Anti-aging Hand Soap
SoftSoap
Colgate-Palmolive
Group #9
Antoine Béguerie, Brennan Eccles, Matt Haug,
Hayden Hirsch, Daina Larkin, Torri Santander
Section #3, SDSU MKTG371, Fall 2012
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I. EXPLORER STAGE
a. Explore the Product
Client:
• #1 recommended by dentists for oral care
• Approximately 36,000 employees
• Most used company worldwide for oral care
• Sold in 200 countries and territories
• #1 liquid hand soap provider
worldwide
Colgate-Palmolive is an American company focused on the production,
distribution and sales of a range of household products. Starting in New York during the
year of 1806 by William Colgate, the company began with a small product offering of
candles, soap, and starch. By 1873 Colgate had expanded its enterprise and its product
offerings to include perfumed soap, toothpaste, and trademarked perfumed toilet soap. By
the turn of the 20th Century, Colgate celebrated its 100 years of existence and began to
expand to markets in Asia, Europe, Latin America, and Africa. In 1928 Colgate merged
with Palmolive-Peet and went public on the New York Stock Exchange two years later.
After years of excellence and innovation, present day Colgate-Palmolive has annual sales
of $15 billion and focuses on oral care, personal care, home care, and pet nutrition.
A portion of their successes can be attributed to Amy Baer, the Senior Manager
of Consumer Insights, and her teammates Francesca Cruz and Rebecca Green Heagney.
With innovation being a key value of Colgate-Palmolive, Amy and her team are
constantly finding new ways to take the company to the next level, and either gain or
sustain market share. Products like the disposable toothbrush “Wisp” and their “Colgate
Optic White” toothpaste are prime examples of their innovative ideas bringing ColgatePalmolive much success.
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Product:
Colgate-Palmolive is one of the most prevailing brands among household
products. With one of their most popular products being their liquid hand soap,
“Softsoap,” Colgate-Palmolive must maintain a unique selling proposition to uphold their
brand name. Softsoap’s specific unique selling proposition is to produce liquid hand
soaps that are fashionable for your home, affordable, and diverse to fulfill every
consumer’s wants and needs. Although they have to compete against their largest
competitors: private label companies, and their low prices, Softsoap’s reasonable pricing
matched with their attractive packaging and a variety of colors and senses make them
appealing in a highly competitive market. Softsoap provides a variety of product lines to
fit every consumer’s needs, whether it be soap for your kitchen with their Kitchen Fresh
Hands line, soap with a color or scent to accent your guest bathroom, or a child-friendly
soap for you kids displaying their favorite TV character from their Kids Collection. As a
company, Colgate-Palmolive likes to relate themselves to personalities and values such as
pride, excitement, outgoingness, and dynamic and savvy products/ consumers, which is
reflected in their Softsoap products and provides them with their very own unique selling
proposition.
Competitors:
Colgate-Palmolive is a worldwide enterprise whose products focus on oral,
personal, home, and pet care. Like any other major enterprises, Colgate-Palmolive does
have to face the challenges that arise when competing with other comparable companies.
According to the Colgate-Palmolive representatives, some of the company’s major
competitors are private label companies, Dial, Lysol, and Method brands.
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Private Label Brands:
Private label companies have posed the biggest threat largely due to their ability
to offer lower prices. Their products offer the unique selling proposition that the brand is
directly correlated to the store in which it is offered. These products are advertised and
put on display throughout the store on a substantially higher level than other brands.
These private label company products are also backed by coupon add support that also
contributes to making them more appealing to consumers and hard to compete with.
Dial and Lysol:
Two large and very recognizable soap production companies, Dial and Lysol, are
continuously competing with Colgate-Palmolive for the newest and most innovative idea
to introduce to the market. A major turning point for the Colgate-Palmolive Company
was when Lysol developed and launched the motion detected soap dispenser during the
time of the Swine Flu outbreak. With its major selling proposition being that its
customers would come in contact with fewer germs by not having to physically touch the
soap dispenser during a time in which sanitation measures were taken seriously, the
motion detected soap dispenser was immensely successful.
Method:
Created by Adam Lowry and Eric Ryan, Method soap is one of the fastestgrowing private companies in America (Method). Their product is a unique eye-catching
teardrop shape that is planet-friendly and comes in an assortment of colors to match any
room. The company has made partnerships with large retail stores, such as Target, who
dedicate a large portion of their shelving space to the many colored containers of Method
soap, acting as its own form of attention grabbing advertisement. With the Method soap
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company being attractive because of its newness it has the potential for becoming a
bigger threat then it already appears.
Up and Coming Brands:
Lastly, the Colgate-Palmolive Company must also remain alert and aware of any
up-and-coming companies that may pose as potential threats. An example of this is the
newly launched Güd hand soap by the Burt’s Bees Company. As a natural foaming hand
wash, the soap line will catch the attention of eco-friendly consumers-- a trend that is
vastly growing in today’s market.
Target Markets:
Colgate-Palmolive has identified a specific target consumer who is the focus of
their marketing efforts. This consumer is referred to as “Laurie”.
Target Consumer Demographics:
• Female
• Works full or part time
• 41 years old
• Has a family with children
• Lives in suburbs
Target Consumer Psychographics:
Laurie is aware of what others think of her and her family. Being perceived as a
good housewife and mother is very important and shapes a lot of her decisions. She views
her family as an extension of her own image, so she spends even more time making sure
that they look presentable than she does on herself. Laurie also takes pride in her home
and likes to add special home accents throughout her house. Her favorite place to shop
for these “special touch” type products is in home goods stores. She purchases the more
utilitarian products for the household at Target and Wal-Mart.
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When it comes to hand soap, Laurie is not loyal to one specific brand. Instead,
she buys different brands of soaps based on in which area of her home they will be used.
In the Kitchen and Bathroom, Dial and Lysol brands are used because Laurie sees them
as have more cleansing power than the others. In the guest bathroom, Laurie splurges for
the more expensive soap and buys it because of the way it looks. In the master bedroom,
the target consumer most often uses discount store brands. She would rather save money
than spend it on herself. Teaching her children how to properly wash their hands is
important to her.
Women Age 25-55:
• Respond to traditional sales techniques
• Enjoy household shopping
• Buy on impulse
• Prepare less for shopping trips
A more broad segment of the target market includes all women from 25- 55 years
old is also included in the target market. Women are more likely to:
Benefits of Colgate-Palmolive Softsoap:
The primary function of liquid hand soap is to sanitize and cleanse the hands
with applied friction. However, Colgate-Palmolive’s hand soap products provide more
for their customers than the average product due to its array of benefits within its
Softsoap brand. Within Softsoap’s product line are products that contain unique
attributes designed to “benefit” the consumer to their preference such as Advanced
Benefits, Pampered Hands Foam, Classics, and Kids.
The Advanced Benefits Collection is a prime model of how Softsoap addresses
benefits directly. For example, the Kitchen Fresh Hands soap is designed to neutralize
“lingering kitchen odors” with a blast of citrus scent. This feature is also accompanied
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with tiny beads (that) deliver sunny bursts of skin-softening moisture” to leave hands
nourished. More of the collection’s benefits include soap that indulge the hand washing
experience with Shea butter, Pomegranate & Mango extract, Aloe Vera and Sea minerals
to soften and enhance the users skin when applied.
Another benefit Softsoap utilizes within its Classic Collection are the themes
used to satisfy their target market. Each one of these soaps are complementary to
common bathroom “themes” through color, smell and aesthetics. These preferences are
taken into account by a high percentage of their customers entering a purchase
decision. This original success has only been built on when Softsoap introduce additional
benefits such as moisturizers and anti-bacterial features.
The most recent and innovative benefits that the Softsoap brand provides are
within the Pampered Hands and Kids Collections. The containers from these collections
expel the soap in a convenient “foam” form. Applied with the benefits from other
popular collections, the consumer is receives the same Softsoap experience in a gentler
cleanse. Also, for the younger target market, Spongebob Squarepants and Dora the
Explorer provide yet another benefit of “fun” for the hand washing routine.
New Product Objectives:
Colgate-Palmolive’s vision is to become the greatest global consumer products
company. A major company goal is to not only increase Colgate-Palmolive’s market
share, but also increase the entire product category through innovation. The new product
has to be innovative and must stand out from the competition as much as possible in the
liquid hand soap product market. The perfect hand soap would have the best cleansing
experience with the right amount of sanitization/cleaning for the consumer his or her
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family on every washing occasion. The challenge is to find an original and unexpected
product with an outstanding position, which will fulfill a foreseeable goal. At the same
time, Colgate-Palmolive must continue to focus on the features their consumers care most
about and directly relate to the company:
• On trend fragrances
• Decor, pleasure and fun
• Protection & efficiency
• Skin care benefits
Remaining aware of the company’s unique selling proposition and that of their
competitors within the market is still important.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, research showed us that Colgate-Palmolive is the #1 provider of
liquid hand soap in today’s current market; with Softsoap being the clear market leader.
With its products being sold in 200 countries and territories worldwide, the ColgatePalmolive Company has a strong market presence and continues to maintain it by
continuously developing innovative and desirable products. Research also showed us that
consumers in the hand soap market are not strictly loyal to one specific brand, which
creates and leaves competition open in the marketplace. Most of the company’s
Marketing and Product Development efforts are focused on female consumers (“Laurie”),
leaving an opening in the market for male focused products.
b. Explore the Consumer
Description of Interviewee:
Zachary Carney: Low-Involvement
Zachary is a 22 year-old male currently living in the Pacific Beach Area of San
Diego, California. Zach works part time in retail and is a full-time student at San Diego State
University, which gives him a particular low disposable income of under $5,000.00 per
year. His day-to-day activities include surfing whenever possible, weight lifting, and training
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in the martial arts of jiu-jitsu. Due to his numerous hobbies, work, and school, Zach tends to
be an impulsive buyer. He has limited time to devote to shopping for household products and
groceries. Zach has recently returned to San Diego after being a six-month resident of Bali,
Indonesia where he furthered his collegiate studies and traveled throughout Southeast
Asia. When he was not in school or working, Zach was traveling across the world on surfing
excursions. The majority of the areas that Zach traveled to were third-world countries
suffering from poverty and overpopulation. In these specific regions the cultures do not
socially or economically stimulate a high-involvement of hand sanitation. With Zach’s
current low-maintenance lifestyle, low student income, and gender-based characteristics, the
cleanliness of his hands is seen as a low priority.
Summary of Our Findings:
When interviewing Zach, it was found that he is a brand switcher when it comes to
the liquid hand soap product category. He has very little loyalty to Colgate-Palmolive’s
Softsoap and also does not have preferences in the liquid hand-soap product category as a
whole. According to Zach, he only uses soap because it is considered a socially acceptable
part of the culture that he is a part of in the United States. While studying abroad in Bali,
Indonesia, Zach rarely used liquid hand soap at all because the surrounding culture did not
look at him poorly for not washing his hands like people the U.S often would. This shows
that Zach has a hedonic motivation because he uses hand soap to be accepted by others; not
because of a utilitarian motivation to remove germs from his hands.
Zachary explained that he has never actually purchased liquid hand-soap for
himself. Either his roommates or his mother has always made this purchase. He also
mentioned his mother when he described his associations to the word “soap”. It reminded
him of when his mother would always make him wash his hands as a child, which could
evoke certain negative connotations with hand soap or have negative priming effects for the
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product category. This association could directly correlate to Zach admitting that he washes
his hands only “sometimes” on a scale including never, sometimes, often, and constantly.
Convenience is the most important factor that leads Zach to purchase his liquid
hand-soap alternative: hand sanitizer. He is not affected by marketing efforts outside of the
immediate grocery store environment because he does not invest his time into preparing to
shop for household goods. In-store displays of hand sanitizer at the cash register catch his
attention because he is a low involvement impulsive buyer of these kinds of products.
Conclusion:
Being a low-involvement hand soap user, Zachary still associates “cleanliness” with
Softsoap brands. For the majority, however; Zach prefers convenience when considering
hand sanitation over any prominent attribute. From his perspective, he believes that hand
soap use and purchases are derived from a feminist perspective and societal
pressure. Although aesthetics is not the most paramount feature of hand soap for Zach, it still
plays a role in triggering his purchase decision. We can conclude that if the product was
placed throughout stores in convenient, populated areas such as checkout lines, it will
stimulate compulsive purchases for customers such as Zachary.
Description of Interviewee:
Leslie McGeorge: High-Involvement
Leslie is 52 years old, married, stay-at-home mother with two children. She is of
the Caucasian race and lives in a predominantly white, upper class neighborhood in Castle
Rock, Colorado. Being a stay-at-home mother, Leslie takes pride in keeping her house tidy
and organized. Taking pride in her home’s appearance means aesthetic appeal has an effect
on her decision making process for purchases of home products. Of her two children, one still
lives at home with her and her husband, which means that not only is making the house
appear clean important, but making sure that it is actually a germ free and safe environment
is key to her family’s well-being. According to Leslie, she is “in charge of the kitchen” and
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cooks most meals for her family. Leslie also does the majority of the family shopping for
food, healthcare, and house maintenance products, and is ultimately the major decider of her
home’s cleaning products. Living in a house with numerous bathrooms, Leslie values
different products that fit the needs of each room and individual.
Summary of Our Findings:
Leslie belongs to the core target market of Colgate-Palmolive hand soap products
and can be compared to the company’s target consumer known as “Laurie.” Leslie is a
regular hand-soap user and makes the majority of purchase decisions based off utilitarian
needs. When she realized that water simply was not good enough to clean the germs, grease,
and filth from her hands, she began caring about her liquid hand soap purchases. Like any
mother, health care and house maintenance products are important to her for her family and
home. Leslie can be considered what is known as a “germaphobe.” She pays extra attention
to the fact that her house has to uphold a sterile environment, so the effectiveness of the
product is crucial. Leslie believes hand soap is an absolute need in life and without it our
hands would not be clean.
Not only is the essential function of cleaning a vital feature when it comes to
choosing liquid hand soap, but the overall appearance of the soap container itself is important
as well. Our survey helped us understand that Leslie feels that the hand soap must embrace
standard functional attributes, but also aesthetic attributes such as image, color, and scent also
play an important role in the purchasing decision process. We have discovered that Leslie is
motivated by a need for uniqueness when it comes to buying a hand soap, which has caused
her to become partially sensitive to brand perceptions. She has an overall idea of what she
expects from her liquid hand-soap and has found these attributes in more than one hand-soap
provider. For a company, it means that if all the products fulfill the same functional attributes,
standing out from the competition with an original and unexpected bottle of hand soap can be
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a real key to success for their new product. Leslie has grown to favor the company, Bath and
Body Works. They offer her the most aesthetically pleasing soaps she would be proud to
display on her kitchen and bathroom sinks.
Conclusion:
When Leslie thinks of hand soap, the first words that came to mind were cleanliness,
scents, and color. She uses soap for basic utilitarian, needs, such as having clean
hands. What keeps her from being specifically brand loyal is that she loves having
options. All liquid hand soaps accomplish the same task of cleaning your hands, so Leslie
bases her purchases off which bottle is most appealing to her eye, has a nice fragrance, and is
easy to use. Advertisements and store promotions, such as coupons or holiday edition items,
also influence Leslie’s decision making. She is likely to switch from brand to brand
depending on who offers the best deal or who has the newest scent. Leslie is a highinvolvement product user because she is constantly using and buying hand-soap. However,
she portrays a level of low-involvement decision making when buying hand-soap. She
recognizes the need to buy more when the bottle is almost empty at home, she goes to the
store to buy more, simply evaluates her options based off price, color, shape, and scent,
makes a purchase, and repeats the same step the next time she runs out of soap. Leslie has
recognized the need for soap. She knows what she does and does not like and it does not take
much deliberation for her to find a satisfying product.
II. ARTISTIC STAGE
Colgate-Palmolive’s Softsoap brand typically caters to women who fall in the
same category as “Laurie”. Laurie is a stay at home mother with children who takes great
pride in her home and its appearance. The majority of Softsoap’s products cater to
aesthetic needs that Laurie would find important, such as shape, scent, and many colors
to match different rooms in a home. Our first idea is still targeted towards a consumer
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similar to Laurie and still satisfies these aesthetic needs.
With the cold winter months around the corner, staying warm is of utmost
importance. Not only do you want to stay warm, but you want to avoid getting a cold and
germs as well. Our newest innovative idea for Softsoap’s liquid handsoap is here to
rescue you from your winter worries! Softsoap’s “Warm Sensations” would be a liquid
handsoap that not only cleans your hands by eliminating germs, but also leaves your
hands with a warming sensation that makes them feel as though summer has never left.
This new breakthrough appeals to our target consumer, Laurie, because not only does the
soap provide a warming feeling for her hands, but it also allows her and her family to feel
when they have accomplished cleanliness. Laurie and her family will be more inclined to
wash their hands to experience the pleasant and warm feeling that would be associated
with cleanliness. The “Warm Sensations” line would still possess the original traits of the
rest of the Softsoap products by keeping the original look and container, however, it
would be providing a new and unfamiliar experience when individuals was their hands
with the warming sensation.
A second idea of ours has to do with hand soap that helps with anti-aging, wrinkle
prevention, and strengthening of nails.
All women care about beauty and their
appearance. Still targeting Laurie, the mother, who is constantly washing dishes and
cleaning her hands after dealing with raw meat while she cooks for her family, doesn’t
want tough man hands. Moms do a lot of wear and tear to their hands with all their
household tasks, yet still want to feel sexy and womanly with beautiful nails and hands
that don’t look or feel like leather. Every woman, no matter what age, hates broken nails
and painful hang nails. They all want someone to hold their hand and not be grossed out
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by its appearance or feel. This soap would help women, just like Laurie, feel confident in
themselves and the fact that they’re getting older. They will still want to do all their
tough-on-hands household chores, and take care of their family and children as they grow
older, too.
Our third idea, “See-Clean”, would focus more on targeting children rather than
Laurie. Developing soap that appeals to children is not a foreign idea to Softsoap.
Although they currently have a children’s line that catches the attention of children by
possessing figures of favorite TV characters, we would aim to catch the attention of
children through the soap’s color and the physical experience of washing their hands. The
“See-Clean” line would also contain a hidden message that parents continuously try to
teach their children-- the importance of hygiene and staying clean.
Stopping the spread of germs is one of Softsoap’s core benefits. Unfortunately,
the younger audience sometimes does not understand the importance of this benefit. The
newest line of Softsoap, “See-Clean”, eliminates this issue by informing its user when
cleanliness has been achieved. “See-Clean” does this with a special formula that allows
the soap to change from its original color to a color that that indicates when the lathering
and scrubbing has killed all of the germs and is ready to be rinsed. Too often do people
wash their hands and later realize they still have dirt and grime on their palms and under
their nails. This happens even more so with children because they usually wash their
hands quickly and carelessly, which leaves them with residue and dirt remaining on their
hands. This new innovative product appeals to the target market because mothers like
Laurie can rest assured that her family members have clean hands. Not only does it give
her this peace of mind, but it also teaches children an underlying message by making
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cleaning their hands fun!
Adapt (change context)1. Add dissolvable glitter
2. Turn your germs a different color on
your hands so you can see how messy they
are when washing them (like the kid’s
toothpaste)
3. Add a suction cup on the bottom of the
soap container so it doesn’t fall off/into
sink
4. Anti- aging soap
5. Soap that helps heal cuts, scrapes, and
burns (like Neosporin) that does not sting
6. Soap that cleans your hands faster so you
can effectively wash your hands in a
fraction of the time- useful when working
in the kitchen and you have to wash your
hands a lot (like touching raw meat, for
example)
7. Soap that you use in the kitchen that not
only removes food odors from your hands,
but also protects your hands from those
odors in the future (onion, garlic, etc.)
8. A Softsoap line of high-end wet wipes to
clean your hands
9. Soap that can keep typical insects you
find in houses (flies, mosquitos, etc.) away
from the kitchen/house (or off of your skin)
and acts as a pesticide
10. Soap that can be used safely on both
humans and animals
Imagine (“what if?”)11. What if the soap did not drip onto the
sink after using it
12. What if the soap that cleans my hands
also disinfects and de-clogs the sink when
it goes down the drain
13. What if the soap strengthened your
nails
14. What if I did not have to go to the store
to refill my soap? A new bottle would
come every few weeks and you are charged
online. You can have your refill come
sooner or later by changing your order date
on a Softsoap website.
Eliminate (take something away)51. Take away the pump on the soap and
use a spray
52. Eliminate the bottle from being clutter
on your countertop and mount the soap to
the wall (with command strip style
products)
53. Eliminate the question of “Have I
washed my hands long enough?”-- soap
changes from one color to another when
the optimal amount of time has passed
54. Eliminate the idea of it being a liquid-Softsoap contained in individual
dissolvable capsules that contain the
optimum amount of soap for each time you
wash your hands. (one capsule per hand
washing)
55. Eliminate stress-- stress relief soap that
alternates hot and cold sensations that
massage the muscles in your hand as you
use it
56. Soap that eliminates sweaty palms
57. Soap that plays a song when you push
the pump that plays for how long you
should wash your hands
58. Eliminate rough hands-- soap that
exfoliates your hands for smoother skin
59. Softsoap that comes in smaller sizes
that are less expensive so that consumers
can try a small portion of the soap scents to
see if they like it before they buy a larger
bottle
60. Soap with monogram initials
Parody (joke around)61. Soap that make your hands looking
bloody after washing (for Halloween)
62. Soap that hurts if your hands are too
dirty, so that you’ll wash them more often
63. Soap that is aimed to clean
marker/paint stains
64. Soap bottle than when pumped gives
you a compliment or inspirational quote.
65. Soap containers similar to ketchup and
mustard
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15. What if the soap could also be used as a
stain remover for clothing and furniture
16. What if you could keep your wedding
ring on while washing your hands- will
protect your ring (and other jewelry) from
becoming tarnished
17. What if the soap was more efficient at
rinsing all of the slimy residue off of your
hands
18. What if the soap was safe to eat-- with
the target consumer is a mother, it would
be a relief for her to know that the soap that
her child uses is safe if accidentally
consumed
19. What if the soap container hung over
the sink, so that when you are washing
your hands and reach for the soap, the
water on your hands does not get on the
countertop. It also prevents excess soap
from getting on the countertop because it
would fall directly in the sink
20. What if the soap could also be used to
clean makeup brushes
Reverse (assumption busting)21. Hand soap that only needs to be used
once daily to keep hands clean
22. Hand soap that will rub off of your
hands and clean other objects that are
touched
23. Soap that makes your hands smell bad
24. Soap that dries out your skin
25. Soap that doesn't foam up when friction
added
26. Soap that stains your hands a certain
color
27. Soap that wouldn’t require too much
friction to clean our hands
28. Soap that attracts bugs
29. Soap that you can eat or drink
30. Soap that you have to let soak on your
hands for a minute or so, so it fully kills all
germs, especially under the fingernails
Connect (put 2 unrelated concepts
together)31. Soap that you can use outdoors and it
does not hurt the environment (like when
66. Soap that pops in your hands like “pop
rocks”
67. Soap container that is someone faces
and comes out of the nose with
green/yellow color
68. Soap that gives you a facts/knowledge
when pumped (clean and learn/possible
kids version for alphabet, times tables etc.)
69. Soap bottles in the theme of popular
music artists/plays their most popular song
70. Soap bottles with LCD picture display
71. Soap bottles that are designed in easily
storable shapes, so that when the target
consumer goes to the store, they can buy
the hand soap in bulk and store it easily in
their home (cubes that can interlock?)
72. Soap that evens your skin tone
73. Soap that makes your nail polish last
for a longer amount of time
74. Soap container that beeps when it is
running low
75. Soap that helps your hands dry faster
but does not make your hands feel dried
out
76. Soap that soothes arthritis
77. Soap that specifically tastes bad to
animals, so that puppies and kittens learn
not to bite people
78. Soap that you use in the kitchen that
focuses on getting grease and oil off your
hands faster and more effectively
79. Soap that is gentle enough for babies’
skin
80. Soap that changes different colors when
you wash your hands based on your
“mood”
81. Soap that helps stop nicotine cravings
82. When you push the soap pump, the
soap says funny movie quotes
83. Soap that has an invigorating sensation
that helps you wake up in the morning
84. Soap container that acts as an air
freshener for the room that it is in
85. Soap that is heavy duty so you can use
it in the garage when you need to wash
your hands after working on cars,
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you go camping and wash your hands
outside)
32. Soap that gives your hands a warm
sensation that continues even after you are
finished washing your hands during the
cold winter months
33. Soap bottle with a slot where you can
insert your own picture so that it exactly
matches the theme of your bathroom
34. Soap with a prize inside--- if kids wash
their hands enough, they uncover a action
figure or some kind of prize when the
bottle of soap runs out (they have an
incentive)
35. A device that attaches onto the faucet
and filters the water, and also contains a
concentrated form of soap. When you press
a button on the attachment, the soap
concentrate mixes with the water and
Softsoap comes out when you are washing
your hands
36. Soap that smells good but tastes bad in
order to train people not to bite their
fingernails (the bad taste would not be able
to transfer to the things you touch, like
when you eat)
37. Have celebrities, stylists, artists, &
fashion designers contribute their own soap
bottle designs to create a high end line of
Softsoap
38. Soap that combines cleanliness with the
smell of icy hot that can clear your sinuses
39. Soap that acts like a children’s night
light in the bathroom by glowing in the
dark
40. Soap that has different layers of scents,
so you do not get bored of the same bottle
of soap
Compare (metaphors)41. Hand soap chasing bacteria is like
policemen chasing thieves
42. Soap with condensed soap balls that
exploded like underwater mines
43. The Mr. and Mrs. soap-- one bottle, 2
pumps, and looks like bride and groom or
various other couple figures
motorcycles, etc. possibly have
PowerBlock endorse the product because
the company has many automotive TV
shows and magazines that recommend a
variety of products to a dedicated group of
viewers
86. Soap that has a hair removal ingredient
so you do not have hairy knuckles
87. Soap that can safely be used to more
effectively wash fruit instead of just rinsing
it off
88. Soap that does not have a scent so that
it does not conflict with perfume/cologne
89. Soap that has an extra small label so it
doesn’t ruin the decor of the bathroom
90. Soap that you can design online- pick a
bottle shape, color, and scent and have it
delivered to your house
91. Soap that comes in larger sizes so you
do not have to refill as often
92. Soap that you do not have to use with
water (more environmentally safe)
93. Powdered soap so it is easier to sweep
up when it spills and does not leave residue
in your sink
94. Soap that if you let it dry, it will stay on
your hands so you can peel it off and
unclog your pores
95. Soap that glows when you are using it
96. Soap that has the theme of the local
sports teams of where is was sold
97. Soap that is made from an abnormally
thick formula to really coat your hands but
is also fun to play with
98. Soap that eliminates fingernail fungus
and discoloration
99. Soap targeted towards construction
workers-- when you work with certain
woods (redwood) it stains your hands, so
this soap that would get that stain off
100. Soap that contains pheromones to
attract the opposite sex
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44. Bottles of soap you can keep when
they’re empty to be like collector items
45. Soap makes your hands feel soft like a
baby’s blanket
46. Clean hands are happy hands
47. Soap is like the Beatles, it wants to
“Hold Your Hand”
48. A day without soap is like a day
without underwear. Gross.
49. Soaps like an earthquake, it shakes out
the germs
50. Hand soap like Kobe Bryant, it always
wins
III. THE JUDGE STAGE
a. Internal Judge- Feedback from the client and instructor
(See attached feedback from Colgate-Palmolive)
b. External Judge- Consumers
TASK 1: Define your best idea (to consider especially for your business memo)
1. PRODUCT:
A liquid hand soap that focuses on preventing and reversing signs of aging
2. TARGET:
Our product will still focus our target marketing efforts towards women like
“Laurie.” We will continue to market our products to primarily middle-aged women who
are constantly using their hands to wash dishes, keep their homes clean, gardening,
etc. Although these women are constantly working with their hands, they still find an
importance in keeping their hands feeling clean and soft. Women are also typically
concerned about preventing signs of wrinkles from appearing for as long as possible.
Women who care about their overall appearance and wish to maintain healthy, younglooking skin will find satisfaction in our new line of anti-aging liquid hand soap.
3. COMPETITION:
There are currently lots of brands selling anti-aging hand creams or lotions;
however, none of these brands specifically focus on anti-aging as liquid hand soap.
Companies found in department or beauty stores like Philosophy, Clinique, and Lancôme,
to name a few, have been selling these creams and lotions for years. Our main
competition would be brands like Neutrogena or Burts Bees who are selling their antiaging hand creams in large convenience stores, such as Target and Wal-Mart.
4. PRICE:
Regular SoftSoap liquid hand soap is priced at convenience stores at an average
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of $2.50. In comparison, SoftSoap hand soaps that offer an extra experience or benefit,
such as their Pampered Hands and Foaming Hands lines increase in price and typically
vary anywhere from approximately $2.75 to $5.00. Seeing how our new anti-aging hand
soap product offers an extra benefit compared to the average liquid hand soap, it would
also be priced within this price range. According to our survey, our collected data made it
clear that prospective customers would be willing to purchase this product for a price
varying from $3.00 to $20.00. With our goal being to introduce this new anti-aging hand
soap into the market as a both desirable and affordable product, it will be offered at a
reasonable price of $4.50.
5. PLACE:
Our new anti-aging hand soap would be sold in the same stores that SoftSoap
products can already be found. This would include large convenience stores like Target
and Wal-Mart, as well as major grocery and pharmaceutical stores, such as VONS and
CVS.
6. PROMOTION:
Instead of immediately including our new form of SoftSoap liquid hand soap onto
the shelf with the rest of the SoftSoap products, we will first aim to have it placed
throughout the stores on a display shelf at both ends of the household products aisles.
Additionally, new visual adds will need to be created and included in magazines and
newspapers that are targeted towards a similar target market.
TASK 2: Survey
(See 30 attached surveys)
TASK 3: Summary
Colgate Palmolive has done a fantastic job of catering to a variety of consumers
through their many collections of Softsoap liquid hand soaps. We have noticed, however,
that Colgate Palmolive has not focused any efforts on exploring the importance of antiaging products. With hands being one of the first places that show signs of aging, our
idea for a new line of Softsoap products will satisfy this importance. Considering the
present day pressures of a flawless physical appearance, a new line of anti-aging soap
would surely flourish in today’s market.
Our new Softsoap product line will concentrate on preventing and reversing signs
of aging. It will also offer the benefits of clean, soft-feeling hands. Introducing this new
line of products will not be difficult because there will not be a need to change our target
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market. Our product will still aim its targeting efforts towards women who fit the
description of Laurie-- a middle-aged, stay-at-home mother. By keeping our target
market focused on women similar to Laurie, all major marketing efforts will remain the
same. Being curious to the possible reactions of introducing such a product to the market,
a survey was conducted and completed by 30 prospective customers fitting the “Laurie”
description. Our results have allowed us to further our knowledge on our new product.
According to our findings, our prospective customers were fairly interested in the
possibility of an anti-aging soap line. When asked how interested one may be to the idea
of anti-aging hand soap on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being not interested and 10 being
very interested, the majority of our results fell within the 6 to 10 range. Many of our
responses mentioned that they typically purchase standard liquid hand soap rather than an
elaborate looking soap, such as one with a character printed across the label or soap that
is dispensed in the form of foam. Because of this, our anti-aging soap will be sold in the
classic Softsoap bottle rather than the more extravagant bottles that can be found in the
Pampered Hands and Advanced Benefits collections. The survey responses also showed a
high importance in the color and scent of the soap to the consumers when making a
purchasing decision. Some of our survey takers mentioned that they buy certain soaps
solely based off how pleasant it smells or how well the color matches their bathrooms
and kitchen. In hopes of figuring out what else women find important and/or beneficial
in soaps, we asked, “What ingredients are perceived as healthy and effective?” The most
common answers were natural ingredients like cocoa butter, soy, oatmeal, and vitamin E,
which are specifically known to help reverse signs of wrinkles. With our research
showing that these are the elements that women find to be most important, we will aim to
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include them in our anti-aging soap’s formula.
Due to the popularity of “all things natural” in today’s market, the physical color
of the soaps will remain in a neutral color scheme, such as shiny pearls and light
lavenders, greens, and blues. Considering that we would like to avoid any change in the
appearance of the soap, the classic label will still be used with images of natural foods
and elements pictured on the front. The only major change that we would wish to make is
including the bolded words “Anti-aging” above the already existing words “hand soap”
on the bottle. By appearing visually similar to the classic collection consumers will still
feel as though they are purchasing the common bottle of hand soap that our research
showed is well liked.
While our original idea was to create a hand soap that decreased signs of wrinkles
while increasing the strength of one’s nails, we learned that we should focus more
specifically on the anti-aging aspect. After examining our survey research, the decision to
exclude nail health from the soap’s formula was made. Even though our anti-aging soap
is more along the lines of a beauty enhancer rather than a standard anti-bacterial soap, we
decided to continue to sell our new Softsoap product in the major grocery and superstores. As previously mentioned, we do not wish to change our marketing efforts. Since
we will continue to target middle-aged mothers, it is essential that the price of the soap is
affordable. Although adding additional vitamins and/or anti-wrinkling serums into the
soap is going to be more costly, we cannot demand too high of a price from our
customers. By offering the anti-aging hand soap at approximately $4.50 the soap will be
affordable and reasonably priced in comparison to other existing liquid soap products.
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Of the thirty women that were surveyed, more than half of them were enthusiastic
about this product. This gives us great hope for the success of this inventive idea. If the
new line of hand soap successfully strives in the market, the possibility of expanding the
line should be considered. With success in mind, our survey showed that a great majority
of the women would also enjoy the idea of Softsoap generating a line of moisturizers to
go along with this hand soap. This would give Colgate Palmolive another opportunity to
create an entirely new line of anti-aging products to market to the many Laurie-like
women of the world. The general consensus agreed that this is an innovative idea that
should be further explored and could potentially lead to a profitable triumph.
IV. BUSINESS MEMO
DESCRIPTION OF IDEA
Colgate Palmolive has done a fantastic job of catering to a variety of consumers
through their many collections of SoftSoap liquid hand soaps. We have noticed, however,
that Colgate Palmolive has not focused any efforts on exploring the importance of antiaging products. Our idea for a new line of SoftSoap products will satisfy this importance.
With hands being one of the first places that display a sign of aging, a new line of antiaging soap would flourish in today’s present market.
Our new SoftSoap product line will concentrate on preventing and reversing signs
of aging. Aging hands are perceived as those that are wrinkled, rough, or have skin spots
or discoloration. It will also offer the benefits of clean, soft-feeling hands. With the
current trend of organic and natural products, we feel that using natural ingredients will
help sell the product. Some natural ingredients associated with anti-aging properties are:
•
Acai Oil
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•
CoEnzyme Q-10 (CoQ-10)
•
Alpha-lipoic Acid
•
Caffeine
•
Green Tea Extract
•
Alpha-hydroxy Acid
•
Retinol Hyaluronic Acid
•
Vitamin C & Salicylic Acid
By offering an “anti-aging” SoftSoap product line, the benefits will aim to
eliminate deep wrinkles caused by dryness and ageing. The ingredients mentioned earlier,
provided within the hand soap, are designed to strengthen the skin and rejuvenate its
vibrancy resulting in younger looking skin.
Our USP (Unique Selling Proposition) is the concept that with specific
ingredients, this SoftSoap enhances its original process by providing anti-aging results to
the user’s skin when applied consistently over time.
Some of the Softsoap’s major competitors are private label companies, Dial,
Lysol, and Method brands. Private label brands have gained a large market share because
of their low prices. Dial and Lysol are two major brands that are constantly competing
with Softsoap for ways to reach the consumer through innovative products. Method is a
newer company that utilized the physical attractiveness of the bottle to attract consumers.
These companies are competing with Softsoap’s traditional soap products that focus on
cleanliness, appearance, and scent.
The addition to anti-aging effects, this new SoftSoap product will create new
competitors in a particular product category. Olay, Neutrogena, Eucerin, and L’oreal are
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strong skin care brands that already have large market shares in the anti-aging market.
The main focus of their products is on the face with the use of serums, lotions, creams,
and masks. The pricing ranges from $6 to $100+ depending on the type of product.
Overall, their prices are significantly higher than Softsoap’s traditional pricing strategies.
The Anti-Aging liquid hand soap will appeal to the overall target market of the
SoftSoap Company. “Laurie”, the name used for the target consumer, will not only
receive the aforementioned benefits, but she will also benefit because the product was
created with her in mind.
DETAILS RELATED TO TARGET MARKET
Laurie is aware of what others think of her and her family. Being perceived as a
good housewife and mother is very important and shapes a lot of her decisions. Our target
consumer is still targeted towards middle-aged women like Laurie. She would use this
new soap just like she would use any other. Every time Laurie washes her hands, she
would use the anti-aging soap instead. The more it is used, the better results. The use will
vary amongst consumers depending on their perception of their own aging hands. Signs
of aging like wrinkles and discoloration are a major concern because youth is highly
valued in society. The new anti-aging product would be beneficial to the target consumer
and would help her keep up appearances without investing extensive amounts of time or
money to do so. Being able to integrate anti-aging components into hand soap would be
more appealing to the target consumer because she works full or part time and has a
family with children. The time saved by incorporating beneficial effects in a hand soap
that she already uses, instead of adding a new component to her day, will add value to the
product. When it comes to hand soap, Laurie is not loyal to one specific brand.
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Developing the anti-aging product would be an opportunity to differentiate the new
Softsoap from the other liquid hand soaps that are currently available. Growing
Softsoap’s market share with the anti-aging soap could simultaneously build brand
loyalty and create a halo effect for Softsoap’s products overall.
PRE-TEST RESULTS
To get an idea of how women would react to a new product release of an antiaging soap, a survey was conducted and sent out to 30 women ranging from ages twentyfive years old to mid-fifties. Although our main target market is middle-aged women, we
were curious to know if younger women would be interested in our product to prevent
aging early, and if older women believed it would work to reverse aging enough to
become buyers as well. Our results have allowed us to further our knowledge on our new
product.
After issuing out the surveys to participants that fell under our target market we
took notice to a particular interesting finding that the main deciding factor for purchasing
soap was the actual scent. As long as we continue to provide popular scented hand soaps
from previous SoftSoap products, it will establish a familiarity with previous purchases.
Our target market is low involvement and does not pursue the purchases of hand soap
with extreme effort yet does take into account the details such as the scent and shape of
the bottle. The anti-aging add-ons for this new hand soap line will be an additional
incentive for the consumer to purchase the soap that goes beyond its basic function. By
staying true to the SoftSoap design and keeping a similar design to original hand soap
collection with an emphasis on the “anti-aging” ingredients, the soap will prosper in the
market.
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The most apparent limitation to this new hand soap product is determining the
price in consideration with the additional anti-aging components. If we determine the
price of the anti-aging product to be only be slightly more expensive the standard
SoftSoap merchandise people will be skeptical with the actual anti-aging effects. On the
opposite end, if we establish a price that is too high, people will look past it’s benefits
and determine that the price was too expensive for a bottle of hand soap. The more
effective the results of producing healthier, younger looking skin through the application
of our hand soap, the easier we can determine or estimate a reasonable price for our target
customers.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Anti-aging liquid hand soap is a product that will benefit the consumer through a
two-in-one concept. Consumers will not only be using a soap to sanitize their hands, but
will be simultaneously rejuvenating their skin with the application of anti-aging
ingredients.
The price is perceived as a strong sign about the quality of a product, by reflecting
its position within the market. To define an effective price, Colgate will have to consider
the pricing strategy of anti-aging competitors such as Neutrogena, L’Oreal or Eucerin;
whose prices are quite expensive. Colgate-Palmolive would be the first company to
introduce an anti-aging liquid hand soap, which would create more value for the
consumer who purchases the new product. Of course we won’t advise the company to
choose a penetration pricing yet a skim pricing would not be the ideal choice either. The
anti-aging solutions that are offered by the aforementioned companies already have a
loyal following. Therefore, the anti-aging soap should be priced in comparison to other
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liquid hand soaps instead of the other anti-aging solutions. This will place the anti-aging
soap as an less expensive and more time effective alternative to these other, more
expensive, products.
Our product will be successful if its benefits can be communicated clearly to the
target market. The current channels of promotion that Softsoap uses should be
implemented to also support the anti-aging line of soaps. For example, to reach our
audience Colgate should use print advertising in magazines like “O”, “Martha Stewart”,
and “Good Housekeeping” because they are the most read by consumers who would
benefit from the new product. The use of magazines will be useful because it allows
Colgate-Palmolive to capture the reader’s attention and better explain the benefits of the
product, which is a new concept to the target market.
During the pre-test results of composing our survey we took into account that
SoftSoap brands have already established a strong presence in controlling the majority of
the market share. With this consideration we determined that our new anti-aging product
line will still resemble the SoftSoap merchandise with regards to scents and container
design to appeal to customer’s sensory systems. Observing the current trend in natural
ingredients and the overall desire to look and feel young by aging individuals, we are
confident this product will be successful. Knowing that our target market consumer is a
middle-aged woman who is typically very conscious of her aging and appearance, it is
highly feasible that she will consider, if not try this Softsoap line. Although not proven,
our test results give us confidence that despite minimal time on hands, this product will
be effective.
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