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MARKETING STRATEGY
Febreze started off as a failed product.
P & G invested millions into advertising this brand new, amazing invention. They thought they created this incredible new invention that would generate millions.
They had their top notch marketing team create funny, eye-catching commercials that let smokers and pet owners know that they created the first liquid that could remove odors simply by spraying.
The ads were beautiful. They were brilliant. Well acted. They were played on prime time channels (this means expensive). They aired during prime time commercial time slots (this means even more expensive).
Once they launched, the executives sat back and waited on their Christmas bonuses, thinking they knocked a home run out of the ballpark...
However, nothing happened.
This life changing liquid that they spent millions on developing and even more millions to market was not selling.
They targeted the wrong audience. They spent millions to pay for premiere shelf space placement in grocery stores, millions on prime time advertising on prime time cable networks, they spent millions on development, they had exclusive patent rights... and it was turning into a failed product.
Uh-oh.
They had a choice to make. They already lost millions on this product.
They were going to pull the plug and take Febreze off the market. They were going to call it a loss and work on their next project, until they decided to hire a team of marketers to find out why it failed.
It turns out they were targeting the wrong audience. Their messaging, their ad dollars, their effort and time was focused on the wrong group of people.
In a last ditch effort, their marketing team followed around a pet owner in her home. One of the marketers gagged in her house because of the overwhelming smell of her 11 cats. She turned to the marketing team and asked (we are paraphrasing, this isn't the exact quote), "Isn't it wonderful? My cats are so clean that they don't even smell!"
It was then the marketing team realized that smokers and pet owners were so desensitized to their odors that they didn't feel the need to purchase Febreze! Therefore, they were spending all this time, effort, and money chasing after the wrong audience!!!!
That same marketing team followed another woman around as she cleaned her immaculate house. She had no pets and didn't smoke. She used Febreze as a final spritz at the end of her cleaning routine.
The marketing team realized she used it as a "reward" after cleaning each room. Each spritz served as a confirmation that she did a good job.
Realizing their target audience was the person who doesn't have pets and doesn't smoke, but instead, is the person who is already super clean.... the marketing team went to work. They reformulated the product with more perfume, changed their advertisements to show clean rooms, open windows, and took out the smokers and pets.
They basically did the exact same thing that they previously did when they targeted smokers and pet owners, except this time, all that time, effort and money produced the kind of results that profited them millions.
Same technique, aimed at a different target generated no results. Same technique, aimed at the right target generated millions.
HOW THIS INFORMATION HELPS YOU
If you've ever spoken to us on the phone or texted us, you've probably heard us say, "marketing is not hard.", or "marketing is marketing".
The techniques we employ (SEO, social media marketing, blogging, website design, ad development, strategy, etc) are tools. These tools can be very similar to other marketing agencies, and you as business owners can use these techniques as well.
A tool is a tool.
The "marketing machine" does the work.
It is the level of expertise of the person pointing the "marketing machine" that is valuable. Its identifying where to point the marketing machine, which aspect of it to use in which situation, it requires knowing what the elements are, the climate, the market, the needs of the audience, and how to apply all of it to achieve the best result that gets the best results.
The best marketing tool in the world, pointed in the wrong direction (such as the first try at marketing by P & G for Febreze) can lead to disaster. The right marketing tool, used in the best manner, in the hands of the right person who knows how to use it, will generate the best result.
As business owners and entrepreneurs, it can be very, very discouraging to put in all the effort, time, and every spare dollar you have and apply it toward advertising.
When no results show up, it has a grave effect, not only on your bottom line, but also, on your emotional state. You are overworked, tired, lacking sleep, have been running on fumes, and when every last bit of your efforts don't work.... it is very, very, very easy to get discouraged.
FREE WORKSHEET
Learn how to avoid P & G's multi-million dollar mistake. Text "febreze" to (406) 402-8404 and we'll text you back with a free marketing worksheet to help you identify your own target audience.