PRINCIPLES OF MARKETING COMMUNICATION
TERM PROJECT (30%)
T107 Ariel Chua Kit Yen Catherine Chia Yu Xi Elizabeth Lim Siew En Jermiah Tan Zhi Ming Lau Jia Yin Lawrence Loh Wei Liang Row Gwendolyn Alison
LET’S STANDARDISE: FONT- ARIAL 12PT HEADINGS: ARIAL BOLD UNDERLINE 20PT SUB-HEADINGS: ARIAL BOLD 16PT
Content Page
Part 1 - Market Product & Research 1. Environmental Scan 2. 4Ps Competitor’s Analysis 3. SWOT Analysis 4. Consumer Survey 5. Target Audience 6. Key Business Issue and Role of communications 7. Perceptual Map 8. Positioning Statement 9. Key Message
Part 2 - Campaign Strategies 10.Integrated Marketing Communications Approach 11.List of Marketing Activities
Part 3 - Creative Collaterals 12.Traditional & Digital Ads 13.Social Media/ Mobile Strategy 14.Point-of-Purchase Overhaul 15.Outdoor Media Ads 16.CSR Programme
Part 4 - 6-month Activity Schedule
Part 5 - Campaign Budget Split
1. Environmental Scan
1.1 Social ● Demographic Shifts Singapore’s population has been increasing for the past few years, going from 4.589 Million in 2007 to 5.067 Million 2016. Singapore had a 1.3% annual change in 2016. In other words, the population of Singapore has been increasing, this means that Singapore will have a larger consumer market and a larger target audience. The brand, Colgate is one of the most popular toothpaste brands in Singapore, it is extremely likely that people will continue using it for a long time as they believe and trust the brand. Since there is an increase in population, this means that the market in Singapore for Colgate will continue to increase, thus putting us at an advantage due to our popularity.
● Social Perceptions
There is an increase in demand for beauty and vanity products as an increasing number of beauty-conscious Singaporeans are now willing to spend for lasting beauty than before. According to statistics, the revenue earned for cosmetics and toiletries industry in Singapore is worth about US$400 million and it is estimated to increase by a compounded annual rate of 5% between 2016 and 2020. Furthermore, with the shift in culture, men are also willing to put in as much effort as women to groom themselves. In an article by Straits Times, they mentioned that a 28 year old man spends almost $400 on skincare every month. Grooming is no longer just for women. This means that men are now more willing to find affordable beauty products such as Colgate Toothpaste as it will help with teeth whitening, removing plaque, as well protection against plaque.
● Relatable Messages Millennials, the largest living generation, are digital natives and are about to start moving into prime spending years. They are capable of accessing information with ease as it is all at their fingertips. But only 7% of millennials consider themselves brand loyalists. However, when they see relatable messages that are highly personalized, that are relevant and based on their own interests, are more inclined to form a loyalty to said brand. Brand loyalty ends up increasing by 7% on average. So the more brands connect, the better they are at garnering the loyalty of the Millenials.
Since Colgate is a big company, they can invest time and effort into securing the loyalty of a large number of consumers, through messages the new consumers are able to connect to. Some examples would include using social media to target these audiences as Millennials have grown up with social tools.
1.2 Economical ● Consumer confidence While consumer confidence did increase in late 2017, a 15.4 point increase from 30 to 45.4, Singaporeans were found to be stricter about their spending. 43% of consumers having switched to cheaper grocery brands as other brands like Herbal Fresh, or Darlie could be cheaper.
● Disposable Income In 2016, the average monthly income per household in Singapore is $10,336. The latest data of the average percentage of income every household spends on 7 personal care products is approximately $138 , thus indicating that the average Singaporean will be able to afford toothpaste, which averages around $5 per tube.
● Income Growth
The income of Singaporeans has been growing. The median monthly household income from work among resident employed households has increased from 2015 to 2016. The nominal income increasing by 1.3%, and real income increasing by 1.2%.
This shows that the median family income is growing, and Singaporean families have a higher purchasing power. This benefits marketing Colgate in Singapore because Singaporeans will be able to purchase more, and with more income, they will be likelier to branch out and try different brands.
1.3 Technological ● Social Media More than 75% of the Singapore population is on social media, as shown in the 11 diagram below .
Social media users in Singapore spend 2.07 hours on average per day on social 12 media, compared to the global average of 2.0 hours . Colgate toothpaste can hence direct their marketing campaigns to social media platforms, for example, through
Instagram sponsored posts or YouTube video advertisements and banner advertisements. Hence, Colgate can use social media platforms to market their oral care products and reach a large, targeted audience.
● “Word of Mouth” Marketing “Word of Mouth” Marketing can be a very powerful tool for Colgate. 92% of consumers trust recommendations from people they know directly. Colgate can come up with campaigns that involve social media users to post and share about their experience with the Colgate product, hence spreading the word about Colgate and promoting their products.
● Traditional Media 1.23 million Singaporeans are still reading The Straits Times, and free-to-air TV reaches more than 85% of the population. Whilst digital media is on the rise and everyone is more connected online, it will not be wise for Colgate to neglect traditional media as marketing efforts will be able to reach a large audience there as well. Colgate should continue to use traditional media such as newspapers and TV commercials, especially during prime time, to promote their toothpaste.
1.4 Competitive · Popularity According to a study done by Superbrands, Colgate is viewed as one of the most popular brands in Singapore, second only to Google. This prestige and high brand awareness may give Colgate an edge when customers are deciding which toothpaste brand to use as it would be natural to pick the most common and popular brand.
· High competition Singapore has a relatively small population as well as several large oral care brands such as Oral-B, Darlie, Sensodyne and Systema. This means that Colgate has to compete with all of these brands for the patronage of the small population of Singapore. However, Colgate has a USP that distinguishes it from competing brands, which is “Colgate is the number 1 toothpaste brand recommended by dentists”.
· Price of Product In comparison to its competitors, Colgate is not the cheapest toothpaste brand. It is more expensive than brands like Darlie. This could affect the demand of our product negatively as people may prefer to purchase the cheaper product.
However, Colgate has offers and is Halal, which caters to Muslims. The offers may be more affordable than other brands too. This could act as an advantage to the
demand of our products as Muslims are likely to purchase only Halal products and Colgate’s deals may be more affordable.
● Product Placement The placement of Colgate toothpastes in stores like NTUC are on the lower few shelves, under many other toothpaste brands. This could negatively impact the perception of our brand as if it is ‘not wanted’ and decrease demand.
Competitors like Darlie and Sensodyne have their own shelves in the same NTUC, Darlie’s toothpastes even featured on sale. Customers may be drawn to them instead as it is placed more obviously and is cheaper. This could negatively affect the sales and demand of Colgate as customers may not even see our products.
1.5 Regulatory
● Brand Name Colgate has an easily identifiable trademark colour (Red boxes with white words) and logo, which is easy for the public to identify their brand with whenever they want to purchase a Colgate product. This brand recognition will hence be able to ensure that the customers will be able to associate the brand image and logo with the product.
● Strict Company Policies Colgate has a very strict company policy whereby they ensure that their company does not contribute to deforestation through the manufacturing of toothpaste boxes, as well as the sourcing of ingredients and thus are very environmentally friendly.
In addition, Colgate also ensures that during the manufacturing process of their toothpaste, they do not exploit labour rights. They also ensure that none of their processes would result in euthanasia in animals. The company is also very firm in their belief against bribery and maintaining accurate books and records so as to ensure that there is no third party to influence or modify any of their products.
Lastly, Colgate follows strict guidelines on the ingredients included in their products to ensure safe and top quality ingredients. All these policies will actually contribute to the trust consumers have in the company and hence, is advantageous to Colgate.
● Patent For example, Colgate has sued Johnson & Johnson and Chattem Inc for using its trademark “Total” and ended up winning the case with much difficulty. This allow consumers to have the impression that Colgate has air-tight security against other infringing companies and would be more inclined to purchase the toothpaste brand due to the firm security it has.
CITATIONS
Social: https://www.google.com.sg/publicdata/explore?ds=d5bncppjof8f9_&met_y=sp_pop_grow&idi m=country:SGP:HKG:MYS&hl=en&dl=en http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/more-men-buying-into-skincare-in-singapore https://www.trade.gov/industry/materials/ita.fsc.cosmoprof.2015_final2.pdf https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2017/09/26/brands-need-to-step-up-their-game-to-w in-over-millennials/#1c01917e1b32 https://www.forbes.com/sites/yec/2017/06/27/may-we-have-your-attention-marketing-to-millennials/#69 b64861d2ff
Economic: http://www.tablebuilder.singstat.gov.sg/publicfacing/createSpecialTable.action?refId=12313 https://www.singstat.gov.sg/docs/default-source/default-document-library/publications/publicati ons_and_papers/household_income_and_expenditure/hes1213.pdf https://www.guardian.com.sg/toiletries/pl/Oral%20care?source=productList&text=&form1=price-asc&so rt=price-asc&q=%3Arelevance%3AcategoryHierarchy%3AToothpaste&pageSize=0&mydisplayValue= Price+%28Lowest+First%29&title=&fromPage=# https://www.singstat.gov.sg/docs/default-source/default-document-library/publications/publicati ons_and_papers/household_income_and_expenditure/pp-s23.pdf http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/consumer/singapore-consumer-confidence-jumps-by-most- among-s-e-asia-nations-in-h1-survey https://www.singstat.gov.sg/docs/default-source/default-document-library/publications/publicati ons_and_papers/household_income_and_expenditure/pp-s23.pdf
Technological: https://wearesocial.com/sg/blog/2017/01/digital-in-2017-global-overview http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/consumer/7-in-10-singaporeans-use-social-media-on-mobil e-double-global-average-survey https://www.getambassador.com/blog/3-reasons-why-word-of-mouth-marketing-is-important-f or-your-brand http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/the-straits-times-is-most-read-daily-paper-nielsen-repor t http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/more-than-85-of-singapore-viewers-tune-in -to-free-to-air-tv-niel-7690266
Competitive: http://in.reuters.com/article/colgate-johnson-suit/colgate-palmolive-sues-over-total-trademark-i dUSN311330782009073
Regulatory: https://www.google.com.sg/search?biw=1440&bih=826&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=W-YDWuDsLYrT vATQz5PwCw&q=colgate+brand+logo&oq=colgate+brand+logo&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0.1685316.1 685704.0.1685950.4.4.0.0.0.0.239.239.2-1.1.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..3.1.239....0.4zAL6LZH4kU https://www.colgatepalmolive.com/en/us/corp/core-values/our-policies/no-deforestation https://www.colgatepalmolive.com/en/us/corp/core-values/our-policies/ingredient-safety
2. Competitors’ Analysis: Product
Colgate: Our Brand
Colgate sells oral care products, mainly toothpaste, and toothbrushes that cater to various oral care needs. Our toothpaste comes in long rectangular boxes, usually red in colour as the Colgate logo background is red. Most of our toothpastes have a minty taste, sans those for children which come in fruity flavours. As a brand, we have different types of toothpaste catered to various oral needs eg. whitening, sensitive teeth, cavity protection. Our trademark corporate visuals include the white Colgate type-logo with a red background. Our target audience are mainly working adults, and our unique selling point is that we have a large range of whitening toothpastes.
Sensodyne: A Competitor
Sensodyne sells oral care products that aim to soothe and repair sensitive teeth. Their toothpastes are packaged in a white, long and rectangular box with their dark blue “Sensodyne” logo, with prominent words that refer to the type of toothpaste such as “repair” and “rapid relief”. They pride themselves on guaranteeing relief from sensitive teeth with brushing twice daily. Their corporate visuals include the “Sensodyne” type-logo in blue on a white background with silver overlapping rings. And their slogan is “Stronger repair for sensitive teeth”, as their products are clinically proven relief in just 60 seconds and long lasting protection. They mainly target their products to consumers who are suffering from sensitive teeth.
Systema: A Competitor
Systema sells oral care products dedicated to to building healthy gums. They package their toothpaste in long, colourful, rectangular boxes with the brand name Systema printed in the middle with pictures of whitened teeth and healthy gums. They brand themselves on repairing damaged gums, as well as protecting gums from disease and infection. Their corporate visuals include “Systema” type-logo in dark blue. They market their products towards consumers with gum related issues, and poor gum conditions. Their unique selling point is that the toothpaste helps to kill 99.9% of bacteria on the gums, also to prevent disease and improve gum health.
Darlie: A Competitor
Darlie dental products aim to keep teeth healthy and clean. They package their toothpaste in stereotypical rectangle boxes which are bright green and yellow with the picture of a man with a top hat. Mint is it’s original flavour, however, various flavours have been introduced for different taste, as well as to entice children to use their toothpaste as well. Their trademark is a black and white logo of a man with a top hat. Their slogan is “Powering your smile” Their products are marketed towards those who want to keep their teeth clean and healthy.
2. Competitors’ Analysis: Place
These brands of toothpaste can be found in supermarkets, such as FairPrice and Cold Storage, and also toiletries shops. They are also sold at leading pharmacies like Watsons and Guardian.
Besides the physical stores, the toothpaste are also sold on online supermarkets like Redmart and Honestbee where your groceries will be delivered to your doorstep. Other online shopping sites that sell them include Ezbuy, Qoo10 and RedMart.
2. Competitors’ Analysis: Price
Colgate: Our Brand $ 4.00 - $ 8.50 Average price with some higher end (more expensive) products such as Colgate Optic White.
Sensodyne: A Competitor $ 7.00 - $ 9.00 More expensive compared to competitors.
Systema: A Competitor $ 3.00 - $ 4.50 Average price.
Darlie: A Competitor $ 3.00 - $ 6.00 Average price.
2. Competitors’ Analysis: Promotions
Colgate: Our Brand Advertisements: Focus more on not just cleaning the teeth but fighting bacteria in other parts of the mouth. Shown mainly as TV commercials. E.g. the recent Colgate Total Pro Gum Health advertisements that were played on YouTube
Marketing activities: Promotional packaging where Colgate toothbrush sticks were ice cream and lollipop sticks.
Sensodyne: A Competitor Advertisements: Sensodyne uses professional testimonials: interview dentists to hear their opinion on Sensodyne being the best brand to use
Systema: A Competitor Advertisements: Animations or green screen are used for its commercials, usually marketing their toothpaste to keep teeth white, clean, and healthy.
Spokesperson: Elvin Ng, a MediaCorp Artiste, is the spokesperson for Systema
Darlie: A Competitor Advertisements: Their ads are mostly TV commercials that focus on the protection and whitening of teeth.
Sales: Darlie toothpastes were on a NTUC store special discount, mounted on cardboard boxes with a huge ‘special’ board that was bright yellow.
Marketing Campaign: Darlie constantly have a lot of freebies like mugs, towels, water bottles etc with popular characters such as Minions and Snoopy. Winnie the Pooh mug collection with Darlie double action twin pack or Darlie double action enamel protect twin pack.
3. SWOT Analysis
Strengths Colgate has strengths such as positive attributes, competitive advantages and strong brand identity in the local market. Positive attributes include having various specialised toothpaste: whitening, cavity prevention etc, hence catering to a wide market. This helps the market price as it is not a high-end brand and can be used by people of all ages. Colgate has a competitive advantage as it is the most popular brand in the local market currently.
Colgate has a strong brand identity in the local market and this helps in the marketing and promotion process. Colgate being the household name it is, has high brand recall & visibility. Excellent advertising and brand visibility of products with a strong customer loyalty for brands had helped the brand to compete with other players, thereby emerging as one of the topmost brands in the market. It offers product categories namely oral care, personal care, household surface, fabric care and pet nutrition having deep assortments across the product categories. The more in depth the product line, the more chances of success increases because the cost of logistics drops further.
With extensive distribution network in rural & urban markets, Colgate ensures that it reaches a wide customer make, thereby making the product available. Product availability is the major concern in this highly competitive market as brand switching is very easy. Being a 2 century old company and having operations in 200 countries has built a strong financial base for Colgate. Thus, it is able to take on the likes of HUL due to its deep pockets. With high penetration in the market, Colgate has managed to hold their market share and some products / brand extensions are market leaders in particular regions.
Weaknesses Colgate also has weaknesses in the market. Due to Colgate’s limited expertise, its other products are not widely known. For example, Colgate produces other less well-known products such as bathroom and beauty products, but those products receive less marketing efforts.
Colgate also had an incident with having an inaccurate and false catchphrase. In 2007, the Advertising Standards Authority in the UK told Colgate that it could no longer make the claim that 9 out of 10 dentists recommend Colgate, due to the incorrect information.
With large number of local & international players fighting in personal & oral care segment, the market has become saturated and there is little scope for growth for Colgate while all companies are eating each other's market share. The brand’s toothpaste category under Colgate brand name was so successful that the name itself has been commoditized and now it is being used for different brands of toothpaste. This has hampered the brand recognition of other products of the same brand. Majority of its properties have been on rent basis resulting into high cost of operations due to which its profits are decreasing.
Opportunities Colgate has opportunities in the market that can help in the growth of its market. For example, by following product line stretching & product line filling strategies they can increase their sales, create offerings and give value for different segments. Tapping the rural market in developing economies is one of the major challenges that every fast-moving consumer goods company is facing nowadays.
With urban markets close to saturation, the rural markets are the only hope for reaping profits for the company. Strengthening the business through mergers & acquisitions is one of the smart strategies followed by global companies to sustain and expand in the overseas market. However Colgate is yet to capitalize the market by use of such strategies.
People also need to be made aware about the optimum usage rate for these products so that the market utilizes the product as forecasted by the company. This can happen only through advertising /word of mouth /doctor prescription. Many a times companies forecast wrong because they assume a higher usage rate in the market.
Threats Colgate has many threats from other brands that have equal or more value in the market. With increasing number of local & national players it’s becoming very hard for the companies to differentiate themselves from others. There is also a threat from counterfeit products destroying its brand image in the market. As the competition rises, the margins for companies are dropping and companies find that they have to give more and more discount to sustain in the same channel. Increasing price of raw material will also result in further increase in the price of Colgate. Over a period of time, justifying the high price compared to competition will become difficult in a saturated market. Further increase in price will result in decrease in sales & brand switching by consumers.
Another instance, the “Ethical Consumer Research Association” once recommended that its readers should not buy Colgate because of its use of animal testing. In the digital age, information like this will affect the brand Colgate. With highly diversified personal & Oral care consumer market where there are lots of brands claiming different sorts of benefits, it’s very difficult for consumers to stick to a particular brand & hence results in brand switching where consumers have power to select a brand based on several factors like availability, reference group recommendation, preference & price.
4. Consumer Survey
There were 300 respondents for our survey. We allowed respondents to choose all the toothpastes they usually frequented. Colgate got 204 votes, which indicate that it’s the most popular among the respondents.
However, when the scores are tallied up, there were 471 votes made in total, which indicates a high chance that Colgate either does not have the loyalty of its customers, or may not be the first choice by all its users. Darlie follows with 107 votes, Sensodyne has 88, Systema has 36 votes, Pearlie White has 10 votes, Kodomo has 5 votes, Himalaya’s Herbals has 4 votes, there were 25 votes for alternative brands of toothpaste.
Thus, it is important for Colgate to come up with techniques to promote brand loyalty.
There were 552 in votes for the entire question. This indicates that people usually have more than one reason to choose a certain brand.
However, it is discovered that people buy toothpaste more out of habit than anything else as it comes first with 147 votes. Followed by Quality with 131 votes, Brand Reputation with 105 votes, Price with 97 votes, Advertisements with 22 votes, Packaging with 19 votes, Sensitive Teeth and Don’t buy their own tied with 8 votes, Taste with 5 votes, and Others at 10 votes.
Thus it is important for Colgate to come up with techniques to promote brand loyalty, so that we will attract customers and earn their loyalty.
We asked respondents to decide which were the most important element to them in toothpaste. According to the majority, most believe Cavity Prevention was the most important element of toothpaste with 155 respondents putting it in first place.
Followed by Cavity Prevention, the second most popular one is Prevention of Enamel Decay with 143 votes, third is Tartar Build-up prevention at 122 votes, fourth is Sensitivity Repair at 105 votes, fifth is Whitening with 95 votes, sixth is Flavour with 56 votes, and in the last place is Frothiness with 42 votes.
Colgate has various cavity prevention toothpaste, and so, we will be an attractive choice to most of the consumers.
From this question, we can see that there is a good amount of people who have parents to but their toothpaste for them as there are 160 votes.
Following closely however, are those that buy their own toothpaste at 148 voted. 31 respondents get their Spouses to their toothpaste for them, 11 get their Siblings to buy toothpaste for them, 5 have Helpers do it, 1 just gets anybody to buy it for them, and 2 get their toothpaste free or sponsored. This indicates that adults are more likely to be the one who make the purchasing decision on which toothpaste to buy.
Thus, we should focus our marketing efforts on adults and those with purchasing power.
Most respondents get their toothpaste from Supermarket with 254 votes. Drugstore follows with 127 votes, Online Stores have 17 votes, Department Stores and Value Dollars Stores are at 5 votes, Specialty Stores have 3 votes and High-end Stores have 2 votes.
This means that advertisements should be focused on supermarkets in the future as most people are still purchasing their toothpaste from Supermarkets.
Within our respondents, most would buy toothpaste when it Runs Out with 257 votes.
125 would buy toothpaste when there are sales, 42 would buy when there are free things that come with the toothpaste. 34 buy on Dentist and Doctor Recommendation, 21 buys when there are Advertisements and 10 buys on Friend Recommendation. What is interesting is that there are 21 people who voted that they purchase when they see advertisements, which suggests that people are still affected by advertisements.
Colgate can come up with bulk purchase deals to attract our customers to buy more toothpaste at one go.
Many people still find out about products through television as can be seen by the survey with 142 votes.
People also find out about products through recommendation through friends and families with 119 votes. Surprisingly, online is only in third place with 112 votes. People also find out about products through Advertisements as can be seen with 92 votes. Newspaper are also a place to find about of products with 60 votes. After which, there is a significant decrease for those that find out about products In-store, which is at 19 votes, those that find out through Radio at 11 votes, and 6 are through dentist recommendations.
Even though we are moving towards a digital lifestyle now, it is important that Colgate does not neglect traditional media as well.
Among our respondents, it was discovered that almost 75% use Youtube with 230 votes, this means that advertising through Youtube will be able reach a wide range of people.
This was followed closely by Facebook with 189 votes. Another Social Media platform that is very popular is Instagram with 185 votes. Snapchat had 116 votes, Tumblr had 2 votes, MySpace had 1 vote, and Social Media was not applicable to 19 respondents.
Thus, we should direct more of our marketing efforts towards social media.
5. Target Audience
Demographics:
According to the survey that was conducted, we discovered that a majority of the respondents either got their parents, or their spouses to buy their toothpaste for them. A majority also bought toothpaste for themselves, and we presume a number of them are adults that buy their own necessities.
Psychographics:
In recent years, there has been a rise in men who also take care of their appearance, according to research on society, in an article by Straits Times, they mentioned that a 28-year-old man spends almost $400 on skincare every month.
Grooming is no longer just for women. Furthermore, according to statistics, the revenue earned for cosmetics and toiletries industry in Singapore is worth about US$400 million and it is estimated to increase by a compounded annual rate of 5% between 2016 and 2020.
This means that Singaporeans are gradually becoming more concerned with their appearances and are willing to invest in things that will make them look good.
In our survey, we asked respondents to tell us which toothpaste they frequented the most, 68% said Colgate, however, according to the rest of the statistics, not everyone who uses Colgate sticks to Colgate all the time, this indicates that there is not much brand loyalty towards Colgate.
However, a large amount of people choose toothpaste out of habit, which suggests that whilst brand loyalty is not strong, it is at least there, and thus we can build on that as we already have a foundation to start of with.
6. Key Business Issues & Role of Communications
Key Business Issues
1. Aggressive competition is one issue. There are many brands in the market, as observed during physically going down to stores to conduct market research. Though Colgate may be the most established toothpaste brand, other toothpaste brand like Sensodyne and Systema are more niche, catering to only sensitive teeth and gum care respectively.
2. Weak Social Media Outreach is another issue. Though Colgate has a substantial following on their Facebook account with about 9k likes and followers, yet their posts do not show much customer engagement, with a measly amount of likes and hardly any comments at all. There is no social engagement with the customers.
3. The toothpaste market is also volatile, in which consumers may decide to switch to other brands of toothpaste based on their deals, promotions, benefits, product quality, etc.
4. Colgate lacks local CSR, and since we need to promote our key message of “Caring with a smile”.
Role of Communications
1. Our annual Colgate event, The Colgate Carnival will generate publicity online with the photo contests. By creating campaigns that create a social buzz, Colgate stands to gain more attention from the media and consumers. This solves the issue of aggressive competition as the media influences the consumers to focus more on Colgate as a potential product to buy rather than an alternative brand of toothpaste.
2. Our multiple social media contests leading up to the carnival and during the carnival itself will drive up the customer engagement on our social media sites, as people will be enticed to have an attempt at winning these prizes, and hence, be motivated to post about Colgate on their social media platforms. This also generates buzz and more people will join the contests.
3. In order to solve the problem of a volatile market, we need to cultivate brand preference and brand loyalty. This can be done through maintaining our low prices than other toothpaste brands in the market, and maintaining the quality of our products.
4. During Colgate month, for every toothpaste bought, $1 will be donated to the less fortunate. This will attract customers who care about giving back to society, who might end up becoming repeat purchasers who want to continually help the needy out. This toothpaste donation drive will set Colgate apart from its competitors, and this marketing strategy is more targeted towards people who are conscious about helping the less fortunate.
7. Perceptual Map
8. Positioning Statement
Colgate is a worldwide housebrand name, providing millions around the world with care and joy through a healthy smile.
9. Key Message
"A world of care - bringing care to everyone around the world."
10. Integrated Marketing Communications Approach
Overall plan: The Colgate Carnival will be held at the end of Colgate month on the 31 June at Bayfront Park from 11am-6pm. The Carnival will include multiple photo contests, fun games, and a Fun Walk. Exclusive goodie bags and freebies will also be given out.
At The Colgate Carnival, pictures at the event’s photo station posted on Instagram and Facebook with the hashtag #TCCWINFORONE and #THECOLGATECARNIVAL stands a chance to win $100 worth of Colgate vouchers.
We would be having an event called “Colgate Month” carnival in order to give back to society as part of its Consumer Social Responsibility campaigns. For every one of Colgate’s toothpaste sold during the month, a $1 donation would be given to the Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund. This not only increases the brand awareness and loyalty among its current customers, but it also helps promote Colgate’s features and benefits, so as to differentiate the brand from others and give it a sense of individuality.
We will also be holding a Fun walk during The Colgate carnival. Participants will walk 5km each. The walk costs $15 per person and all money made from the walk will be donated to the Straits Times Pocket Money Fund (STPMF). There would also be exclusive goodie bags given to the first 50 people who complete the walk, which consist of Colgate products and vouchers from sponsors worth up to $50 in value.
In fact, it helps our CSR publicity plans as it promotes the fact that Colgate is doing its part in society while also helping local Singaporeans feel like they are doing their part to help people in need. Thus, this campaign can benefit the overall brand as they persuade the consumers to select our brand by showing the qualities and benefits of using the brand.
Promotional objectives: Increase in social media engagement through our various contests on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook.
Promotes Colgate’s features and benefits and differentiates from other brands and giving Colgate a sense of individuality.
We also aim to present Colgate as a brand that sees CSR as an important tool to promote brand awareness and loyalty among its consumers.
Communication channels: We will be utilising various media outlets to encourage Singaporeans to take care of their dental health through the use of Colgate’s many products. Social Media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter can help promote Colgate to our target audience. By utilising social media trends such as retweets and videos advertising products, our brand is more capable to promote the brand to our younger consumers.
When Colgate conducts “The Colgate Carnival” at Bayfront Park, social media can help spread the word to the target audience about this event and it will result in an increase of people attending the event. For example, tags, such as @Colgate, and hashtags, such as #TCCWINFORONE and #THECOLGATECARNIVAL, are social media strategies that can be used to promote the event.
Publicity plans:
Our bus stop advertisements the advertisement will display nice and uplifting quotes to make someone’s day and if someone reads it and smiles, there is a facial recognition that will detect it and take a photo of the person. This pushes our message of making people smile, by taking the first step to try and make others smile, and making them aware of it as well. This will take place during Colgate month (June).
We will be giving out cards with uplifting quotes that will make people’s day. Attached to it is a small sample of Colgate toothpaste. On the card it will also say that if you take a video of yourself making someone smile and #caringwithasmile, you stand a chance to win some prizes during The Colgate Carnival. The back of the card will also be advertising The Colgate Carnival.
11. 6 Month Schedule
The social media contests will run in Feb, May and June. In feb, it will be a teaser style advertisement, hinting that something big is coming, and in May, the terms and what the contest is about will be revealed. June is when Colgate starts accepting entries for the social media contests. It’s spread out because social media can be repetitive and annoying, especially about ads, when people develop blind spots to instinctively ignore anything that looks like ad.
Newspaper ads run from March to June. Newspapers cater to the locals, as well as the older and working population. Because of their short lifespan and the fact that they can be changed quickly, it allows for a gradual release of information. As it is a visually stimulating medium, it allows for complex messages to be conveyed. It is also relatively cheaper than TV ads, which is why it can run for a longer period of time.
Bus stop ads are a form of outdoor ads, and they will run from May till the end of June. At places with high people traffic, it boasts high visibility and many opportunities for repeat exposure. It can also supplement our online ads by linking back to our social media. It will
only run for 2 months because it is a medium with high costs
Promo ads on Facebook will run in Feb to March, then May to June. This is because facebook ads can become repetitive and people who browse social media platforms do develop blind spots to ads. Facebook however, is the social media platform that most Singaporeans use and therefore can be best used to disseminate information within a targeted group of people, using re-targeting technology and the like. Digital ads are quick to make and share, and can also be tracked to see how many people access your site and how long they stay. This can be used to effectively judge consumer responses to our campaign and changes within the timeframe and methods used can become more flexible in the process.
Sample promotional toothpaste cards will be distributed from April to June, likely near schools, and areas of Singapore with a higher population of older folk. The use of “free gifts” can incite interest in our campaign, and it is also unlikely that people will refuse free samples on the street. These cards with samples run for 3 months because samples can be costly to make and distribute, as well as hiring labour to stand and distribute them. The cost per acquisition can add up and be very expensive. The cards will also lead to our carnival event, with the details on the back of the card.
The point of purchase display in question will only be available at the carnival itself, therefore it is only available in June. It will also offer other free services at the event itself, which will draw people to the carnival. The idea of combining both oral hygiene services and oral hygiene products at one booth can benefit both ends as the dental practitioners can give advice to people coming for their service, and they will buy the recommended products from our displays, which are conveniently in the same place.
The ice cream stick toothbrush will only be available at the carnival itself as a collaboration and sponsorship from Magnum.
The scavenger hunt’s promotional adverts will begin in May, roughly a month before the start of the event to build urgency and hype.
The interactive bus stop ads will be put up in mid-May, before the event begins. This is because we want to make our bus ad a novelty. If we start bringing it out too early, too many people will have experienced it and it will lose its appeal with the mass audience. We want to make it only a few bus stops with this interactive ad, and let word or mouth marketing spread the news about our ad.
12. Budget Split
The Event, The Colgate Carnival, is made of many activities and will have many prizes, including location costs, and labour costs, and other possible mishaps, it holds the largest percentage of our budget at 40%.
Advertising holds 20% of our budget because our advertising campaign spans many different platforms and have different styles of execution and customer direction. It consists of Social Media Ads, like the goodie bag ad, to promote customers participating in our charity fun walk, and also traditional static bus stop ads and newspaper ads.
Guerilla marketing consists of our Scavenger hunt and our innovative, interactive bus stop ad. It aims to stand out from traditional ads by engaging the other senses of our consumers. The bus stop ad targets their emotional connection, and the scavenger hunt aims to ignite competition and build hype. Both campaigns are time consuming and have high cost, especially with the bus stop ad incorporating digital technology, and the scavenger hunt being an island wide, month plus long competition. That’s why it holds 25% of our budget.
Sales promo is made up of our Social media contests that are disseminated through social media. It is cost efficient, and engages our younger audience by connecting with them on a platform they regularly use. It holds a relatively small percentage of the budget because the bulk of the prizes will be part of our end of month event, the Colgate carnival.
Direct Marketing via samples and FB ads are not relatively high costing, in relation to the extent of the other marketing techniques employed, therefore, they hold 5% of the marketing budget.
13. List of Marketing Activities
COLGATE’S CURRENT MARKETING STRATEGIES - Colgate has managed to maintain its lead in the market by ensuring that its products are of good quality, and have good brand strategy. - It caters to many different consumers as well - Colgate also has Oral Care, Home Care, Personal Care, and Pet Nutrition products.
- In addition, Colgate’s toothpaste sector also caters to customers with different types of needs. This broadens the number of potential customers they are able to reach, with their toothpaste products being able to cater to the needs of various customers. - For example, because Colgate has toothpaste that caters to customers may be more focused on Whitening, Cavity Protection, Sensitivity Relief, Gingivitis Protection, Breath Freshening, Enamel Protection or Tartar control. - With such a diverse range of toothpaste, Colgate would be able to cater to many different consumers, and this would increase their profit and revenue.
WHAT COLGATE CAN DO TO IMPROVE THEIR MARKETING STRATEGY - Visit primary schools and give talks/ workshops about the importance of dental care and oral hygiene. - In school dental clinics, Colgate as the representative of good quality toothpaste would greatly boost the amount of consumers reached. For example, when students visit the dentist in school, Colgate can use this opportunity by sponsoring travel sized toothpaste that would be distributed to the students. When the students use the toothpaste at home and are more aware of the good quality products that Colgate has, they would then urge their families to change to Colgate, which would then successfully boost sales for Colgate.
LIST OF MARKETING ACTIVITIES 1. SOCIAL MEDIA CONTESTS - Anyone can participate in these by taking selfies and posting them on instagram and facebook using colgate hashtags. This would help to boost engagement as well as generate publicity for Colgate.
2. BUS STOP ADVERTISEMENTS - For this, we will be making use of interaction with bus stop advertisements. For example, when a passerby looks at a colgate bus stop ad, a hidden camera will detect the motion and display a cute quote or an encouraging message. If the person smiles at the ad, the camera would then detect the person’s smile and snap a picture.
3. SCAVENGER HUNT - There will be pictures of QR codes all around Singapore, in locations such as MRT stations and at bus stops. Each time someone sees one of the QR codes, they can scan it, to reveal a clue where the next QR code is located. When the participant has collected a certain number of QR codes, they can present them during the Colgate Carnival and use it to exchange for vouchers or prizes sponsored by our event sponsors.
4. EVENT GAMES - On the day of the carnival, participants can play games and participate in acitivities to win prizes either sponsored by companies or win colgate products. Prizes such as limited edition colgate products will also be part of the prizes to be won during the games. Activities such as the lucky draw will also enable participants to win large gifts and prizes exclusively made for the carnival.
12. Creative Collateral & Marketing Plan
A. DIGITAL ADVERTISEMENTS
1. Post & win! INSTAGRAM FACEBOOK
2. Follow, tag, win! INSTAGRAM FACEBOOK
3. Free goodie bags - Travel sized packages of colgate - Disposable toothbrushes - Vouchers for Colgate-Palmolive products - Vouchers from sponsors
INSTAGRAM FACEBOOK
B.TRADITIONAL ADVERTISEMENTS - Bus stop advertisements - Newspaper advertisements
C.SOCIAL MEDIA/ MOBILE STRATEGY
There will be social media contests as shown above such as the Post & Win contest, Follow, Tag & Win contest.
● Post & Win contest Members of the public must be at The Colgate Carnival event. They have to take a picture of themselves or their family at the event and post it to Instagram or Facebook, tag @colgatepalmolive and #TCCWINFORONE and #THECOLGATECARNIVAL Winners will stand a chance to win vouchers worth $100 which are only applicable for Colgate Palmolive products, not limited to toothpaste. Winners will then be announced every 2 hours throughout the duration of the event.
● Follow, Tag & Win contest Members of the public must follow and like any of their social media pages (Instagram or Facebook) and tag 2 friends on either platform to stand a chance to win food vouchers. These food vouchers will be from our sponsors and collaborators.
D.POINT-OF-PURCHASE
During the event, there will be booths near the entrance of the carnival selling different types of toothpastes at a discounted price. Participants can also opt to have a complimentary teeth and gum screening by our experts to determine what the right type of toothpaste is for them. After that, they will be able to select the toothpaste that best caters to their needs, and make a purchase on the spot.
E.INTERACTIVE/ ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY
The engagement strategies include the social media contests as well as the carnival itself and the games that will be set up at the event.
● Social media contests The social media contests are to make customers more aware of the social media platforms that Colgate uses as we have observed that their social media pages are not well-known by the public.
As seen in the pictures above, their facebook page has 9605 likes on the page but only 3 people liked their post, meaning that people like them but do not keep up with them, likely lacking engagement. Their instagram page has 12 posts which is not very impressive for a company instagram.
Hence, by conducting social media contests, it ensures that people at the carnival will go onto the social media pages and interact with them, posting pictures and tagging others, making more people more aware of it. When more people follow the account, they would be more aware of the offers that Colgate posts up on their social media accounts which could potentially boost sales. It will also let others know that their social media pages are actually active and functioning, giving the brand a better social media impression.
● Bus stop advertisements
There is a camera installed at the top of the bus stop advertisement. The advertisement will display nice quotes to make someone’s day and if someone reads it and smiles, there is a facial recognition that will detect it and take a photo of the person. This pushes our message of making people smile, by taking the first step to try and make others smile, and making them aware of it as well.
● Cards Advertisements
Top image: Outside Bottom image: Inside of the card when opened
It’s a card that folds open to reveal a sample pack of toothpaste in the middle. People tend to accept samples and free stuff, so they’d be more likely to accept them. Our activity on the inside about making someone else smile is meant to connect two or more people to our cause, caring with a smile.
● Event
The event will have such tents with games and food available for those attending the event. Food stalls will be in collaboration with Colgate, having deals such as buying a set and getting a discount off certain products. They will also have little reminders to brush your teeth with the ice cream stick as a toothbrush, some with a little discount code at the back. This engages the audience by clearly reminding them to brush their teeth and giving them incentives to purchase Colgate products.
● Scavenger hunt
1. These pictures will be put around Singapore, at MRTs, bus stops and landmarks 2. Collect as many QR codes as possible 3. Every week the QR code will be at a different location 4. Hints on where the QR codes will be placed will be released on their social media platforms 5. Once the participant has found more than 5 QR codes, they can keep screenshots of QR codes and use them to redeem shopping vouchers or goody bags from event sponsors.
● Event games
1. Toothrusting: Play in groups of 5 with the aim of the game being to knock everyone else off of their pedestals with giant soft toothbrushes and be the last one standing.
2. Shooting game: Shoot horizontally-moving cavities amongst stationary teeth using a BB pellet gun to win adorable teeth related stuffed toys!
3. Eating contest: Play in groups of 4 and compete to see who can eat a big cup of ice-cream the fastest. All participants receive a small tube of Colgate Sensitive Pro Relief after the game.
4. Bouncy castle: A huge bouncy castle for kids to have fun in!
F.CSR PROGRAM
The CSR program will happen during Colgate month and during The Colgate Carnival that takes place at the end of the Colgate month. The money made will be donated all to the Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund (STSPMF) as we would want to give back and support the students who are not as fortunate. We believe that all students should get the same educational opportunities.
● Colgate Month With every Colgate product bought, $1 will be donated to STSPMF. This will go on throughout the entire month until The Colgate Carnival event.
● Fun Walk The fun walk will take place at the end of The Colgate Carnival. Participants will walk 5km each. The walk costs $15 per person and all money made from the walk will be donated to the Straits Times Pocket Money Fund (STPMF). There would also be exclusive goodie bags given to the first 50 people who complete the walk, which consist of Colgate products and vouchers from sponsors worth up to $50 in value.
● Free goodie bags
Exclusive goodie bags will be given to the first 50 people who complete the Fun Walk. This would encourage the public to participate in the walk as they could receive up to $50 worth of Colgate and sponsor items for free.
The End