Marketing and Gillette Essay Example

care business Gillette made several introductions including Aapri facial care products, Dry Idea deodorant, Bare Elegance Body Lotion, Mink Difference hair spray, White Rain hair care products, and Silkience shampoo and moisturizers. In the writing instrument business, Gillette achieved moderate success with the development of Eraser Mate erasable, disposable pens. In 1990 Gillette launched the sensor razor. This technology was wildly popular so Gillette followed its success by introducing the Sensor Excel in 1993. Then Gillette introduced a version of Sensor and sensor Excel for women in 1992.

In 1998 Gillette introduced the Mach3, a razor with 3 thin blades introduced to provide a closer shave in fewer strokes and therefore less irritation. To develop its Mach3 Gillette invested heavily in research and development. This technology became Gillette's most successful new product ever. Its sales hit the $1 billion in only 18 month. Mach3 was named winner of the American Marketing Association's Grand Edison Award as the best new product in 1998. The Mach3 technology was further enhanced in the Mach3Turbo for men and the Venus system addressed to women.

Further efforts were made to target the teen shaving market with a line of Sensor razors in a variety of colors in an attempt to develop lifelong customers at a young age. In 2005 Gillette introduced the Fusion razor with five blades technology as an aggressive counter attack for its competitor Schick's Quattro four bladed razor. 4 million fusion blades were sold within the first 2 month. So as we can conclude Gillette and since its beginnings has put lots of efforts in its research and development laboratories.

It has been always on top of the industry in

innovation of new products and it has always used technology to win further market share for its products whether it was in the blade business, personal care products or the writing instruments business. Gillette products now dominate the world wet-shaving technology. Many industry analysts say that the wet-shaving technology innovation has come to an end. A sixth bladed razor will not add any advancement to the shaving experience of the Fusion. Every one now anticipates the next technology that will come as a successor or leverage to the Fusion.

Wither it is product or marketing innovation, Gillette has to always exceed in innovation to stay dominant in its market. Gillette launched the new technology for Fusion in June 2010, the Gillette Fusion ProGlide and Fusion ProGlide Power, the number 1 Dermatologist recommended razor. Gillette combined seven technological advancements in shaving performance, Keeping Gillette on cutting edge for technological advancements. Question 2: What do you make of the battle between Gillette and Schick? Is the battle of one-upmanship good for either company?

The war has first started around 1962 with Schick introducing the first stainless steel blade by this decreasing Gillette's market share. Yet Gillette was lucky because Schick couldn't exploit the niche it has created and Schick ended up in selling its blades to Gillette. Another technology was introduced by Schick in 2003, the Quattro four-bladed razor to gain market share from Gillette. The battle of one-upmanship is aggressive between Gillette and Schick and this is leading to all technology advancements in the wet-shaving industry.

Gillette has always dominated the shaving market since its founding in 1901. Currently, Gillette controls 70% of the wet-shaving market. Schick claims roughly

18%. I think Gillette must always be cautious of schick and fair competition is always healthy for companies since it keeps them on edge with advancements to gain more market share. Question 3: What actions would you recommend over the next five years that would help Gillette maintain its worldwide dominance in the shaving market? What specific marketing program decisions would you recommend?

Should Gillette be worried about Schick? Explain? Gillette should stay on top of marketing and product innovation. Gillette should increase its market penetration. The following marketing programs should be followed for the next 5 years to reach this goal. Gillette has to penetrate more into the European and the Middle East market. It has to change the habits of the Italian, Spanish and Middle Eastern women that use waxing instead of shaving. There has to be a marketing campaign that will address the women in these countries to the easiness and less pain advantages of shaving.

It has also to point the accessibility of the shaving that can be done at anytime whenever needed without any effort yet the waxing takes more time and it is more painful and more expensive especially if the women visit a salon for waxing. There has also to be another marketing campaign that will be addressed to women in European countries like Germany and France to increase the awareness of the sleek and sexy look that shaving hair will give a women. This can be accomplished by bringing famous actors and singers that are ideals for these omen so as to affect them. These marketing campaigns should assert the sexy and confident look for women who shave.

Ideals used

in the campaign should be for both young teens and ladies between their 30s and 40s. A marketing campaign should be addressed to male teens and adolescent by using a Harry Potter like model to reveal the sexiness of guys who shave and how women will be attracted more to them. By increasing the number of women that shave in these countries, Gillette sales will increase by hundreds of millions of blades.