substitutes, a price sensitive market, and price wars with competitors.

Missing Information and Assumptions

Information that may be fundamental and are missing in the case document of Gillette is class of leadership and management team. The case study provides information about how Gillette is a known company and has progressed over time. It would then be important for this case study to have information about how the company is run and managed with names of management team given. The class of leadership would help an individual or groups who read the case study to organize them and get to admire and practice the skills within the Gillette Company. The management team can also be of importance such that known leaders can be identified, and their skills followed.

Statement of the Problem

A key problem in this case of Gillette is the razor wars, whereby the wars got ugly with more threatening competitors, Shick, and Quattro. However much, it is past the competition can repeat itself, and I went ahead to identify this problem by the fact that unhealthy competition could be risky for businesses. The Gillette Company is not the only one that manufactures blades, and an ugly occurrence that can face it if it does not maintain being the best is serious competition from the other industries.

Development and Evaluation of Alternatives

Gillette is the best a brand can have but still can face unhealthy competitions from other brands. In order to solve the issue of competition alternatives that can be used include reduction of prices, practice of positive cannibalization and extension of brands. High costs are a weakness for Gillette and its products often get higher in prices as compared to others. An alternative to curb unhealthy competition could be by reducing costs of its products and matching it with costs for other brands, but the same good quality. Practice of positive cannibalization would make more sense for Gillette to focus its resources on marketing by switching consumers to Mach 3 (Doole & Isobel, 111). This would help it avoid winning more shares from competitors and still make huge profits. A third alternative for Gillette would be to extend its brand by exploring more blades and increasing deodorants and shampoos for better grooming.

Recommendations

Recommendations based on alternatives for the Gillette Company must be of good brand extension. It is not advisable to only base ideas on shaving tips or razors and blades because shaving does not require only those. A good groomer would need all required equipments when cutting hair from wherever which part of the body including towels, gels, shampoos, conditioners, and deodorants. As an alternative to face competition and win, it would be advisable for Gillette to expand its brand beyond razors and blades. The software of shaving should be explicit with some percentage of production getting to blades, razors, and shampoos, deodorants, wiping materials and drying agents aftershaves (William, 189). Having all shades of shaving materials would increase number of people who shave daily, and it would even be best if all the materials required are provided in packages.

Implementation, Evaluation, and Control

In conclusion, implementation, evaluation and control of the brand extension strategy should involve how the brand is created, marketed and sold to the consumers. For Gillette, brand implementation would physically represent the identity of the brand across both verbal and visual media. By extending the brand, facets of architecture, product design, procurement, and retail design must be encompassed by the Gillette Company. Evaluation of brand extension must cover brand attitude and its image, and the results must indicate different factors (Pride, 56). After evaluating brand extension within the Gillette Company, then the results can be used to manufacture the new brand and study which brand can be best introduced. In order to control the chosen strategy of brand extension, brand indicators must be established so that the extension can be best understood and managed. Some of the indicators that Gillette Company can establish in controlling the brand extension include brand income, brand equity, brand image and its stability.

Works Cited

Pride, William M, and O C. Ferrell. Marketing. Australia: South-Western Cengage Learning, 2010. Print.
Doole, Isobel, and Robin Lowe. International Marketing Strategy: Analysis, Development, and Implementation. London: Cengage Learning, 2008. Print.
Tungate, Mark. Branded Male: Marketing to Men. London: Kogan Page, 2008. Print.