Download Taking a brand online - The Australian Financial Review

Reckitt Benckiser
Taking a brand online
with each other. The dialogue reiterates Clearasil’s Brand essence “clear skin
confidence”, teaching that the only way to gain confidence is by participating in
life to the fullest, not just chatting about it online.
Diagram 1: SWOT analysis
2 The brand footprint
Successful marketing of any product
can often be measured by how well
their brand is remembered by the
target audience when they shop.
However, the brand footprint is more
than just the name or logo that
identifies and differentiates a product.
The brand footprint encompasses the
brand’s meaning, personality and its
reputation – the impression it makes
on the consumer landscape. In any
market where there are only a few
large businesses, market positioning
of a brand is a key objective. Clearasil’s
brand footprint has helped strengthen
its market position through creating a
clear identity for its products. The key
component of Clearasil’s brand footprint is around “clear skin confidence”,
which targets the youth market.
In keeping with the brand footprint the company has developed the Clearasil
Pillars. The Pillars aim to match the personalities and needs of the typical
consumer with the appropriate products from the Clearasil range. For example,
customers who experience “High occurrence and high anxiety “with regards
to their skin care needs are best suited to the fast acting, high performance
products from Clearasil’s Ultra range.
Weaknesses
•Strong brand health
•Strong brand
awareness
•Used most often by
males 11-15 years old
•Brand seen as stale, lacking momentum
•Not seen as premium or up-market
•Weaker performance with females and older
audience
•TV campaign not enhancing the brand
Opportunities
Threats
•Seen as a brand leader
•Recognised as a product
that actually works
•Key competitor outspending Clearasil on
marketing/advertising
•High cost to reach target audience via TV
of life, and not to hide behind online profiles of inflated status updates and
retouched photos. The plan was to take their audience on a journey with the goal
of helping them achieve real world confidence.
The website www.beyourselfforreal.com was launched with this key message
in mind and was designed to address the business’s four core areas. To engage
with and reach a larger share of the intended audience, the website uses
several features including the Real Voices, Shout Box and People’s Paparazzi
encouraging interaction with real teenagers. The website also includes
promotions and quizzes to highlight the prominent features of the Clearasil
brand and give the brand momentum, in the pursuit of increasing sales.
The online program allowed RB to increase the depth of the conversation with its
customers. It was initiated in response to the research, indicating the importance
to young adults of fitting in with their peers, yet taking steps to discover their
own voice and identity. The campaign was initiated by encouraging real world
interaction with all materials developed by the users and not by RB.
To build reach and retain interest in the campaign, the website features an
ongoing conversation centred on understanding the value of kids being real
Diagram 2: The Be Yourself [For Real] website
3 Developing an online strategy
Developing an online presence as a marketing strategy is essential in the age of
the ‘digital kids’. Supported by quantitative research indicating that the internet
is the only information medium experiencing growth (and now accounting for 30
percent of all media consumption), together with the high relative cost of using
television advertising, an online campaign seemed a natural fit.
However, before deciding on an appropriate marketing strategy, businesses
often use a SWOT analysis to identify the brand’s strengths and weaknesses,
opportunities and threats (see Diagram 1). The results for Clearasil clearly
identified challenges that needed to be addressed. Most significant was the
opinion that the brand needed to be revamped to reflect the changing needs of
its customers and to explore alternative ways to deliver their message as the
target market is moving away from watching television.
RB also carried out extensive qualitative market research using focus
groups to categorise their target market into age and gender brackets and to
identify the key characteristics of each. The findings summarised personality
traits, patterns of social interaction, goals and aspirations and gave a clear
understanding of the target audience.
To maintain the focus on using the Clearasil brand footprint as a link to its
audience, RB needed to design a campaign that was relevant and provided a
high level of appeal and interest. In keeping with Clearasil’s brand personality,
the “Be Yourself [For Real]” campaign encourages young people to be ‘daring’,
‘authentic’ and ‘passionate’, to gain confidence through real world experiences
visit www.afrbiz.com.au
Strengths
Shout Box
Focal question
which encourages
response. Video
generated.
Question updated
2 x every week.
Real Voice
6 REAL teen
champions – will
contribute, share
opinions and
provide advice.
Basically keep it
REAL!
Clearasil
Promotions
To have strong
presence in
relevant months.
the pulse
Relevant poll
question. Ability
to gain stats/data.
clearasil spot
Rotating banner
including:
•Product of the
month
•Fun questions
linking to brand
website.
quiz
New every month,
fun & interactive.
Will include “what
Clearasil product
are you?” quiz with
link through to brand
website.
peoples
paparazzi
REAL life shots of
REAL teens out in the
REAL world!
4 Conclusion
The “Be Yourself [For Real]” campaign has allowed Clearasil to engage and interact
with its core audience on a far superior level than in the past. It is a program that
supports the key business objectives by not only reaching the ‘digital kids’ but
engaging their interest and appealing to the issues that matter to them most.
As part of the review process all businesses must monitor and evaluate the
success of any advertising campaign using Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
This allows them to take corrective action if the forecasted indicators of
performance (such as sales or production figures) vary significantly from the
actual results. Additionally, to ensure that Clearasil continues to grow, the brand
must develop with its target market and consumers – while online advertising is
appropriate today, who knows what new challenges tomorrow will bring?
GLOSSARY
Advertising Bringing a brand, product or service to the attention of
potential and current customers. Advertising is typically done with signage,
brochures, radio or TV commercials, direct mailings or websites, personal
contact and the like.
Brand/s The trading name of a product that has a high level of recognition
in the market place. Successful development of the brand and ‘brand
mark’ (identifying symbols and design) is a considerable marketing tool.
Focus group/s A qualitative market research technique in which a group
of participants (approximately 10) of common demographics, attitudes, or
purchase patterns are led through a discussion of a particular topic by a
trained moderator.
Marketing The range of activities that relate to identifying, anticipating
and satisfying customer needs (profitably) by means of standard tools
such as market research and promotion.
Market positioning The technique by which marketers try to create an
image or identity for a product, brand, or organisation. It is the ‘place’ a
product occupies in a given market as perceived by the target market.
Market research Finding out information about the characteristics
of potential customers to solve marketing problems and to support
marketing decisions.
Qualitative market research Research based on anecdotal feedback
from clients providing information on how and why people make the
purchasing decisions they do. Information can usually be collected through
surveys, interviews and focus groups.
Quantitative research A market research technique that attempts to obtain
measurable findings from a sample of consumers. The research focuses on
measuring and counting facts and the relationships among variables, and
seeks to describe observations through statistical analysis of data.
Questions and Extension Activities for Reckitt
Benckiser are on www.afrbiz.com.au
You will also find links to the Reckitt
Benckiser website www.rb.com
For extension activities and questions on Case Studies
• Downloads • Company info • Current Case Studies
edition
The Australian Financial Review and ©Australian Business Case Studies Pty Ltd. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of information, neither the publisher nor the client can be held responsible for errors or omissions in this Case Study.
1 Introduction
Although you may not instantly recognise the name Reckitt Benckiser (RB) as
one of the world’s leading manufacturers of household, health and personal
care products, mention a few of their leading brands and the picture becomes
clear. RB is a global corporation, home to such household brands as Clearasil,
Dettol, Finish, Strepsils, Nurofen and Airwick. These iconic brands form part
of what RB refers to as its powerbrands – 17 of their most profitable products
and the focus of their corporate strategy for innovation and growth.
This Case Study takes a closer look at one of RB’s leading brands – Clearasil
– and their current marketing and advertising strategy designed to maintain
and build on their position as the second largest producer of acne treatment
products worldwide. Since its inception in 1950, the Clearasil product range
has evolved to become a popular product in both daily skin care routine and
acne treatment creams.
With the average consumer being exposed to some 500 marketing strategies
every day, it is vital that a business targets its message to the right
people. Simply inventing a new product or improving an existing one does
not guarantee that customers will buy it. Without a clear marketing and
advertising strategy your customers may not even be aware of your product,
regardless of how ‘new and improved’ it may be.
Consumer expenditure in the skin care market has experienced significant
growth in recent years. To stay competitive, RB recognised the need to
develop a marketing campaign that allowed them to have a positive impact
in three key areas:
• Engagement – to allow Clearasil to interact with its customers at a level far
superior than it has previously, and to that of the competition
• Brand momentum – to capitalise on the positive experience the brand
delivers and turn this into future sales
• Sales – to increase market share and future sales.
After significant market research, RB decided that an online strategy would
best meet the three key business objectives, targeting an audience whose
online consumption is greater than television or any other medium. With that
in mind the company launched a new website called “Be Yourself [For Real]”,
an interactive experience encouraging Clearasil’s target market of young
adults to confidently develop their own
identity, not only online, but in real life.