Introduction to Unilever Bangladesh

Unilever Bangladesh (UBL) is the leading Fast Moving Consumer Goods Company in Bangladesh with a heritage of 50 years and products that are present in 98% of Bangladeshi household.UBL started its journey in Bangladesh with the production of soaps in its factory in Kalurghat, Chittagong. Over the years the company introduced many affordable brands which won the hearts of Bangladeshis all across the country. Today we are present with our brands in almost every household of the country.

UBL is the market leader in 7 of the 8 categories it operates in, with 20 brands spanning across Home

and Personal Care and Foods.

Its operations provide employment to over 10,000 people directly and indirectly through its dedicated

suppliers, distributors and service providers. 99.8% of UBL employees are locals with a large number

of local UBL employees now working abroad in other Unilever companies as expatriates.

Doing Well by Doing Good

Unilever believes in ambitious growth of the business while at the same time fostering a sustainable

environment. We believe the two must be related and hence sustainability is placed at the heart of

everything we do. Our philosophy of ‘Doing Well by Doing Good’ is captured in the Unilever

Sustainable Living Plan (USLP).Some of the initiatives under USLP in Bangladesh are:

Lifebuoy Lifesaver Program – a Lifebuoy initiative to reduce child mortality through Handwashing.

Oral Heath & Hygiene Awareness Programme – led by Pepsodent, this school-based activation

program aims to reach 4,00,000 children with its dental checkups and awareness.

Lifebuoy Friendship Hospital - Launched in March 2002 in association with the humanitarian

organization "Friendship”, the hospital is situated on a boat with a dedicated medical team and reaches

out to people who do not have access to proper medical facilities.

PureIt: Launched in 2010, PureIt is a water purifier which aims to provide safe drinking water to 2

million people by 2015. It has already reached a million people by 2013.

Pollydut: these are young, unemployed youth of the villages of Bangladesh whom UBL has

incorporated into their distribution network to provide them with a livelihood.

Aporajita – In association with CARE Bangladesh, UBL has created a sustainable business opportunity

for rural women in the form of Aporajita. Aporajitas are recruited to sell UBL and other company

products, door-to-door. Over 2,500 Aparajitas earn their living by selling UBL products.

Project Laser Beam (PLB) – PLB started in 2010 a pilot project between (Global) Unilever Foundation

and WFP, targeted towards eradicating child hunger and malnutrition. Today the project includes

multiple partners such as WaterAid, Friendship, Care and Brac and works across four pillars –

Nutrition, Water, Health and Hygiene and Livelihood.

 

UBL is a Joint Venture of the Government of Bangladesh and Unilever, one of the world’s leading

suppliers of fast moving consumer goods with strong local roots in more than 100 countries across the

globe. Unilever holds 60.4% share in UBL.v

DOVE BEAUTY BARSIrrespective of seasons, our skin needs moisturizing. With 1/4th moisturizing cream, Dove Bars provides a complete moisture care.Dove beauty bars are available in three variants:Dove White Beauty Bar: Contains With 1/4th moisturizing cream and mild cleansers that leave skin clean, soft and smooth.Dove Pink Beauty Bar: Contains 1/4th moisturizing cream richly blended with its mildest cleansers, no other beauty bar has more skin-natural moisturizers than Dove. Everyday moisture is the key to beautiful skin.Dove Fresh Moisture Beauty Bar: Enriched with an ultra-light hydrating formula and the crisp, soothing scent of cucumber and green tea. Provides a refreshing, uplifting sensation for your skin.

EVOLUTION OF DOVE:

1940’s – Formula for Dove Bar (Mild Soap)

1950’s – Refined to original Dove Beauty Bar

1960’s – Launched in the market

1970’s – Popularity Increased as a milder soap

1980’s – Leading brand recommended by Physicians

1990’s – Dove beauty wash successfully launched

1995-2001 – Extension of Dove’s range of products

The Dove Beauty Bar was launched in the US in 1957, promising women it wouldn't dry out their skin like soap.

Through the 1960s, Dove's advertising focused on the demonstrable difference between how it feels to use Dove compared with soap.

In 1969, real women's testimonials were used for the first time to advertise Dove.

In 1981, it created its first direct marketing effort in the US, which included an at-home litmus test.

In 1988 a 'beauty' named Jean Shy appeared on TV ads to talk about Dove's benefits. This was the

beginning of Dove's 'Conviction of Users' testimonial campaign, helping to drive the Dove bar to double-digit share in the US.

In 1989, Dove was launched in Italy using the 'Conviction of Users' campaign, as well as the Medical Programme arm of the brand, which shares research with dermatologists. Successful test markets in France and Germany followed in 1990.

In 1991, Dove began its global roll-out and over the next three years, it was launched in 55 new countries.

In 1991, a new advertising idea evolved from Dove's earlier litmus test campaign, using objective evidence. Together with the 'Conviction of Users' campaign, it was adopted by nearly all Dove's global markets.

In 1995, Dove took its first significant step outside the cleansing bar category with the US launch of Moisturising Body Wash. In many expansion markets, body wash became an integral part of Dove sales. Additional categories followed: deodorants in 1997; body lotions in 1998; and facial cleansers in 1999.

In 1999, Dove was launched in Japan. Within one year, Dove Facial Foam achieved 16% market share, taking over leadership from Bioré.

In 2004, Dove launched the Campaign for Real Beauty across Europe, winning accolades including British Television Advertising Awards. The campaign was then launched on all continents.

In 2006, the Dove self-esteem fund was launched with the mission to touch the lives of one million young people by the end of 2008.

Dove operates in 87 countries today.

Our Mission

Increase the sales by 40% in 6 months.

Sales objective

For achieving the sales goals i.e. increasing the sales for 40% means selling more than 2 lac more dove soap in every month which needs a promotional expense of 20 lacs in every month.

DOVE’S STRATEGY:

Alessandro Manfredi, global brand director for Dove, explains the campaign's philosophy "Dove only uses real women. It has to feel true and make women feel good about themselves. When I see a beauty ad, I don't need to feel I am wrong, I need to buy a product to feel right."

As well as advertisements, Dove's 'real women' marketing now includes a campaigning Self-Esteem Fund, launched in 2006. This has the lofty mission of not only selling moisturiser but changing Western ideals of beauty and embracing more diversity through a variety of local community programmes.

Lucy Wakefield, founder of lifestyle and beauty brand Calmia, says: "It is incredibly hard for women to achieve what they see in magazines. They are overwhelmed by information and often pulled in conflicting directions."

Dove's strategy was originally devised to promote a body firming range, aiming to cut through a crowded beauty market by advocating a different point of view. Dove and its ad agency, Ogilvy & Mather, felt consumers were apt to compare themselves unfavourably with unrealistic images seen in beauty campaigns.

They saw a gap in the market for a brand that flew in the face of traditional beauty advertising, focusing on the superficial values of appearance. Dove was keen to create a community around the idea that women would spend more money pampering themselves if they were shown realistic marketing that made them feel good about themselves.

Dove had already run a campaign using real women in 1988, called 'Conviction of users', which featured people testifying to its attributes in TV ads. This had helped it expand from one product, a cleansing bar launched in 1957, to a range including moisturisers.

But with ambitions to move into new countries and more product categories, Dove's parent business, Unilever, needed to find a new marketing direction. Dove didn't have a consistent global image in every country and people felt more affinity with the individual products than with the brand. It needed something to unite it geographically and conceptually. Unilever also wanted it to produce double-digit financial growth.

"The brand was successful but we felt we were in danger of having an issue in the future if we only relied on product and not a strong affinity with the brand," admits Manfredi.

MARKETING STRATEGIES ADOPTED BY DOVE:

PRICE PENETRATION STRATEGY: Dove was launched at a very premium price of 100Taka while the other branded soaps were exiting which priced Rs.30-50.Gradually the prices have been reduced

and have turned reasonable and are around 80taka.

DIFFERENTIATION OF THE PRODUCT: Dove had been featured as the only soap which is mild with pH between 6.5 and 7.5 and the one containing ¼ moisturizing cream.. which render it gentleness and cause no negative effects to the skin & no models were used to endorse the product so that people could get the feel that this was a true beauty soap for common people.

SEGMENTATION: It is a psychographic segmentation which had relied on the fact that on knowing about the negative effects of the soap which people used since long they would quit it and would even pay for an extravagant price for a quality product. In addition an emotional appeal was conveyed to the customers through the campaign called “campaign for real beauty” which had a message Real beauty can only be found on the inside and every woman deserves to feel beautiful. which made people realize their self esteem and the no models were made to endorse the product depicting that this soap is for common people. .The brand relied on the consumers positive reaction about choosing dove on knowing the facts of the soaps they had been using since long time.

TARGET SEGMENT: The group that prefer premium brand & believe in quality products .

PRODUCT POSITIONING: The brand is positioned as the Mildest Soap. Dove is PH neutral and this makes the soap soft on all kind of skin types. Internationally this brand is positioned as a brand that celebrates the " Real Beauty" . Dove defines real beauty as " beauty is not about how you look but about how you feel". The Dove's official site " campaig forrealbeauty.com" highlights this brand value

DRAMATIC NEW ADVERTISING.

CREATIVE STRATEGY

Lever and O&M believe in long-running campaigns

1. Position Dove as the best bar, to attract occasional and non-users2. Reaffirm Dove’s superiority with existing users

At this point, they were still thinking tactically. they wanted to shake up the market; build Dove’s business; and return to the 7-Day Test or something similar—all within the year. But to do this we needed news. They had no 'new and improved' product to work with, but the answer started to take shape. They knew that mildness was a consumer hotbutton, and that Dove’s superior formulation was milder than existing bars. Plus, because of its formula, Dove had an amazing product demonstration:

'With a litmus-type test, conventional soaps turned indicator-paper dark, because of alkalinity. It stayed completely clear with Dove. This was a breakthrough demo, even with no product improvement.' 3

NO LONGER A TACTICAL STRIKE

Creative ran nationally in English and French, starting with 'Litmus'. Business responded so dramatically that we kept postponing the return to 7-Day testimonials. Our objective was still to pre-empt Oil of Olay bar, but we were now turning our attention to Ivory and Jergens. What had started as a tactical strike was becoming a strategic offensive. Over the next four years, creative rolled out in three phases, with mildness and credibility the strategic constants. There were five commercials, and

corresponding print:

The format of the commercials is worth comment. Many campaigns evolve by pooling out a format. Dove did not. All executions had the same strategy – mildness and credibility – but the format changed to suit the story.6 'Litmus' was 30 seconds of demo. 'Focus Group' was real women. 'Joe Furrier' was an expert testimonial. 'Flex Wash' and 'Arm Wash' were demos again, though different from 'Litmus'. And as the campaign evolved, the business kept growing.Positioning1) Point of Parity (POPs)POPs are generated by the needs of category membership and are desirable by the consumers. These are to stand up against the advantage of PODs of the competitors and thus build a strong consumer base for the product. Dove soap is available in different sizes in order to fit the consumer budget These parities help to take care the needs of the customers as well as better connect the products and the consumers. The POPs can be summarized as:-

• Available in different sizes• Available for different skin types • Almost at the same prices• Focuses on Bangladeshi skin problems

2) Point of difference (PODs)

i) Relevance:Target consumers must find the POD personally relevant and important. For Dove soap products they position the features as essential to save skin from damaging. Dove Soap has positioned itself as a product of premium quality.ii) Distinctiveness:Target consumers must find the POD distinctive and superior. When entering a category where there are established brands, the challenge is to find a viable basis for differentiation. Dove comes with features to provide care for sensitive skin. They create distinctiveness by helping consumers who already have the problems associated skin with unique solutions developed in Bangladesh. iii) Believability:Dove claims it is not just a soap it’s a therapy that repairs your skin & enhances the real beauty in you which give an emotional selling proposition. It does not use celebrity rather makes regular women to be its super model which is just different from the strategy used by LUXwhere they make of bollywood film stars like Aishwariya ray, Katrina Kaif etc. This helped the Dove soap better relate to the young women and the targeted customers. The PODs for the Dove Shampoo can be summarized as:-

• Three times stronger, smoother & softer hair.• Focuses on emotional selling proposition • It’s not just a soap it’s a therapy that repairs your ski & enhances the real beauty

in you.• It does not use celebrity rather makes regular women to be its super model.

COMMUNICATION DEVELOPMENTThe brand team decided to use these real-life anecdotes in their TV commercials. The cast were also chosen from real-life characters. They might not be perfect before a camera, but this reflected a much

more honest, candid approach, parallel to Dove's brand claim. Target consumers could identify themselves much more quickly and be convinced about the brand message more easily, moving towards purchase within a shorter period of time.

1. The power of clear-cut, continuous brand communicationWhile in 2000, Dove Cream Bar had a 17% share of total soap market gross rating points (GRPs), it increased this share to 50% in 2001. Not only Cream Bar but Dove Body Silk and Deo also started enjoying much higher levels of brand communication after August 2001, following the shooting of new commercials. Although Dove Body Silk was launched in May 2002, it accounted for 35% of the total body-care market's TV advertising within the first month of its launch. Dove became a trend-setter and expanded total brand communication in every category in which it became active.

2. Premium-priced brand in a recessionIn line with its international pricing strategy, Dove continued to be a premium-priced brand throughout the Turkish crisis. However, to show Turkish consumers its sensitivity to the changing economic conditions, it prepared gift packs especially for special days, such as Mother's Day and Valentine's Day. Although it made considerable price reductions in these gift packs, it never announced this in brand communications. Because Dove brand is too precious to become par-priced with any other competitor, it took care that gift packs looked extravagant, to stop any possible brand image erosion. In addition it did extensive free sampling via a daily newspaper, and engaged in heavy in-store activity in supermarkets. However, it made a concerted effort to stay as a 'premium' brand, creating added value for its customers too during recession.

3. Brand communicationAll brand communication is concentrated in TV, as Turkish consumers watch at least four hours daily. Research indicates that the duration of daily TV viewing increased by a further 1020% during the recession across different target groups. The Dove commercials' message is clear-cut, easy to understand and hard to discredit. The 'half a face' ad played an especially important role in Dove's market success.

DOVE'S MARKET SUCCESS

The market share of Dove Cream Bar was 3.1% in 1997, rising to 4.6% in 1998. Subsequently it reached 8.6% in February 2000 and 11% in January 2001. With these figures, it became number-three brand in the toilet soaps market by January 2001. (In January 2001, the number-one brand had a 20% market share and number two 15%.) The new Dove communication started in August 2001 and in July 2002 Dove caught up with the number-two brand, gaining a 15.7% market share. The number-one brand had now fallen to a share of 17%. (It is worth noting that these figures cover the 100g Dove Cream Bar only, whereas competitors' entire toilet soap ranges are included in their shares.) the market shares of toilet soaps in Turkey from 1997 to July 2002. In addition, from August 2001 to July 2002, household penetration increased by 5.8%, indicating new households becoming purchasers. Further, Millward Brown Tracking results revealed that certain brand-related attributes have improved from Q1 2002 to Q2 2002. For instance, 'I am aware of Dove TV advertising' increased from 100 (index points) to 143 within three months. Similarly, unaided brand recall increased by 16 index points, and aided recall by 10 index points, from Q1 to Q2 of 2002.

REASONS FOR EMERGENCE OF DOVE AS A SUCCESSFUL BRAND

Dove has a heritage of repositioning the competition, and using real people testimonials. It’s been a

trusted model for them. Back in the 50’s they had real women telling us that, "Dove doesn’t dry my

skin like ordinary soap". Of course they found their USP (unique selling proposition) of 25%

moisturiser in soap, and played to their strength. Today in a world of parity product, it is a lot harder to

maintain this competitive edge.

MAINTAINING COMPETITIVE EDGE THROUGH RELEVANT PRODUCT INNOVATION.

Women actively seek those innovations that make life easier and more comfortable. Or products

designed with a woman in mind

Dove has at least brought their product breakthroughs into our world. Their latest innovation is

repositioning the cosmetic segment of the market, known as "anti-ageing". But in the world of Dove it

has been renamed "Pro-Ageing".Ageing is a fact of life and one they embrace. No doubt a look at the

female Boomer market has driven this positioning. Not only are Boomers the largest segment of the

population, but in the USA it is estimated that they will spend $2.1 trillion on consumer goods and

services. With many Boomer women at the peak of their careers and earning capacity, it makes sense to

secure their loyalty now.

NOT IGNORING THE GROWING SEGMENTS OF YOUR MARKET. Dove are so good at

recognizing the power of loyalty amongst their female constituents. They leave no stone unturned. The

Self Esteem campaign for young girls. Not only is this a stunning display of social responsibility, but

an effective way to procure tomorrow’s customers. It smacks of Emotional Intelligence, which is

palpably non-existent within too many corporate organisations. Unilever fostered a "Leadership In

Action" program, where new thinking and ideas were given a hot house to thrive and be acknowledged

in. There is no denying that Dove are smothered in authenticity. They have genuinely gone to their

consumers to perform an archeological dig of what matters most to women. Even their URL address

campaignforrealbeauty.com, was interacted with by 5 million women online. Actively seeking the

opinion of the people buying their products meant 5 million people spent time with their brand.

NOT FAKING IT WITH WOMEN. THEY REALLY DO NEED TO LISTEN TO WHAT MATTERS

TO THEM. Women much prefer to be consulted with, heard, and then to arrive at a mutual decision.

Validation and acknowledgement of their needs. Dove may have the backing of Unilever and deep

pockets with far reaching global tentacles

SWOT ANALYSIS OF DOVE:

STRENGTHS:

Unconventional strategy

Effective advertising, Free publicity

Continuously evolving the campaign

Strong emotional touch

Cross-selling Possibilities

WEAKNESS:

Insufficient distribution channel

Contradictory in nature

Objectification of women

Women featured were comparatively slim

Use of idealized images in other brands under the same flagship

Contradictory Japanese campaign

OPPORTUNITIES:

Target male customers

Maintain better standards of quality

Unified advertising throughout the globe

Continuous innovation

THREATS:

Involved marketing risk

Copy by the competitors

Undermining the aspiration of consumers

Sustainability of campaign in long run

Risk of being a brand for “fat girls”(due to their campaign)

COMPETITORS:

Amongst the most prominent competitors are PROCTER AND GAMBLER ,CAVINKARE & NIVEA

P &G TARGETS DOVE WITH OLAY BODY WASH RANGEP & G’S HEAD AND SHOULDERS,PANTENE ,WELLA AND REJOICE ARE COMPETITORS OF DOVE BRANDP & G’S IVORY , CAMAY & OLAY (ALL PREMIUM SOAPS)ARE COMPETITORS OF DOVE. Camay was launched by P & G along with dove which was a product having quite resembling features like dove but which could not do as well as dove in the market .ivory was pre- existing brand which gave a tough competition to hindustan unilever’s dove at the time of its launched .P & G is planning for olay bar soap to compete with doveP & G’S SECRET AND TAG DEODRANTS COMPETING WITH DEODRANTS OF DOVE .CAVINKARE’S PRODUCTS LIKE SPINZ, NYLE SHAMPOO,NYLE LOTION, CHIK SHAMPOOS ARE FEW OTHER COMPETITORSNIVEA HAS A RANGE OF PRODUCTS LIKE LOTIONS ,SOAP,BODY WASH WHICH COMPETE WITH DOVE.

ADVANTAGES OF SUCCESSFUL PARENT BRAND :

Dove’s moisturizing soap acquired a huge amount of success and Dove emerged out to be leading

brands thus the other products launched after soap had an added advantage ,less cost was incurred in

their promotion and advertisement. Dove has extended its range to a great extent which includes

complete hair care range, deodorants, lotions ,body wash etc .With the image of moisturing brand the

brand could do equally well in the products other than soaps. HUL acquires 63% share in hair care

products. Dove was one of the earliest to bring up the concept of total repair which has been imitated

by pantene and others later.

Innovation has pertained in the brand and new products are continuously launched after dove

moisturizing dove exfoliating(having granules within to exfoliate skin) and dove refreshing

cucumber(for cool effect) were launched followed by dove nutrinum which is 2 in 1 soap and has

vitamin E.

People usually have recognized the role of vitamin E in nourishing skin thus the product has been

launched.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

In Bangladesh, the brand did not had the success of its global counterpart. One reasons are the small "

Premium " market and another is the price barrier. Dove's initial price was around 100 taka that put off

even the premium customers. Recently it become 87 taka.

Although the "Campaign For Real Beauty" and the mildness are excellent selling points, the brand is

still not able to catch the fancy of Bangladeshn beauties. With lot of sales promotions happening with

the brand like 1+1 free , there is a possibility of brand value erosion. With the brand now priced at Rs

80, the price has somewhat become reasonable

It has been felt that still the brand does not fit into the " value for money" proposition for the

Bangladeshn consumer. It is a truth that Bangladeshn consumer looks for " Value " even in premium

products. Dove have a negative point in that the soap usually does not last enough ( partly because of

our bathroom habits). This have reduced the value proposition for this brand.

With the emergence of an attractive market in the premium cosmetic market in Bangladesh, Dove have

lot of potential to become a key player, it has got the positioning right, now it has to set the " Value"

right for the Bangladeshn consumer.

Sales plan for 2014 (March) to 2015 (March)

Vision 3-5 years

To stay in the salient group in the customer's mind ie the top 5 soap seller in Bangladesh. Produce

5millions annually and earn 50 crore taka annually.

Mission

Every Customer a strong reference

Objectives 2014

increase sales from 22crore to 50 crore

Increase the distribution to 20% in every major cities, esp in Dhaka and Chittagong. Since Unilever

have an overall 120 distribution channel, the number will be increased to 144.

Actions

to achieve the goal we need a sales team for the two main cities who will cover the target areas with a

minimum of 10000 sell in their location. The 2 lac sell will be divided along the districts according to

the demand.

The budget for promotion will be allocated to tv and magazines only.

There will also be a finance department and a monitoring team to monitor the expense on sales. line

items for a sales plan budget will include allocations for areas such as labor, increased production,

advertising, travel, equipment and supplies.

we will also develop a top-down strategy to communicate goals and objectives of salespersons and

other human resource personnel necessary to implement the sales plan. additional sales force training

may also be required component to implement the sales plan.

Whether newly promoted into the position or bringing experience to the post, the sales manager can find the job daunting. The sales manager must staff, train, coach and lead the team. He/She must also help close the big sales and be a liaison between the sales team and others in the company, many of whom regard salespeople with suspicion. Being organized and following a plan can help themanager create order out of chaos.

FoundationStep 1Lay the groundwork. For a manager establishing a sales organization, the planning process begins with decisions about hiring salespeople, writing a compensation plan and laying out territories. When assembling the team, the manager must decide whether salespeople should be direct hires or independent reps. So in this case, since Unilever have a good reputation, we are going to go for direct hires not independent reps.

Step 2Decide whether to hire seasoned reps or rookies who might require more training. If there are reps in remote locations, they should be more experienced and able to work independently.Step 3Establish pay scales. The compensation plan must be sufficiently rewarding to assure that the team will be well-motivated. Assignments might be geographic or by product line. The reward will be higher since we will not have to compete with other companies but also our own products.Ground GameStep 1Organize the territory. A major part of sales management is forecasting revenue. The manager must determine how many prospects there are in the sales territory, how many are likely to become customers, and what the average revenue per sale is likely to be. This will provides a rough guide that can be revised as actual numbers become available. In our 64 districts, we want to go to every possible city within our distribution channel.Step 2Work through the sales funnel -- that is, develop a good sense of how many prospects will become qualified leads that convert to customers. It is also important to know how long the sales cycle is. since Dove have problem with stock so we would like to improve it.Step 3Budget for salaries, commissions and miscellaneous expenses. The sales organization is typically run as a profit center, so the manager must plan for cash outflow as well as inflow.

MaintenanceStep 1Monitor weekly reports and make necessary adjustments. The weekly report by sales reps is the manager’s best tool for monitoring activity. Reports should contain a record of sales completed, prospects, projected revenue, closing probability and time frames. Monitoring weekly reports will reveal who is succeeding and who needs help.Step 2Schedule regular training sessions. The top sales reps receive the manager’s support because they are producing, but the others also need help to keep them on a path of improvement.Step 3Set aside time for trouble-shooting. Whether it is to help a rep close a sale or to calm a disgruntled customer, the manager must schedule available time for these activities. The manager must also be a liaison with the rest of the company and defend the team because salaried employees do not understand why sales reps make so much money. The sales team must also be defended if they do not make their numbers.

Sales & Distribution Network of Bangladesh Unilever (BL)

A marketing channel is a tool for the movement of goods from producers to consumers. It plays an important role in decreasing the time, place, and possession gaps resulted due to the separate goods and services from the people who need and use them. A number of key functions taken care by the members of the marketing channel like forward flow of activity from the company to the customers like goods and backward flow from customers to company like order, Payment etc.Bangladesh Unilever transfers the finished goods to Carrying and Forwarding Agents (CFA). Stockists receive the goods from respective CFA. Stockists then in turn indirectly deal with the Retail outlets from where consumers get the desired product according to their convenience. This is how the BU reaches to consumers. On an average each Stockiest caters to 700-900 retail outlets of the city. CFA can be classified into 2 types: 1) With investment. 2) Without investment.The without investment CFA are mere the Forwarding agents and act as the transporter to the company. Then depending upon the type of products, sales, turnover and the number of retail counters a stockist is dealing with, the company has classified the stores into:

• Super Value Stores• Smart /FLO

The stockist apart from retail outlets deals with Modern retail outlets like shopper stop, pantaloon etc. The stockist also supplies the goods to CSD Canteens and bills them for the same and the difference in the amount is reimbursed by the company

Sales force behind the Distribution channelThe successful functioning of the distribution channel depend upon having a good and dedicated sales force. In the case of BU (in a particular region) the sales are coordinated by Area sales manager (ASM), Activation Manager (AM), and a Territory Sales In charge (TSI). These people are working on behalf of BU and are a Link between the stockist and the company. The goods moves to the stockists go-down by the company’s Truck. The stockist then appoints a (Re Stockist Salesman) RSSM who is required to collect the orders & payments from the retail outlets. The delivery is made by either cycle or through a van depending upon the size of the order. The lead time for delivery from the company is 1 day. The

orders are also placed online using the CRM software of Unilever called “UNIFY”

Evaluation/ Selection of Channel Members Based on the factors like the investment capacity, number of retail stores covered, appropriate Sales force, infrastructure etc., the stockists are evaluated and are selected by the company. Company’s policy is to work in advance payment mode. This is to ensure that the there is no delay in fulfilling the demand of the consumers and sufficient stocks are available to cover the entire range and categories of Dove shampoos.

PromotionFrom 1995 to 2007, DOVE used to target young Bangladeshi population with the projection of its brand aiming at ‘perfect’ female population. The brand earlier portrayed its main theme for ‘perfect’ women as role models. Main objective was to form a brand image of leading and ‘best’ brand for beauty products and other personal care products enriching the skin with glow and maintaining beauty of beautiful women.AdvertisingMission:In 2008 mission of DOVE changed from increasing sales among beautiful women to concentrating over all age women without any categorization on the basis of looks. Its mission now stated –“to make women feel more beautiful every day by challenging today’s stereotypical view of beauty and inspiring women to take great care of them.”Money:The stage in PLC is ‘augmented product stage’ where this product has come up with sensitive augmented benefits like- damage therapy for skin and intense the glow of the skin.

Market share:Market share is less than 20 percentMessage:Message generation and selection: as a result of surveys and research it was found that-

• 90% of all women 15-64 worldwide want to change at least one aspect of their physical appearance (with body weight ranking the highest).

• 67% of all women 15 to 64 withdraw from life-engaging activities due to feeling badly about their looks (among them things like giving an opinion, going to school, going to the doctor).

• 61% of all women and 69% of girls (15 to 17) feel that their mother has had a positive influence on their feelings about themselves and their beauty.

• 91% feel the media and advertising need to do a better job of representing realistic images of women over 50.

• 97% believe society is less accepting of appearance considerations for women over 50 compared to their younger counterparts, especially when focused on the body.

• Nearly 60% of women believe that if magazines were reflective of a population, a person would likely believe women over 50 do not exist.

• 87% of women believe they are too young to be old.Message execution:

Message is executed by various advertisement strategies that no more included beautiful and slim models but the actual users- average looking woman. It launched ‘Dove Campaign for Real Beauty (CFRB)’ as its advertising campaign. It included following as its parts at different time periods to create awareness about the recent changes-

• Daughters’ campaign: this was a sub campaign under CFRB which focused on

young teenage girls who are sensitive about the way their looks are evolving with age. In the TV commercials and audio visuals young girls with different looks and different perceptions about their looks (spotty, fat, dull, pale, dark) were showed along with them gaining confidence as they look different and de-relating looks with self esteem or glamour.

• Evolution is a campaign: it captured one of the first online- focused spot by any company.

It derived its budget from daughter’s campaign. It aimed at providing as much exposure as possible to women through online means.

• Dove self esteem fund: it included inspiring advertisements during major live events like Super Bowl where women were inspired to value the way they look and the way they perceive their looks.

• Study ‘voice’: in voice, dove was advertised to gain attention of urban class as a premium product.

Thus main strategy was shifted from concentrating over the product to concentrating over the target customers- women of all ages and size. The message to be spread among them was that ‘each woman is beautiful, irrespective of her age or size.’

Media:Major media types used in advertisement campaigns are-

• Print media• Tv media• Online media: www.campaignforrealbeauty.com is the website available for

woman for their information and cast their votes on the questionnaire given. Online dialogues are also brought up through blogs and discussion boards, research studies about beauty, reading articles and opinions of the users.

• Billboards: Dove placed mobile billboards in major cities. Each billboard challenged women's notions of beauty by encouraging them to cast their votes online.

Sales promotion: activities related to sales promotion included• Free trial packs which were distributed along with newspapers to have a larger

reach to the population for creating high level awareness.

ImplementationBudget

Table – Forecast for the marketing Expenditure

In millions Quarter 1 Quarter 2 Quarter 3 Quarter 4 Sales of Dove50.4551.0055.2656.29

Media Advertising (33%) (28%) (25%) (23%)Salary (Sales team) and Administrative Expenses (25%) (25%) (25%)(25%)Sales Promotions 33.44 (22%)31.65 (20%)32.94 (20%)34.3 (20%)

Marketing Expenditure as a percentage of sales 15%15%15%15%

Activity Schedule:Activities Planned 2 crore 20 lacs for a year 2014-2015Duration of the Activity Budget in TakaSponsoring events in Girls Colleges Sponsor around 15 events over the year 5 lacs*15=75,00,000Experience Dove Campaigns at Malls in cities5 such events in malls spread in various zones in the cities10 lacs

Launch online skin help portal(Promotion) Ongoing - Skin experts in Dove should answer the queries daily50 thousand per monthAdvertising Campaign #1 in BASUNDHARATo be aired for 3 months starting – 15th April 2014 9 lacsAdvertising Campaign #2 in Dhanmondi and GulshanTo be aired for 9 months starting – 15th April 2012 1 crore taka

Market survey – To find out brand/ product awareness To be conducted 3-4 months later 5 lacsWorkshops for self-esteemEvery 4months

15 lacs

Financial Projections:

Current financial position calculated:Average usage per consumer = 2.3 per monthVolume per usage = 230 grams (approx)Weighted Price per usage of soap= Rs. 75No. of dove users = 0.3 million Yearly Revenue generated = almost 22 crore

Proposed Plan:Market growth over previous year = 5.3% Yearly revenue projected = 50 crore

UNILEVER Bangladesh ORGANOGRAM

In Unilever the hierarchy is very lean, in general the whole setup is centralized, all the matters are to be reported to the head office and all the policies and targets are approved at the higher level. But at the branch level the structure is decentralized. A generalized Organogram of Unilever Bangladesh head office with reference to designations is mentioned below:General Trade Sales Hierarchy

Organization of the Sales Force:

The organization of the sales force at Unilever is “Combination Organization”. The structure of most sales forces is combination of two or more of the types of specializations, such as combination of Product specialization and Customer Specialization, or combination of Customer specialization or Geography specialization. Unilever too uses a combination of “Product and Geographic specialization”. Because Unilever has a range of products for all of its products, therefore, there are different sales personnel for each of its products. And as evident from the sales structure of the organization, the sales force is also organized by the geographical regions of the country.

Strategic decisions have been taken by RSM whereas Administrative decisions have been taken by NSM. They sell based on what they want to sell strategically and what they don’t want.

Divisions in Bangladesh:

Bangladesh is divided in three geographic regions for the sales operations; these divisions are supervised by the General Sales Manager.

Dhaka south and north and the rest of the cities.In rest of the regions, Unilever sends its outsourced sales Team which is hired through their distributers.

BASIS FOR TERRITORY FORMATION IN UNILEVER

There are many elements that help and interact to determine the type and character of the territory, some of them are;Number and types of outletsType of major channelsShopper base and profiles (Population Census)Geographical Spread

COMPETITORS NETWORK AND ACTIVITIES

General economic conditionsDevelopment of infrastructureDistribution networkDistribution Philosophy (Unilever may plan to extend coverage till the incremental volume break-even

with the cost to serve, it could be COGS or ROI driven philosophy)

Territory distribution in Dhaka:

In rest of the regions, Unilever sends its outsourced sales Team which is hired through their distributers. In Dhaka are about 2500 outlets/Accounts. Sales force in Dhaka for all the Unilever products constitutes of 300 Sales Representatives. They contribute one day to each Product Line. There are about six different Areas in Dhaka and for each area they have an individual Area Sales Manager.

ESTIMATED OUTLETS PER DAY

Adding up the volume from each outlet as per catalog can give is the number of calls to be managed in a day based on volume. This gives them the estimated volume per representative in a day. Each sales person has to cater to minimum of 30 POPs in a day. This volume forms the basis for daily target setting and balancing the loads for delivery purposes.

FEATURES AND BENEFITS OF UNILEVER TERRITORY DESIGN

FEATURES BENEFITSCUSTOMER-RELATEDIntensive market coverage Produce higher salesExcellent customer service Customer SatisfactionEffective time management Lower cost of operations   SALESPERSON-RELATEDFoster motivation Lead to less turnoverPerformance Evaluation Higher Incentives   

COMPANY-RELATEDFocused Services Lead to less wastage   DISTRIBUTOR RELATEDEfficient Coverage lower cost of distribution   

Territory Bases:

The Bases for territory formation followed in Unilever Bangladesh is Sales Potential. Territories are divided according to the “Income groups”, the terminology used by the National Sales Manager. When further discussion and as the Interview proceeded, we gathered that the territories are formed according to the sales Potential for each category of products. For the skin Cleansing Products, the territories are formed according to the Income Groups and according to the turnover each Income Group brings in for the company. The accounts are divided in three types of Income Groups:

Income Group A: Income group A, that bring in a business of more than Rs. 25000 in a month, constitute of about 5000 outlets in Dhaka

Income Group B: Income Group B, that bring in a business of more than Rs. 15000 in a month, constitutes of about 9000 outlets in Dhaka

Income Group C: Income Group C, that bring in a business of below Rs. 15000 in a month, constitutes of about 11000 outlets in Dhaka

An average Sales Person makes about 20-40 calls a day for each Income Group Calls Made In a week Outlets In Dhaka

A-Class Outlets 2-3 times a week About 5000B-Class Outlets 1-2 times a week About 9000C-Class Outlets At least once in Week About 11,000

Routing:

Routing refers to establishing a sequence of locations a salesperson will visit. When asked, the Area Sales Manager replied that for its Skin Cleansing Products, they follow Straight Line Method. This pattern is often achieved by identifying customer locations that are situated at the outer perimeter of the territory. The sales person begins with a call on a customer located at the outer perimeter and then works back to the home base.

Straight line Routing Method

UNILEVER TERROTORY COVERAGE PLAN

PJP (Permanent Journey Plan)

Unilever Follows straight line pattern called Permanent Journey Plan, Every DSR has to sell One BRAND/PRODUCT LINE each day, Dedicated DSR Product wise for all Major Accounts and ONE

DSR for small towns and remote areas.

Unilever assess the current volume base of territory as per individual route Plan in PJP’s for all distributors/sales representatives, (Take monthly averages to identify current base of the outlets). Sales Rep has to cover all the routes in their territory for complete territory assessment.

Based on the current volume calculate and record the gross margin generated on each route.Calculate the estimates cost of servicing that route and record the available ‘margin per person’.

After Sales Rep initial assessment they plan the field coaching days for each sales representative on all his routes. Identify and discuss the potential opportunity with representatives after each full day field contact. Review the situation for all PJPs in the light of skill gaps, market opportunity and brand trends.

Sales Rep discusses the market potential with manager with special focus on ‘low margin per person’ routes. Plan for revised targets, revised outlets and if any support needed for personal development. Based on assessment of available potential allocate the new targets and monitor them closely for each sales representatives.

Sales Rep submit the performance results with their PJP improvements plan to their manager. Sign off the coaching sheet with their report for future reference/ record in the training log book.

Unilever does not include overheads, warehousing costs, capital cost and other related costs as the objective here is to access the economic viability of the routes. A route becomes self-sustained only when its potential has been fully exploited. This is a form where they have to build the territory do the necessary building investments.

Territory Breakeven AnalysisAfter allocating the resources they carry out the breakeven analysis for their territory. They estimate the minimum possible volume required to sustain each individual route.

Elements that need to be calculated for the breakeven analysis are as follows:

Salary of all representatives.Fuel and maintenance cost for all vehicle deployed (driver, patrol, parking and toll. Road tax, repairs,

regular maintenance etc)Communicate gross margin available on all categories as per the product mix estimated territory

volume.

Gross Margin (3) - Cost (1+2) = margin per person # of Representatives

If the Margin per person is around 50% of the gross revenues for the territory then they have a balanced route.

Channel and territory focused planDepending on the size of distribution operation and types of outlets, they have a territory whose designed is based on either channel/ category focus or on geographical spread. (Geographical basis of territory is suitable for less segmented markets and rural territory coverage)

Channel focused territories would require more travel time as compared to territories based on geographical only. They need to ensure the effectiveness of the coverage plan and ensure sustainability for regular coverage.

Channel category focused territory PJPs are required where we have the need and resource to provide the viable added services in the group of selected outlets.

Once they have done the analysis based on the above factors, they would be in a position to determine the number of people and vehicles required to service their customer. Based on the estimated volume per route, they can easily estimate territory volume and get a sound basis for forecasting.

TERRITORY OVERVIEWGood territory management contributes to the development of:Strong business partnershipsAchievement of growth targetsBetter use of resourcesIt is important that you know your territory and have a detailed knowledge on outlet mapping to from manageable clusters. You need to understand your responsibility in managing all the resources available. Managing territory is the role of an ambassador in building long term trade relations for the company.

You don’t work in isolation and the effectiveness of your work has an impact on the work plan of others. Your efficient execution contributes toward the achievement of broad company objectives.

TERRITORY MANAGEMENT

Ideally sales territories at Unilever are structured in a way that facilitates planning and control of the selling efforts. A strong territory structure has helped Unilever in implementing selling discipline and demarcates the operational span for their distributors.

TERRITORY

Unilever defines territory as a customer base in which they operate. All the current and potential outlets that are counted in a geographical boundary represent a sale territory.

MANAGEMENT

Management refers to planning, setting direction and control of sales team involved in providing basic and value added services. The aim is to ensure the implementation and quality performance of tasks in order to achieve predefined objectives.

BASIS FOR TERRITORY FORMATION IN UNILEVER

There are many elements that help and interact to determine the type and character of the territory, some of them are;Number and types of outletsType of major channels

Shopper base and profiles (Population Census)Geographical Spread

COMPETITORS NETWORK AND ACTIVITIES

General economic conditionsDevelopment of infrastructureDistribution networkDistribution Philosophy (Unilever may plan to extend coverage till the incremental volume break-even

with the cost to serve, it could be COGS or ROI driven philosophy)

TARGETS SETTING

Annual targets are reflected in the targets set for each distributor. The distributor targets would then be allocated to each sales representatives working for that distributor according to his territory potential.

Based on their annual targets they set monthly, weekly and even daily distribution targets as per brand and outlet. They need to incorporate the brand cycle activities in their targets be abide to take full advantage of the promotional support and to ensure regular availability of stocks.

PLANNING FOR ACHIEVING OBJECTIVES

The first step in the planning for achieving objectives is to assess the territory volume through building SMART journey plan. All outlets in the territory are mapped for coverage (Mapping stands for actual mapping on a plot) and potential permanent journey plan (PJP) is the starting point in the working of a distributor sales representative. The number of outlets in a day will determine the potential available and effective utilization of his entire day. Time is one able sales force resource and needs careful planning.

The journey plans are made for each route which than forms a section of the sales representative or his territory. All routes have assigned number of customers for each sales representative. The flow or the sequence outlets is kept in line with the customer needs and the logical next outlet with respect to time and distance. If possible the workload is balanced each day for an effective utilization of time during the week.

PJP is a flying document which needs to be updated regularly. New outlets needs to brought under coverage, changes in road networks require appropriate action etc. they ensure that the routes and journey plans are valid and updated regularly.

Monitoring Selling Activities

To monitor selling activities, Unilever use a device called HHT (Hand Held Terminal). There’s a scanner at the back of the device which is used to track the existing location of a Sales Rep. When a Sales Rep reaches an outlet, a detector, present at the outlet detects the Sales Person and notifies the system of sales Supervisor that the sales rep has reached the location. After this, report of the order gets uploaded in the Unilever’s server. This way manager sitting in the office can track the following:PresenceOrder DetailsCurrent LocationTime Spent in every outletPurchasing Pattern of an account for cross selling and up sellingPremium products are marked red in the device means Sales Rep has to sell this product. Sales Rep also sell product based on the class i.e. they sell soap to C class accounts, whereas sell body washes to

A class accounts. Big SKU’s will not be allowed to sell in small outlets.

Performance ManagementIf there are 100 outlets a Sales Rep has to cover according to the given plan then his performance will be measured on completing the atleast 95 outlets. If Sales Rep completes 94 outlets then it will not be counted as an effective coverage.

Time Report can be extracted from the system i.e. how much time he spends in one outlet. Approximately 5-6 minutes are required to serve an outlet. Through this, the sales supervisors ensure a minimum of 3% ROI per month.

EXPECTATIONS

Following is the descriptive objective set for each sale representative for better results;Key elements for managing a territory at Unilever are the basis for running an efficient operation.Effective use of “Territory Management Planning Model” to clarify, identify and determine the

implementation plan for the agreed objectives.To appreciate the process for field implementation through building a “Territory operation Plan” for

eliminating time wastages.I.T SYSTEMS

Key remedy for a lot of issue is the automation of distribution network. The data is helpful in assessing the customer base coverage and the prioritization of customers for investment of resources. IT has helped Unilever in planning out trade coverage planning in a number of ways, some of them are;In classifying outlets by channel, type and volumeIn calculating the coverage of each Brand with productivity, activity etc.Building up of territories based on volumes, break-even analysis, focus etc.Implementation of incentive planning through installing commission system, targets achievements

reporting system etc.Unilever operates around philosophy of fire preventing approach rather firefighting approach.

ON THE JOB EXERCISE FOR TERRITORY MANAGERS AT UNILEVER

Unilever believes in learning as an ongoing process and for this purpose they invite all territory managers once in a month to participate in different exercises, one example listed below;

EXERCISEFormulate your territory operation plan based on the tools defined earlier. The format will facilitate you planning and plugging in the necessary details. You must expand and decide the tactics based on SWOT analysis and discuss them with your managers.Go through your Territory Operation Plan document with your manager. Ensure that it is a line with overall company’s strategy and captures all the key areas.

Selling TimeSince there’s less paper work now because of the current technology being used therefore selling time

is 90% whereas 10% is on other activities.

BENEFITS OF A GOOD TERRITORY DESIGN

A good territory design would always deliver optimum geographic area coverage and a balanced workload for all the resources deployed. This would mean maximum sales and profits. It would help in maintaining a good co-ordination and better control among the distributor sale representatives and identification of performance assessment indicator in each cycle. It can be used as an effective tool to build the confidence and higher motivation among the team through transparency and recognition.A part from the geographical demarcation, the selection of outlet in each channel is a second major factor at Unilever to balance the volume and it’s very much important to monitor the channels with similar clusters for provisioning of appropriate channel tailored support. Quality customer services are yet another major outcome Unilever is enjoying from its effective territory design.

NEED FOR TERRITORY FORMATION AT UNILEVER

The formation of a territory at Unilever is done with a basic objective by measuring performance within smaller outlets or town clusters for providing a focused approach. Starting at a territory level also helps in easily managing the expected results and initiating controls within a relatively smaller area. Basis for territory formulation can be evaluated either by;Absolute sales volume and growthRelative market shareProfitability of the distribution operationSpan of controlThe biggest challenge for Unilever in territory formulation is the achievement of optimum coverage levels over a sustainable cost structure. Any deployment of resource would demand a thorough understanding of the opportunity areas and competitive strengths.For a wider coverage, if too many distributors are created/hired, the business base might become fragmented, and in that case Unilever sales force may not be able to provide sufficient after sales service/support to the trade. Also, it may not be economically viable to invest in the growing IT needs that capture valuable POP (Point of Purchase) data in HHT (Hand Held Terminal).

PROFESSIONALISM Territory management starts with resource planning to make best use of available resources, and for this purpose Unilever must expand its coverage at an optimal level to ensure regular supply to the trade through available routes to the market.The way sales force works in a territory and the outcomes is the direct reflection on the professional approach of Unilever sales team. Each territory is a smaller part of the total market and hence involved all sort of managerial duties required in field operations limited to scaled down level. An effective and efficient territory management develops the territory and hence builds career growth for the individual working in the territory.

New ventureWith a growth rate curving upward, the Bangladeshi skin care market is going through a major paradigm shift. There is such huge potential that major Bangladeshi manufacturers are now relaunching skin care brands.The change is visible at two levels—consumer behaviour and marketers trying to grow the market by introducing new product categories and services.Men are fast emerging as a separate consumer category in a market traditionally dominated by women. The change in the buying pattern includes men looking for care and styling products that cater to their specific needs. A growing number of men go for shopping on their own with more income in their hands to be spent on personal care products due to demographic features such as the rising number of single-occupancy households, as consumers delay committing to marriage and children. The proposed plan is to enter into a new market segment i.e. men. There is a huge potential for this segment as inferred from the survey given. APPROPRIATENESS of men’s new market segment:

• Skin care is meant for men as much as it is meant for female population.• CFRB can support Men in a substantial way as men are also sensitive about their

looks as verified by.• Men consider glowing skin as an important attribute in a shampoo to be cared

about more than women. How to tap this new market segment:

• Include men (average looking, not celebrities) into advertisement campaigns.• Create awareness of advantages and rationale for dove products to be used by

men.• There is enough value proposition in the product hence there could be a potential

opportunity to cater the men’s segment.• Dove has already introduced its men’s segment in US.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

HYPERLINK "http://www.dove" www.dove.in

HYPERLINK "http://www.caanz.co.nz/attachments/how-dove-survived-the-turkish-recession.pdf" www.caanz.co.nz/attachments/how-dove-survived-the-turkish-recession.pdf HYPERLINK "http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9504E5DF123AF931A15754C0A9679C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all" http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9504E5DF123AF931A15754C0A9679C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all HYPERLINK "http://www.allbusiness.com/retail/retailers-general-merchandise-stores-discount-club/8763650-1.html" http://www.allbusiness.com/retail/retailers-general-merchandise-stores-discount-club/8763650-1.html( HYPERLINK "http://www.magBangladesh.com/manarch/news/man43017.html" http://www.magBangladesh.com/manarch/news/man43017.html) HYPERLINK "http://www.insideretailing.com.au/Default.aspx?tabid=53&articleType=ArticleView&articleId" www.insideretailing.com.au/Default.aspx?

tabid=53&articleType=ArticleView&articleId HYPERLINK "http://www.adbrands.net/us/dove_us.htm" www.adbrands.net/us/dove_us.htm HYPERLINK "http://www.newmarketingeconomy.com/2007/02/dove_washes_away_its_competiti.html" www.newmarketingeconomy.com/2007/02/dove_washes_away_its_competiti.html HYPERLINK "http://www.slideshare.net/parthamisra/dove-final-presentation-presentation" www.slideshare.net/parthamisra/dove-final-presentation-presentation HYPERLINK "http://www.brandstrategy.co.uk/issues/2008/May/Beneath_the_skin/Browse" www.brandstrategy.co.uk/issues/2008/May/Beneath_the_skin/Browse HYPERLINK "http://www.iab.nl/data/documenten/research/TheNewMarketingMixDoveNutrium.pdf" www.iab.nl/data/documenten/research/TheNewMarketingMixDoveNutrium.pdf HYPERLINK "http://www.marketingmagic.ca/articles/Dove.htm" www.marketingmagic.ca/articles/Dove.htm HYPERLINK "http://www.strategymag.com/articles/magazine/20051101/dove.html" www.strategymag.com/articles/magazine/20051101/dove.html HYPERLINK "http://www.cassies.ca/caselibrary/winners/DoveBeautyBar.pdf" www.cassies.ca/caselibrary/winners/DoveBeautyBar.pdf

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