FREE ESSAY ON UNILEVER - PROPOSED MARKETING STRATEGY

UNILEVER - PROPOSED MARKETING STRATEGY

I propose not a new product but a new marketing strategy. A popular brand associated with
Unilever is Pond's. Pond's is a strategic business unit that deals with skin-care
products. I propose to begin a marketing campaign that will increase their revenue by as
much as 50% with absolutely no change to the products in their line. The following is a
break down on how I plan to do this.
Before getting into this miracle marketing strategy we must understand Pond's
competition, more specifically, the new competition in the market they are breaking into.
Currently their competition would include Noxzema, Neutrogena, etc. The competition I
will be focusing on in this new market is Oxy and Clearasil. 
I visited Oxy's as well as Clearasil's web sites at www.oxyoxygen.com/products/wash.html
and www.clearasil.com/home.html, respectively. I found that the product lines of the
three companies are astoundingly similar. Pond's skin care products include: Overnight
Blemish Reducers, Deep Pore Scrub, Clear Solutions Pore Clarifying Astringent etc. Some
of Oxy's products include: Multi-Action Astringent, Acne Treatments, Cleansing Pads, and
Shower Gel for Face and Body. Clearasil has these same products with different names. So
what is the difference between Pond's, Oxy and Noxzema?
First, judging by the web-site, Pond's target market is Generation Y women (although I
have personally seen the products in the bathrooms of Generation X'ers as well as
Baby-boomers). Generation Y women make up 30,000,000 of the nation's population. There
was one subtle but costly difference (for Pond's). Oxy and Clearasil's sites were not
directed at a specific gender but all of Generation Y. 
Pond's, Noxzema and Neutrogena currently fall into the same category of marketing
strategy, Generation Y women. This current strategy cuts their possible customer pool in
half. That means 50% less possible revenue! So how does Pond's go about doubling its
target market as well as revenue?
I believe Unilever, specifically the Strategic Business unit Pond's, could greatly
increase sales by expanding their target market from young women alone to both genders. 
This would be achieved mainly through television, magazine ads, promotions as well as the
Internet, because Generation Y is Internet savvy. 
Choosing television stations that target the same age group that Pond's would be
targeting is very important. Advertising on CNBC or stations of the sort wouldn't be
likely to reach the largest possible number of Generation Y. I believe MTV would be the
best choice, for advertising because it targets teenage males and females, who generally
suffer most from acne, and generally buy and use products such as these. Pond's should
implement a hip new image where both young men and woman use this product. Getting a
popular teen idle such as Brittany Spears or a member of NSYNC to appear in their
commercials would likely boost sales. The important thing to keep in mind would be to
demonstrate how young men use Pond's also. They must do away with the image of products
made specifically for women's skin problems. 
Pond's currently achieves a young hip look through cartoon-like characters, bright
colors, and cool graphics on their web-site. Pond's web-site is nearly identical in color
scheme, graphics and feel to those of Oxy and Clearasil. What separates the two however
is that Pond's specifically targets young women. All they have to do is put Generation Y
males in their advertising, and they will increase sales, guaranteed.