“Healthy hoga Hindustan, Lifebuoy hai jahaan, tandurusti hai wahaan”. Staying true to its tagline, Lifebuoy is sold with the USP that it provides 100% better protection when compared with other ordinary soaps.
Ok, so before coming to the topic on which my article is about, let me tell you what the macro factors of a marketing environment are. These are the factors that affect the marketing environment of a business, company, or organization. Also known as the DEPEST or PESTEL analysis, the six macro factors that determine an environment of marketing are demographic factors, economic factors, political factors, ecological or natural forces, socio- cultural or cultural factors and technological forces. I am not going to bore you non- marketers out there by diving into details. Let me get to my point.
Lifebuoy is a brand that has been around India since
1894. Now, that’s a very long time. When it arrived on the shores of the Bombay
Harbour, it was promoted as a soap which was for males and sporty. It has come
a long way from there as it is now a family brand. Belonging to Unilever, an
MNC, Lifebuoy is one of the most successful brands of the organization.
Coming to the demographic factors that Lifebuoy has to consider, India is its major market. So obviously it has to consider the Indian market and the people who buy Lifebuoy. When compared with other soaps, the price of Lifebuoy is low. And, the main market that Lifebuoy caters to is the rural Indian market. As the rural man of India cannot afford to buy a shower gel, they will stick to soaps. And for them, Lifebuoy is the next best thing. But, after the unfortunate arrival of Covid-19, they have had to bring forth a new marketing strategy. Lifebuoy is planning to donate two crore pieces in the next few months to particular areas of the Indian society that need it the most. It also started a ‘hands-on’ handwashing campaign to encourage people (especially children) to wash their hands.
Economically, the sales of Lifebuoy were flat. But
after the onset of Covid, it witnessed a boom in its sales in the June quarter,
especially when the economic times are challenging. To boost its sales further,
Lifebuoy has slashed its prices by 15%, while also increasing its production.
Unilever will also donate Rs 10 crore to upgrade the health care and testing
facilities.
Lifebuoy’s USP has played a major role in the sales
that it has had. Even before Covid had encroached our country, Lifebuoy
promised to kill germs better than other ordinary soaps. So people who had used
Lifebuoy was sure of using Lifebuoy to kill Covid causing germs as well. These
were the natural forces that protected Lifebuoy.
We all know the major role that technology plays in
our lives. So, Lifebuoy asked the help of famous artists like Badshah, their
brand ambassador Kajol, and Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh to promote their
handwashing campaign. They also introduced the hashtag, #dothelifebuoy on Instagram.
Politics comes everywhere, am I right? In a ‘first of
its brand’ initiative, Lifebuoy teamed up with the Brihan Mumbai Municipal
Corporation to spread awareness about the pandemic as well as give out hygiene
kits to the frontline workers. It also partnered with Yuvraj Singh’s foundation
‘YouWeCan’ which enabled people to donate money to the helpless and needy
through Paytm.
Like I said before, Lifebuoy was made to cater to the
Indian middle class. That has not changed even after Covid has disrupted our
lives. The culture of being a family brand still continues as it still
advocates Lifebuoy for the whole family. It also has introduced a range of
sanitizers, sanitizer sprays, and handwashes.
Lifebuoy was an indispensable product providing
hygiene and cleanliness to the whole family. In distressing times like these,
it still has managed to keep its promise of being better and fighting germs. At
the same time, it has philanthropically helped those in need. This has only, in
turn, managed to increase its value in the eyes of Lifebuoy’s loyal as well as
new customers.
Sources cited
https://www.ukessays.com/essays/marketing/lifebuoy-is-the-worlds-number-one-soap-marketing-essay.php
Informative!
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