Kotex is launching a new line of products designed specifically for tween girls. Accompanying marketing is geared toward helping moms to proactively talk to their daughters about menstruation. Research shows that one in three young girls has no idea what's happening when she gets her first period, according to Kotex. Four out of five moms feel only somewhat or not at all prepared to talk to their daughter about her changing body. U by Kotex Tween line offers pads that are sized smaller to fit a tween's smaller body. The pads and liners have tween-inspired designs that come in a glittery package with a helpful informational booklet on the inside to help reduce the anxiety for mom and tween during the conversation. The new product line is being launched through advertising, direct mail and retail. The Kotex brand is refreshing its Web site at www. Kotex.com/Tween to provide tools and tips to empower mom to pick her day to talk to her daughter about her first period. "We will also be reaching out to moms through influential mom Web sites, including a partnership with ModernMom," according to a Kimberly-Clark spokesperson. The brand has also partnered with Lissa Rankin, gynecologist, mother, author, life coach and founder of online community Owning Pink, who is passionate about encouraging open communication among moms and their daughters. "While Tweens represent a niche audience, Kimberly-Clark believes informing moms and tweens on the topic is the right thing to do because so many are unprepared for menstruation and reaching tweens at this age can mean building strong relationships for life," says a Kimberly-Clark spokesperson. "The Tween product line and initiative is an extension of the U by Kotex line's mission to create open and honest conversations around vaginal health and to break down the barriers that have traditionally been associated with this topic." The conversation is especially important given the earlier onset of puberty in girls now than in previous years. Tools include conversation starters, an interactive calendar to help mom pick a day to talk to her daughter, information on first periods and other tough topics as well as a place to connect with other moms. The Kotex brand has also worked with Disney Family to update the "Story of Menstruation" video for its 65th anniversary. The video, available at the Kotex Web site, features Dr. Rankin with other parenting experts in a discussion about preparing for the first-period conversation.
Private-label makers are looking to capitalize on consumers' growing concerns about recent increases in the costs of many grocery and other everyday items. The Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA) has released a new study that concludes that consumers on average can save 33% off their grocery bills by buying all private-label products. Over a six-week period (Feb. 12 to March 19), the association tracked bills for market baskets comprising 40 staple grocery, household and personal care items, comparing the total costs for all-private-label and all-branded-product equivalent market baskets. Products included cleaning items such as glass cleaner, paper towels and pine oil disinfectant; two dozen pantry staples such as cornflakes, pasta sauce and carbonated beverages; and personal necessities such as mouthwash and facial tissue. The study was conducted in a single, traditional-format suburban market in the Northeast. Results: Private-label basket bills averaged $84.73 over the period, versus branded-product baskets' average of $127.03, for average savings of $42.30, or 33.3%. According to PLMA, the national brand and private label products chosen in each category were similar, and prices were adjusted to account for all known discounts, coupons and promotions available for each of the six shopping visits during the study. Among individual food items, the cost savings ranged as high as 46.8% on carbonated beverages, 45% on ice cream, 43.5% on hot dog buns, and 40% on pasta sauce, the association reports. Savings in many non-foods categories were better, led by aspirin (the store brand version cost 60.6% less, on average), pine-oil cleaner (57.3% less), body lotion (53.5% less) and facial tissue (50% less). Commenting on the study, Kevin Coupe, editor of Morning News Beat, a newsletter for the retail industry, noted that the results are "no surprise," although the numbers might be different for different areas of the country. "It does illustrate why private brands have seen so much growth through this recession," he added. "The question is whether it continues as the economy improves." According to a Seeking Alpha report on PLMA's last annual conference, held in late 2010, after growing strongly in 2008 and 2009, sales of private-label foods were flat in 2010, "as brands counterattacked and increased trade and consumer promotion." Looking at total CPG, The Nielsen Company recently reported that following flat year-over-year performance in October 2010 and a roughly 2% November 2010 increase, U.S. private-label CPG dollar sales remained flat in December 2010. Private-label CPG unit sales declined 2.3% in December, following drops of 1% and 3%, respectively, in November and October 2010. However, Nielsen executive Danny Brager recently characterized 2010 private-label sales as "very strong," noting that private-label dollar share in supermarkets has grown from 15% prior to the recession to more than 18% in 2010. Furthermore, PLMA quotes Nielsen data showing that annual sales of private-label products grew by more than $18 billion over the most recent five-year period, and that private label's unit market share in U.S. supermarkets is now 23.5%. And a recent Rabobank analysis projected that globally, private label will double its market share, from a current 25% to 50%, by 2025. The PLMA study release comes just days after the release of a Market Force Information study that concluded that the distinction between private label and name brands is "fading" among consumers -- who frequently are not even aware that some of the brands they're buying are private label. "This situation could pose some real challenges for the national brands that must maintain a distinct identity" to warrant their higher prices in consumers' estimation, summed up Janet Eden-Harris, chief marketing officer for the MFI research firm. In addition, while food and beverage brand strategic consultancy Scion Advisors recently noted that some manufacturers have successfully reduced the weights or sizes of their products while keeping suggested retail prices at the same or even slightly higher levels, media articles calling attention to this practice have become increasingly common.
After suffering weaker sales, Best Buy is thinking small: It says it will focus on expanding its petite Best Buy Mobile stores, which are about 1,400 square feet, and shrink its regular stores by about 10% in the next three to five years. In presentations to investors and analysts, the Minneapolis-based chain says the strategy is all part of its mission to look beyond individual products to larger issues of connectivity. "Technology is connecting the world, and we believe it's changing the world for the better," says CEO Brian J. Dunn, in a release explaining the changes. "We recognize that people need help in navigating our increasingly connected world. And Best Buy has an unparalleled range of ways we can assist -- online, through our stores, over the phone or in their homes. This multifaceted approach allows us to serve customers whenever and wherever they want." The retailer is beefing up its mobile offerings, adding 150 Best Buy Mobile stand-alone stores in the fiscal year, and expects to have an estimated 600 to 800 stores within five years. The smaller mobile stores emphasize impartial advice, with 10 carriers and 14 manufacturers, as well as straightforward pricing and tech-savvy associates, and had revenue of about $2.5 billion in fiscal 2011. Currently, there are 1,099 store-within-a-store units, expanding to an additional 600 locations, and 191 stand-alones, with about 325 scheduled to be completed by the end of the current fiscal year. Online sales are also increasingly important: The company expects to double the $2 billion in revenue for Best Buy's U.S. online business in three to five years. It also says it is strongly advocating for e-fairness to address the unfair online pricing advantage. And the retailer says it's also exploring additional opportunities in mobile phones, tablets, gaming and appliances. While Best Buy claims to generate the highest sales per square footage of any large format retailer in the U.S. and sells one out of every three U.S. televisions, it has struggled of late, with same-store sales falling 4.6% in its most recent quarter. The category isn't an easy one: Wal-Mart Stores this week reportedly says it will reduce space for electronics in its U.S. stores, saying that sales in that category have declined.
Consumers say they fill out customer satisfaction surveys not for their own good -- or even to complain about a particularly bad experience -- but because they truly believe their voices are being heard and that it's an important part of their side of the brand relationship. According to a survey of more than 1,400 consumers by Chadwick Martin Bailey, more than one quarter of consumers have completed a survey in the past year, and more than half of them (57%) said they did it to share a good experience. Half said they did it to improve the company. "Everyone is focusing on customer satisfaction and linking it to financial outcomes to the company," says Jeff McKenna, senior consultant and director of customer satisfaction solutions at the market research company. "Everyone understands if you have satisfied customers you're going to have better financial benefits. What they're not understanding is what this means for the customer. And what we're finding is this is an important communication for the customer." The research, McKenna says, dispels the notion that the majority of people who respond to customer satisfaction surveys do so because they had an overwhelmingly bad experience and are "chronic complainers." In fact, the survey revealed 81% of people responded equally for positive and negative experiences. Thirteen percent said they typically fill them out only because they have very positive experiences. Only 4% said they fill them out only when they have only negative experiences. "For companies that are afraid to open up to customer feedback for fear of getting a lot of negative comments, this should be a revelation," McKenna tells Marketing Daily. "People are saying something to be heard, and this confirms that." Response rates (and reasons) differ along gender lines. Three-fifths of women said they participate in customer satisfaction surveys to share good experiences, while 53% of men said they filled them out to improve the company. Women are also more likely to participate in a survey to receive a discount or promotion (50% women vs. 40% men). However, McKenna notes, those promotions -- or even a sincere "thank you" -- are an important part of the customer service equation. "As companies are doing this, it's important for them to communicate back to let people know that they're being heard," he says. "I think it's very important for companies to be responsible and responsive to these things."
LG Electronics USA is sponsoring the Great American Cleanup with the goal of encouraging consumers to recycle electronics. The cleanup is the nation's largest green volunteerism program, organized by Keep America Beautiful. In 2010, volunteers across the country recycled 7.2 million pounds of consumer electronics during the Great American Cleanup. LG hopes that figure will climb in 2011. The event runs through May 31. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.-based LG sponsored a celebration April 14 in Times Square honoring volunteers in New York City. LG executives explained the company's nationwide recycling program and emphasized the importance of replacing old electronics and appliances with Energy Star products. The LG Electronics Recycling Program provides consumers with a way to dispose of used, unwanted, obsolete or damaged consumer electronics products. In 2010, separate from the Great American Cleanup, LG recycled more than eight million pounds of home electronic products in the United States, free of charge to consumers. After recycling their old products, consumers are asked to take the "Change the World, Start with Energy Star" pledge. U.S. consumers' purchases of LG Energy Star qualified products in 2010 will save about $650 million in utility costs and will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 4 billion pounds over the lifetime of these products. Through May, an anticipated 1,200 Keep America Beautiful affiliates and participating organizations nationwide will rally an estimated 3.5 million volunteers to beautify and make their neighborhoods greener. The 2011 theme, "Green Starts Here," encourages civic leaders and volunteer groups to begin creating more sustainable communities through their efforts as volunteers. LG's involvement in the effort supports the company's sustainability initiatives that include recycling, energy conservation, responsible product designs, renewable energy and reducing hazardous substances and greenhouse gas emissions.
Most of us have experienced a point in our careers when the stars aligned as our PR and marketing programs achieved dramatic, perhaps even monumental, results. A moment when we've just witnessed business growth, consumer buzz, major media attention -- or to leap-frog a much bigger competitor with a better idea the world says yes to. Life's achievements are to be savored -- and we hope repeated. No one-hit-wonder here. We say this under our breath that maybe the big outcome will be hard to come by a second or third time. So we push ahead eager that some of the magic and creative lightening will strike twice and hit the results jackpot again. Dumb luck you think? No.... So what is the grist of this success made of these days? Is there a consistent theme within these experiences and projects that metaphorically or mathematically blew the doors off? It is highly probable they were big bets representing a strategic swing for the fence. Let's explore some evolutions in the current path to remarkable marketing achievement. Finding Your Mission Lately we're seeing some organizations up the ante and scope of their marketing and outreach efforts by enveloping their brands in an initiative that draws from a more cinematic scope and mission. Take ConAgra's recent announcement - a multi-brand campaign titled "Child Hunger Ends Here". No small cause and one that resonates with moms. The project unites a portfolio of their packaged foods brand under a single banner. Or PepsiCo's "Refresh Project"-- an initiative that falls from the company's efforts to emphasize social values, while working to embed greater meaning into their brands and businesses. "Refresh" invites investment proposals from all comers at the local level for arts, music, and education projects. And the comprehensive, "Live Music Series" program from Jim Beam that helps unlock the social connections inherent in their category. Beam is sponsoring and presenting an array of music events, offers and experiences. What resonates is the commitment to relevance with their core target audience's lifestyle passions and aspirations. By definition we're wading into territory populated with larger-in-scope, transformative projects that carry with them the potential to impact brand and business behavior. And in doing so fulfill the definition of what we would call a "BIG" idea: bigger in agenda, reach, ambition and hopefully attached to bigger outcomes and long-term benefits. Efforts in this vein surely will work harder to break through the rust of rampant, epidemic indifference that exists virtually everywhere. Sounds good, but what's the path look like? Let's examine five key elements that elevate the brand's mission and meaning to a higher level:
1. A historic sense of gravitas, mattering and purpose -- consumer behaviorists tell us people want to be a part of something bigger than themselves; projects that spring from a foundation of greater meaning, value and symbolism in turn infuse the business with superior significance and worth. There's a richer conversation to be had than the year-to-year rework of product feature and benefit messaging. 2. Momentum to ante-up a clutter-busting focus of resources (not tonnage in spend but in cross-channel deployment) -- more horsepower is secured when the concept also waves the flag of moral imperative or corporate calling. The aggregation of assets on a single platform creates potential homerun clout. Much needed in a marketing environment already riven with attention deficits and loss of grip in conventional media channels. 3. The concept is drenched with inherent merit, married to simplicity -- and thus it immediately gains power and demands attention. Said another way the intellectual space a brand can expect to own exists in direct proportion to its meaning and value to the consumer. Projects of larger scope won't work successfully if burdened by too many agendas or alternative messaging priorities. Instead the simple thrust of hunger, community betterment and music are liberating in their ability to finally get somewhere with a human who invests little mental territory with any one idea before moving on. 4. Relentless devotion to consumer insight -- These platforms all spring from understanding consumer aspirations, values and passions. It's the value and importance moms place on their primary role as caretaker. This is an over-arching common trait and mission within moms' understanding of what matters. Matching the brand agenda to this prevailing behavior embraces the emotional ties important in building brand relationships. 5. Corporate reputation and brand reputation no longer separated -- Consumers watch and observe businesses to see if actions match words. Are an organization's beliefs and values of equal priority with the demands of commerce? You are making a statement about what you believe in, what is important as a business and as a brand. A strategic mission creates an internal and external flagpole all stakeholders can rally around. In doing so the faceless corporation gets an endearing face and the business results can benefit from this humanizing experience.Yes, there's a process required to correctly sync an organization's DNA, values and understanding of the consumer's lifestyle priorities with a mission that makes sense. But in equal measure it requires one other thing to make this "jackpot" moment recur. Fearlessness. Go for it. Life is short and no great thing is accomplished by staying in the comfort zone. What do you think?
When Oscar Wilde observed, "Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes," he was clearly anticipating the age of social media. Mistakes abound, some minor, others calamitous but all offering guidance for those who choose to learn from them. Here are five more that I've observed, with suggestions on how to fix or avoid altogether. #6 Ignore social media One in three big brands, across a wide range of sectors have yet to commit significant time and resources to social media. Highly regulated industries like financial services and pharma are particularly cautious given the lack of clarity offered by regulatory bodies like FINRA and the SEC. Other laggards are taking the ostrich approach, hoping that social media will just walk on by and leave them in peace. Ignoring social media for whatever reason simply won't cut it. Doing so means the conversation is happening without you, eliminating your opportunity to respond to the negative, reinforce the positive and or close the door to a competitor who is more socially adept. If you are afraid your customers will say bad things, you're probably right but rather than turning a blind eye, engage your detractors with honesty and fix the problems. Ignoring social media also means you'll have no means of fighting a social media fire if one erupts. Domino's Pizza found this out the hard way when two young jokers thought it would be funny to make a video of themselves putting cheese up their noses and then onto a customer's pizza. With no social media channels in place, Domino's HQ floundered and sales dropped nationally. Meanwhile, Ramon DeLeon, the GM of six Domino's in Chicago, used his long-developed social channels to put out the fire in his area, rallying his fans and growing his sales. #7 Limit employee access at work A lot of companies restrict employee access at work to sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube, afraid that productivity will drop. As such, there is a limited understanding of the channels themselves as well as the business opportunities that they can create. So instead of having thousands of eyes and ears to watch, listen and learn, the knowledge remains concentrated and the opportunities limited. The simple truth is that companies that want to make the most of social media need to have a lot of social people across just about every department. The benefits of this open approach are far reaching, allowing the organization as a whole to cast a broader net to catch fresh ideas, important trends, hidden prospects and even future employees. One company that has benefited from this open approach is the behemoth IBM. Realizing a few years ago that their clients hire IBM because of IBMers, they made an all-out push to become a social business. Presently, IBM has over 30,000 employees on Twitter, over 200,000 on Facebook, over 200,000 on LinkedIn and over 35,000 bloggers. Add these to internal networks and a 75,000 strong community of ex-IBMers and you've got a massive community that creates and shares content with unrivaled speed and agility. #8 Selling too hard For most brands, social media is not the ideal place for the hard sell yet that hasn't stopped many from trying. I heard a marketing director of a hospital call Twitter "a dumping ground" and a seasoned direct marketer describe social as "email on steroids." Typically the result of trying to sell too hard too fast via social channels is nothing -- no engagement, no interaction, no referrals, etc. No one likes a blowhard and there is no quicker way to be unfollowed, unliked or just plain ignored than by tooting your own horn with relentless monotony. On the other hand, if you take your mother's advice by "yacking less and listening more," you'll have lots more friends, friends who will be very interested in learning more about you when the time is right. Keep in mind that 50% of the people who "like" or "follow" a brand, do so because they hope to get beneficial information or offers. Curate your content carefully, a bit like you might on a first or second date. Once the friendship is secure, feel free to put forth relevant offers. Skittles, in particular, has benefited immensely from an entirely soft sell approach, amassing over 15 million fans on Facebook in the process. #9 Multiple voices Perhaps because it is so easy to create content, some marketers feel it is okay to present completely different brand voices even on the same channel. A smarter approach is to establish your brand point-of-view upfront and to employ the various channels like instruments in an orchestra, creating a harmonious and synergistic effect. Defining what you are for and what you are against, will not only give you direction for execution but also it will give you permission to engage with your consumer on your subjects of mutual interest. Among the best examples of this approach comes from an unlikely category -- feminine hygiene. Targeting young women 14-24, Kimberly Clark launched a new line of tampons called U by Kotex. Going against the usual euphemistic approach, U by Kotex established a clear POV with a "bold honest attitude towards all things period and to call BS on everyone who doesn't." This POV permeated advertising and social media, helping the brand grab 20% market share and remarkably appreciative fan base. #10 Misalignment of platforms and goals With so many different social media platforms to consider there is the natural temptation to try a bunch of them. This temptation is further reinforced by the seeming absence of costs to use these platforms and the presumed "cool factor" a brand may think their getting by using them. The simple truth is that not all of these platforms are right for every brand especially when you consider a particular brand's objectives. Dell has been particularly adept at aligning the platforms with specific business goals. Dell's IdeaStorm.com gathers customer feedback and crowd-sources new product ideas. Recognizing various uses for Twitter, Dell has a variety of accounts including @DellOutlet for deals on refurbished computers and @DellCares for customer support. Dell's Investor Relations team was among the first to use SlideShare.com, a presentation-sharing site, to present quarterly earnings. And their 24/7 "Social Media Command Center" ensures that customer complaints are heard and addressed regardless of the channel. Final note: Recognizing that James Joyce may have had it right when he said, "A man's errors are his portals of discovery," I do hope you'll make a few of your own and share your discoveries with us all.