BullFrog Sun Block Case Study History of Sun Tanning Products Centuries before the industrial revolution, sun tanned skin was symbolic of the working class. Throughout Europe and parts of Asia, and especially among educated women and men, great pains were taken to limit expo- sure to the sun. Fast-forward to early 20th century America when migration from the farm to factories created a growing middle class that worked inside, now protected from the sun. As these factory workers turned pale, the leisure class was turning bronze; sporting a tan was now a symbol of wealth, privilege and the luxury of leisure time for enjoyment of the great outdoors. “Heliotherapy” became all the rage, and daily exposure to sunlight was touted as a cure for everything from acne to tuberculosis. From Bikinis to Sun Blockers Immediately following WW II, tanning lotions were hot, and by the Fifties the bikini not only increased human exposure to the sun, but also the quantity of sun lotion needed to cover the skin. Today, in the face of a grow- ing body of scientific evidence that UV radiation is harmful, demand for sun block products is at a record high. Sales continue to increase annually as a result of increased leisure time spent at beaches, lakes and water parks as the most popular playgrounds in the USA. And, fortunately the tanning revolution has come full circle to the point that people are aware of the dangers of sun damage and the importance of sun block protection. BullFrog Brand History Acquired by Chattam, Inc. from Oceanside Labs in California in 1985, BullFrog® Sunblock was the first brand to promise all-day waterproof sun protec- tion. In addition to delivering all-day sun protection with one application, it also provides both UVA and UVB protection with Aloe and Vitamin E moisturiz- ers. BullFrog’s retail price point ranges from approximately $6 dollars to $12 dollars, and the product line includes: Gel Sport Spray, BullFrog for Kids, Quick Stik, Quick Gel, Superblock Spray, and Superblock Lotion. (Web site: www.bullfrogsunscreen.com) Annual category sales exceed $425 million, and ad spending in the category is approaching $48 million annu- ally. Brand leaders Coppertone, Neutrogena, Hawaiian Tropic, Bain de Soleil, and Banana Boat are among the rivals in the category spending between $0.5 and $17 million annually - on average about 11% of sales. Sales for BullFrog® last year are estimated at $24.8 million, and distribution has been achieved throughout the US. Chattam’s chief marketing officer has named you as the new brand manager for Bull Frog, and has asked you to grow sales by 8 percent to $26.8 million within two years. Available marketing information (see spreadsheet on MFP website) includes population data plus estimated annual sales for all sunscreen brands in 50 US markets. Included also for these markets is estimated percent of registered boats as well as estimated square miles of water within a 100 mile radius. While online, you’ll also want to download MRI, CMR and any other data pro- vided for the BullFrog case study. High Degree of Brand Loyalty in the Category Through analysis of MRI data, it has been noted that Coppertone and Neutrogena are among the biggest spend- ers, and they also enjoy stronger brand loyalty in the category. BullFrog marketers recognize that brand loyalty is a significant marketing issue in this category, and they are keenly aware that their spending is much lower than the two category leaders. Chattam’s CFO recognizes that growing BullFrog’s share by 8% is a tall order, and that very little growth can be expected from category expansion. He concedes that most real growth must come out of the hide of BullFrog’s competitors, and has given the green light to increase ad spending. However, he cautions that any increase in BullFrog’s ad budget must be justified with persuasive quantitative data. In his evaluation of brand loyalty data, BullFrog’s marketing director points out that one brand, No Ad, a sun- block that does no measured media spending (spends no money in traditional media), enjoys significantly higher brand loyalty than BullFrog. No Ad’s marketing strategy is built on offering a quality product, growing its distribution channels in popular retail outlets in major markets, and appealing to a market segment that responds to lower price at the point of purchase. No Ad’s target audience would not likely respond to an advertised brand since their primary motivation is low price. Something valuable can be extracted from this brand’s success compared to the market position occupied by BullFrog and other well advertised brands. Market segmentation works, and each brand must work tirelessly to carve out its own niche in the category. If a brand builds a franchise through advertising, one useful strategy is to defend that franchise by concentrating ad dollars using a focused media mix. The idea is to dominate the media channels you advertise in, even if it’s only a single medium. Spreading your ad budget too thin will likely expose your franchise to erosion from competitors’ bigger ad budgets. Campaign Parameters Write a media plan using the principles outlined in MFP chapters 1-7. Review all chapters well. See MFP web- site [www.mediaflightplan.com] for MRI, CMR, and other marketing data. 1. Target audience & media mix: Write a profile for the target audience using online data for Bullfrog Sunblock. Justify both the target profile and your media mix decision based on available data provided in the case itself and online. 2. Timing/Scheduling: Plan a 12-month campaign; each of the 12 months may or may not include adver- tising or promotions depending on your timing strategy. You decide which month to launch, and which months to accelerate spending. Your timing/scheduling strategy is vital to your success. Your client expects you to research target lifestyle and to justify peak spending periods with strong support. 3. Media budget: BullFrog expects you to recommend a media budget. Analyze the information in the case combined with all available online data to establish an effective budget. Keep in mind that although BullFrog is willing to spend the necessary dollars to be effective, the CFO expects a step by step quantitative explanation of how you arrived at your budget. Sales promotion expenses ($1 million) will be handled by the client, so do not include a dollar amount for promotions in your budget recommendation. However, you do need to include sales promotional objectives and strategies that tie into your media plan. 4: Scope: As noted in the main text of this case study, geography strategy is especially important for BullFrog. Make a very clear commitment to one of the three scopes in MFP software: National, Spot, or Both. Justify your decision by citing relevant data from all available sources. This should include data from the case itself, MRI, and keep in mind that BullFrog is especially interested in your quanti- tative analysis of relevant data. 5. Spreadsheet: Use the method outlined in the MFP Exercise, Learning to “Weight” Spreadsheets; calculate Estimated Value Percents (EV%) for all 50 markets, and rank them from strongest to weakest. Data for 50 markets is online (mediaflightplan. com). Evaluate all 50 markets in Excel, and employ a weighting strategy. 6. Situation Analysis: Competitive Media Reports (CMR), MRI, spreadsheet market data, etc., are all available online: [www. mediaflightplan.com] The quality of your SWOT, and the effort you put into it, is the key to unlocking some of the most important issues in this case study. As you prepare your SWOT, follow the seven points outlined in Chapter 2. BullFrog’s marketing director suggests special attention be given to the following in your SWOT: a) The four P’s: Critical analysis of BullFrog and major competitors b) Quantitative analysis of brand loyalty for all brands in the category c) Competitive Spending Analysis with SOV (Share of Voice). Review MFP Exercise 8 if you need help with the SOV. SOV is of particular interest to BullFrog marketing experts - make sure it ties into your media mix strategy. Print out a complete SOV analysis in your SWOT. d) Geography strategy: Should spending be focused or broadened? How can BullFrog maximize its advertising voice in national and/or spot markets? 7. Creative strategy: Write a creative brief for an integrated campaign that positions BullFrog Sunblock, and write a tag line for this campaign. Why a creative brief? Media is as much a creative enterprise as the creative concept itself; when integrated properly, the creative brief helps drive the media plan. 8. Media Flight Plan software: Execute a media buy using Media Flight Plan. Include a flowchart in the body of your work, and other printouts as required by your professor. Make sure all decisions stated on these printouts are supported with logic and intelligent objectives/strategies. CAUTION: If the buys on your flowchart are not consistent with your media objec- tives/strategies, make sure they match. Your marketing/media plan will be judged much less on the buys you make than on the objectives/strategies that drive it. If the two don’t match, BullFrog’s marketing director will invite you to consider a different career. 9. Strategy is everything – write media objectives/strategies for the following: • A clear definition of the target audience with a brilliant media mix strategy. Media mix should include a list of vehicles, e.g. – radio formats, magazine titles, TV programs, etc. • Monthly reach/frequency goals and accompanying strategies - apply Ostrow model. •Geography: Should BullFrog be advertised nationally, in spot markets, or a combination of both? •Monthly media allocations and budgeting strategy demand logical marketing support. •Timing/scheduling decisions are vital to BullFrog’s marketing success - justify your timing. •Nontraditional media & sales promotion: Be original and don’t underestimate the value of sales promo.

Case Study Sources: BullFrog.com web site; competitive web sites, Chattam, Inc. Annual Report; mass merchandising retailers, and syndicated sources by permission: 2004 SRDS. The Lifestyle Market Analyst; Competitive Media Reporting (CMR); Mediamark Research Inc (MRI). Case Study Authors: Professor Dennis Martin, Brigham Young University and Dale Coons, V.P. Research Campbell-Ewald.