TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMERY:...........................................................................................................................5

CURRENT MARKET SITUATION:...................................................................................................................6

PRODUCT STRATEGY...............................................................................................................................7

CLASSIFICATION OF STREPSILS...........................................................................................................8

PRODUCT DECISIONS...............................................................................................................................8

INDIVIDUAL PRODUCT DECISIONS...............................................................................................................81. Quality:...............................................................................................................................................92. Features:.............................................................................................................................................9Advantages:.............................................................................................................................................9Benefits:..................................................................................................................................................93. Style & Design:...................................................................................................................................9./ 4. Branding:.......................................................................................................................................105. Packaging:........................................................................................................................................106. Labeling:...........................................................................................................................................11

PRODUCT LINE DECISIONS.........................................................................................................................11

PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE...........................................................................................................................11

PRICING STRATEGY................................................................................................................................12

NATURE OF MARKET AND DEMAND..........................................................................................................12CONSUMER PERCEPTION ABOUT PRICE AND VALUE.................................................................................12

DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY....................................................................................................................13

CUSTOMER CONVENIENCE AND AVAILABILITY:.........................................................................................13SELECTION OF CHANNEL:...........................................................................................................................13TYPES OF INTERMEDIARIES:.......................................................................................................................14NUMBER OF MARKETING INTERMEDIARIES:...............................................................................................14

DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY..................................................................................................................14

PROMOTION STRATEGY........................................................................................................................15

AWARENESS AND IMAGE:..........................................................................................................................15DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION:..............................................................................................15PULL STRATEGY.........................................................................................................................................16INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS (IMC)...............................................................................16

Advertising............................................................................................................................................16Sales Promotion &Public Relations.....................................................................................................17

ACTION PROGRAMS....................................................................................................................................17

COMPETITIVE REVIEW..........................................................................................................................18

CLOSE COMPETITORS:................................................................................................................................18DISTANT COMPETITORS:............................................................................................................................18COMPETITIVE POSITION:............................................................................................................................18

STREPSILS AS A MARKET LEADER:.............................................................................................................19WHY NOT PRICE LEADERS:........................................................................................................................19

SWOT............................................................................................................................................................19

MASLOW’S HIERARCHY:.......................................................................................................................21

Potter’s 5 Forces Model:..............................................................................................................................22

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Executive Summary:

We being the Marketing Team of the Strepsils, are preparing to re launch the

Srepsils. Despite its dominance as a market leader, we can still expand the market by

increasing its demand. The main theme behind the re launch of Stripsils is to develop

market by developing new users, new uses and more usage of Strepsils and this can be

done by changing people’s perception that “Strepsils is somewhat only pharmaceutical

stuff and only used for throat care”,

All our actions including;

1) The new Strepsils slogan “Mazay Mazay Mein Gala Saaf”,.

2) Introducing a new flavor of “Elaichi”(which freshens the breath)

3) The new Strepsils candy like packaging,.

4) Incresing the availability of Strepsils by placing it in General stores.

will support our re launching theme of developing new users, new uses and more usage

of Strepsils by mapping the minds of people. We try to blend the four Ps of marketing in

such a way that the changes in them provide oxygen to increase Strepsils life.

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was the world’s first medicated sore throat lozenge commercially

available. Strepsils has been in production since 1953 by BHI (Boots Healthcare

International). After the formation of Reckitt & Benckiser, Strepsils has been produced

by it. Strepsils contains two active ingredients, namely amylmetacresol and 2, 4-

dichlorobenzyl alcohol. These ingredients are mild antiseptics, which kill bacteria

associated with mouth and throat infections.

The name Strepsils is derived from the streptococcus bacteria which are the

world’s most common cause of sore throat. The only brand with a true medicinal value,

Strepsils is the pre eminent first aid people reach out for when the throat starts to become

sore. Strepsils relieves more sore throats for people around the world than any other

throat lozenge.

Current Market Situation:The existing Strepsils promotion is too weak and this is because of the

pharmaceutical perception attached to it. The trends in Pakistan markets show that

pharmaceutical products are not very much promoted and their promotion is either

dependent upon the medical rap or on the prescription of the doctors or in some cases on

the free suggestion of medical store retailers to the customers. In value terms, Strepsils

commands a 47 per cent market and in terms of volume about 33 per cent in a turf marred

by seasonality, medicinal nature, and channel of distribution. This equation clearly

underlines Strepsils premium status.

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Product Strategy

Levels of product “Strepsils”

Core Benefit: Relief from early sore irritation.

Actual product: Strepsils throat lozenges.

Augmented product: Easy to carry, don’t have sedatives, Attractive colors and

design, Different sized packs, Easily available.

Classification of StrepsilsStrepsils comes under the category of convenience product as it is frequently

purchased, have little planning, little comparison or low shopping effort and has

low consumer involvement. Its price is low. But it is not widely distributed as it is

supposed to be a pharmaceutical product and available only at pharmacies and we

are going to change the mind set of people that it is not only restricted to a

pharmaceutical product but can be taken for pleasure and joy as well.

Product DecisionsStrepsils make product decisions at two levels:

i. Individual Product Decisions

ii. Product Line Decisions

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Individual Product Decisions

1. Quality:The greatest achievement of Strepsils is that it has continued to grow within an

ever changing market environment and despite the fact that basic Strapsils formula has

not changed in its fifty year history. Market research has shown that for consumers

Strepsils is the most preferred medicated throat lozenge. It is good in both quality and

consistency.

Labeling

Packaging

Branding

Style & Design

Product Features

Product Quality

Individual Product

Decisions

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2. Features:i. It is a throat lozenge used when throat is initially started to sore.

ii. Strepsils lozenges are available in different mouth watery flavors, Flavors available in

Pakistan are ice mint, original and lemon and honey. And we are going to introduce a

new taste of “Eilaichi”.

Advantages:i. It doesn’t contain sedatives, which causes sedation.

ii. It is candy like which doesn’t need to take with water.

Benefits:i. Strepsils is the only medicated throat lozenge and possesses a drug license which shows

its throat care reliability and has an edge over its competitors like Vicks which doesn’t

contain a license.

3. Style & Design:It is round shaped. And its size is moderate.

4. Branding:

has always been seen as a brand that’s efficacious, soothing, caring,

pleasant tasting and consistent. A heritage of almost 50 years has seen it emerge as a

brand that people trust and rely upon. While it’s often seen as a traditional brand, a new

sense of contemporary appeal will now be initiated to rejuvenate an association with the

younger generation as well, as it will now say “Mazay Mazay mein Gala saaf”. It's not

just the feel good factor that is Strepsils' goal; the brand wants users to actually feel it

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working. Strepsils has maintained a consistent positioning of a specialist throat care

remedy.

5. Packaging:

whole strip of 10 lozenges, rather they can make purchases of their choice. The present

packing will be continued to be available.

6. Labeling:

Strepsils has a very catchy logo look which identifies the

product and promotes the product because of its attractive graphics. Its label is not

going to be changed in re launching process as it is already pegged in the minds of

people.

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Over the years, packaging for Strepsils

has been modified to meet the demands

of an evolving market and to maintain a

healthy price position. Present primary

packing of Strepsils is a strip of 10

lozenges and secondary packing of 15*

10’s lozenges. New packing which will

now going to be introduced will be of a

single lozenge and packet of 30

lozengez so as to make it easy for

customers to carry, and in this way they

will not be bounded to purchase the

Product Line DecisionsBeyond decisions about individual product, product strategy also calls for

building a product line. The major product line decision involves product line length-

the number of items in the product line. Current product line length of Strepsils is 3. In

re branding process, its line is decided to be maintained to 3 but by pruning an

unnecessary and un profitable flavor “Original” and by introducing new fresh flavor

”Eilaichi”. “Original” flavor is decided not to be further produced as it is not very

demanding in public because of its unpleasant taste which not at all creates enjoyment

and “Maza”, which is now the main slogan of Strepsils in re branding process.,

Strepsils is now looking towards product line filling approach- with new and fresh

addition of “Eilaichi” flavor.

Product Life CycleThe brand Strepsils and its products are in its maturity stage as it has largely

achieved acceptance by most potential buyers. But the new flavor “Eilaichi” would be at

introduction level as the product is going to be introduced in the market.

Pricing StrategyIt is the amount of money charged for the product that consumers exchange for

the benefits of having or using the product. Strepsils is using fixed price policy i.e. setting

one price for all buyers.

Strepsils price is Rs1/ lozenge. The price of Strepsils is kept same to Rs1 little

higher than its competitors but it justifies its high price, as it gives the best quality.

Strepsils is not competing in terms of price, but it is competing about keeping customers

loyal by providing the value they can’t find anywhere else.

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Nature of Market and DemandStrepsils is working under monopolistic competition, in which the market consists

of many buyers and sellers who trade over a range of prices rather than a single market

price. Under this competition, buyers see different products like Vicks, Hoest Drops,

Soothers which charge different prices. All these charge Rs0.5/candy. But even then,

buyers prefer to use Strepsils because of its effectiveness, good mouth watery flavors,

and consistant quality.

Consumer Perception about Price and ValueIn value terms, market share of Strepsils is 47% which clearly tells about its

quality and value. Strepsils is a market leader. When buyers buy Strepsils, they exchange

something of value (price) to get something of value (the benefits of having Strepsils, i.e.

“Mazay Mazay mein Gala Saaf”).

Distribution Strategy

A company’s distribution decision directly or indirectly effects every marketing

decision. Some companies pay too little attention to their distribution channels, but others

use imaginative distribution system to gain competitive advantage.

Customer convenience and availability:We are focusing on the customer convenience and availability of Strepsils on

every departmental store, super store and convenient store. So that our product will not be

available only on medical stores but also on general stores.

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Selection of channel:. We use indirect marketing channel for our product. Such marketing channel

includes two levels wholesaler (Aventice, main distributor in Lahore) and retailers

(medical stores and convenience stores).

Racket Benckiser

Aventice(wholesaler)

Specialty and convenience (retailers)

Consumers

Reckitt Benckiser has its own genareral store distributors which take products like

Dettol, Cherry Blossom, Disprin, Mortein, Harpic, Veet from the industry to the retail

stores. So, in order to extend our distribution channels, besides transporting products to

Aventice, which takes products to medical stores, Reckiit Benckiser’s own distributors

also take Strepsils to transport to convenience stores.

Types of intermediaries:When company defines its marketing channel, it should next identify alternative

channel in terms of types of intermediaries. Alternative channel used for strepsils is

industrial distributors who will carry the product in different regions or industries.

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Number of marketing intermediaries: Our distribution strategy is intensive distribution (stocking the product in as many

outlets as possible) instead of selective distribution (the use of more than one but fewer

than all of the intermediaries who are willing to carry) the company’s product.

Development StrategyStrepsils has planned to grow and develop itself by means of market development

strategy and by product development strategy. In market development, it has found new

geographical markets, which is departmental and general stores, so as to increase the

sales and also to change the minds of people from Strepsils as only pharmaceutical

product to the refresher which can be taken as for joy as well. In product development

strategy, it is going to introduce a new flavor “Eilaichi”.

Promotion StrategyModern marketing calls for more than developing a good product, pricing it

attractively and making it available to target customers. It is also necessary that

companies must also communicate with current and prospective customers.

Communication is all about promotion of a product or a company. So while re lunching

Strepsils, one of the most important steps towards its success will be its effective

promotion.

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Awareness and Image:Most of the people in Pakistan are well aware of the name of Strepsils because it

is a market leader in its pharmaceutical category. People here also have knowledge of it

and this is due to it’s often usage. So by analyzing the current market situation, it can be

stated that buyers of Strepsils are at 2nd stage which is knowledge stage of “Buyer

readiness stage” and our work is to move them to next stage of liking and this will be

done by changing people perception.

Buyer Readiness Stages:

Awareness knowledge liking preference conviction purchase

Developing Effective Communication:

Pull StrategyAs all of our doings are to attract buyers, so that their liking will increase towards

Strepsils and they will ask for Strepsils. We actually want to increase the demand of

Strepsils .That’s why our strategy can be called as pull strategy.

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The new slogan of Strepsils is a

clear picture of our communicative

message and that slogan besides

conveying a communicative message will

fulfill the requirements of “AIDA” model

by getting attention, holding interest,

arousing desire and obtaining action. This

is because, the joy element of the

message will get attention and arouse

desire and the throat care element will

create interest of buyers.

Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC)Promotion is actually not a single tool but rather a mix of several tools, ideally

under the concept of IMC. The company will carefully coordinate these promotion

elements to deliver a clear, consistent, and compelling message about the organizations

and its product. The concept of IMC suggests that the company must blend the promotion

tools carefully into a coordinated promotion mix. That’s why while selecting our

marketing communication mix we will go for only those promotion tools which can be

blended in effective and efficient way. The promotion mix tools which we have decided

for re launching Strepsils consist of:

AdvertisingOn one hand, advertising can be used to blend up a long term image, and on other

hand, it can generate quick sales. The main decisions in advertising are about;

As our main objective is to change image of the product to correct false impression, we

will go for information and persuasive advertising. Coming towards message decisions

which includes message strategy, message execution and media decisions, our purpose of

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advertising is to get consumers to think about or react to the product in a way we want to

position it and that is “Mazay Mazay mein Gala Saaf”.

Sales Promotion &Public Relations Sales promotion and public relations are other tools on which our promotion is

based, so their importance can’t be neglected. The consumer promotion tools which we

decided for re launching Strepsils promotion are samples and point of purchase. By

distributing free samples of Strepsils in schools, colleges and universities, we can

introduce strepsils as candies and once from this short incentive, our image would be

clear, they will definitely ask strepsils for retailers. To let others know that, now strepsils

is available at every general store, it is necessary to display our products by some means

at point of purchase. This can be done by placing our dispensers or by placing boards. We

will also go for stalls in different Melas and festivals. So these steps will change

pharmaceutical image.

To develop good relations with public and to remain in news with good name, we

will sponsor some singing competitions which would be on national basis, because in

these days they are dominating channels. Being a part of community, we never forget our

social responsibility that’s why; we have planned for our medical camps related with

throat care particularly in changing seasons.

Action ProgramsStrepsils will increase its production and promotion when there will be a rainy season i.e.

in June/July and also in weather changing months, which are April/May and

September/October, as in these months, most viral diseases spread, most common of

which is sore throat.

Competitive ReviewToday’s dynamic environment and aggressive moves of marketing oriented

companies have pushed every company to be very keen in search of opportunities of

adding features and cutting prices to earn largest market share. So, the industry

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participants in the field of lozenges and mint candies are adding more and more features

to their products to win the preference of consumers.

Strepsils’ competitive advantage over its competitors is all about, “why customer

will go to purchase Stripsils when Vicks, Hoest Drops, Soother and Softmint etc, are also

there in the market”. For the answer of this question, Strepsils need to add some benefits

and features which none of its competitors provide.

Strepsills faces its competition from other so called throat lozenges, but now

when it is being relaunching, lozenges as well as a candy, its competition broadens to

other refresher candies also. Following are some of its main competitors.

Close Competitors:Close competitors of Strepsils are those which are used as a throat reliving and

anti-sorethroat candies or tablets because they are satisfying the same need as Strepsils

do. e.g. Vicks Tablets, Hoest Drops, Soothers.

Distant Competitors:Distant competitors of Strepsils are those brands which are used only as refresher

because Sterpsils can be among one of them. e.g. Softmint, Coolmint, Airmint, Polo,

Mentos.

Competitive Position:Strepsils is having a market share of almost 47% in its industry with respect to

value. So having the largest market share, Strepsils is a market leader brand. Strepsils is

leading other firms in new product introduction, distribution, coverage and promotion

spending.

Strepsils as a market leader:As a market leader, Strepsils will be going to expand its total market demand by

developing new users and more usage of its product means it can be used even if there is

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no irritation in the throat. It is encouraging more usage by convincing people by running

cool ads to use the product more frequently.

Why not Price Leaders:The reason why Strepsils is not a price leader is that, it has already provided

sufficient benefits that market challenger and follower of this industry have plenty to

follow. There is no apparent chance of any competitor to over come Strepsils market

position.

SWOT

Analysis

Strepsils has several powerful strengths and some weaknesses. Following are the

details.

i). Strengths:

1. More Flavors:

Strepsils is now going to provide more flavors than it had in the past. e.g. Eilaichi.

2. More Packs:

Strepsils will now be available in different types of packs (family and individual)

which are easy to keep & carry.

3. Brand Awareness:

Strepsils has already a significant brand image and awareness in the market.

4. No Sedatives:

Consumer doesn’t feel sleepy or any laziness after using it as many anti sore

throat drugs does.

5. Seasonal selling:

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Strepsils has been increased sales in rainy seasons because of more throat

problems in that season.

ii). Weaknesses:

1. High Price:

Its significantly high price is its weakness. Price is high because we are focusing

on quality of product to create differentiation and to facilitate people.

2. Perceived image:

Another weakness is its perceived image in the minds of customers. It is mostly

known as a medicine. People use it only when they get a sour throat. To change

this image is one of the main purposes of re launching campaign.

iii). Opportunities:

1. Availability:

Now it will be available on pharmacies as well as on general stores. Increased

distribution means better availability.

2. Increased number of customers:

Because of its fair and even distribution to the pharmacies as well as to the

convenience stores, number of customers will surely increase. And we are

introducing new flavor to attract different types of customers having different

tastes, so there will be increased no of customers.

iv). Threats:

1. Increased competition:

As its market has expanded so that it has to face an increased competition.

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Maslow’s Hierarchy:

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs provide standards to check, at which level our product

(Strepsils) is targeting the customers. The hierarchy shows that the most pressing needs at

the bottom to the least pressing at the top. A person tries to satisfy the most important

need first. When the need is satisfied it will stop being a motivator and the person then try

to satisfy the next most important need. As Strepsils provide throat care, our customers

will be motivated to satisfy their safety need. Actually Stripsils provide satisfaction by

full filling safety need.

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Potter’s 5 Forces Model:

When we conduct the industrial analysis of Strepsills using Potter’s five forces

model, we can see that certain factors affect our industrial rivalry according to the kind of

competitors we have.

As depicted from market researches, there is a low chance of any new competitor

to enter in the market. But if any other competitor comes in, we will be having an

advantage over it because of our brand image but still, introducing any new flavor e.t.c

will be enough for that competitor to work and think more before entering.

“Threat of substitutes” is a more important factor for competition,

because there are lot of substitutes for lozenges. To overcome this threat, Strepsills is

continuously adding more flavors and designs to its product.

Bargaining power of customer is high because of many substitutes, satisfying almost

same needs. But it is not as much higher because of our product security.

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Following is given the Spider Diagram of Strepsills with Vicks. (Shaded area

represents Strepsills).

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