Ban Deodorant is a subset of Kao Brands.

Ban Roll on Deodorant was introduced in the

early 1950s marketed toward the people of that time known as the “Baby Boomers”. Ban is an

American brand while Kao Brands’ Headquarters is in Japan. Kao Brands was founded in 1887

as a manufacturer of domestic toiletry soap. Ban specializes in deodorant, they have a strong

handle on the roll on deodorant market, but they also sell deodorant in solid form. Ban

advertises clear, no mess, 24-hour odor deodorant protection. Their deodorant glides on clear

with no messy white residue.

According to Kao Brands’ website:

“Our mission is to strive for the wholehearted satisfaction and enrichment of the lives of

people globally and to contribute to the sustainability of the world, with products and

brands of excellent value that are created from the consumer's and customer's

perspective. This commitment is embraced by all members of the Kao Group as we work

together with passion to share joy with consumers and customers in our core domains of

cleanliness, beauty, health and chemicals.”

They aim to be close with their consumers and customers in each market and to earn

respect and trust from stakeholders. They strive to understand local needs, develop suitable

local business operations and stay open to new ideas. Sustainability is a big part of Kao’s

mission as well. The Kao group is committed to activities contributing to the sustainability of

society.

Our group did a lot of research through the internet. The Kao brands website was a

great help for finding out information about the company on a higher level. This includes things

like their mission statement and their headquarters. The Ban website also was a good help in

determining things like product line, types of products, and where to buy the products. We used

many other varieties of websites to find information, an example of this is PETA’s website.

SWOT Analysis
Internal Environment:

Strengths

Ban deodorant is well-known deodorant with several strengths. Their strengths

allow the company to expand to the United States. Ban is a brand that has been

depended on since mid-1950’s. Baby boomers are an excellent economic opportunity

for companies. Baby boomers on average have a higher spending power than any other

generation and spend more money than any other generation. Many baby boomers are

still reliant on the clear, no messy, 24-hour odor deodorant protection. Thus, making this

product a trustworthy product. Baby boomers spend about 3.2 TRILLION dollars during

an average year.

Ban can also say their antiperspirants and deodorants are safe. On the website,

Blissful Miss, contains several Amazon Review quotes. One quote stated, “This is a

very good product, especially for those who may have an allergy to ingredients in stick

(solid) deodorant. It has become hard to find good roll-on deodorant, so I use Amazon

and order a bunch at one time!” Also, on www.feelbanfresh.com says antiperspirants

and deodorants are safe. They also stated, “Extensive population-based case-control

studies in addition to many extremely thorough epidemiological studies of breast cancer

risk have been reviewed by internationally known experts and have not found

antiperspirant use to be a risk factor for breast cancer.” It is also contested on the

website that there is no scientific evidence of any link between aluminum and

Alzheimer’s. Also Ban states all their products are non-toxic. If a child nibbled on

some Ban deodorant, the child should be okay, but it is advised to call their doctor or
poison control center. It is also found that the alcohol contained in the product will not

sting or burn broken or irritated skin.

The product also contains C12-15 alkyl benzoate, which is Ban’s non-sensitive

skin antiperspirants which helps reduce bacteria-causing odor. Ban deodorant also

contains aluminum zirconium, which is great in reducing wetness and odor because

of this after rolling on deodorant there is the user will not feel wetness under his/her

arms.

Many other companies cannot say they do not test on animals, although Ban is

guaranteed NOT tested on animals. Because of this many anti-animal testing groups

will be for the company. The support for the company would likely increase as such a

controversial topic can turn people against or towards a company. Companies like

Maybelline, Victoria’s Secret, and Estee Lauder still test on animals to this day and if

more people knew about this their market would shrink. Even P&G still tests their

products on animals in their Chinese factories. The fact that a smaller company like

Ban doesn’t need to test products on animals and a larger company does really says

something. It says that Ban has found new ways to ensure and test their products while

many of its competitors haven’t.

Ban products are also easy to find across the country. Despite Kao being a

Japanese company, Ban products are easily found in convenience stores such as

Walmart, Target, CVS, Kroger, Walgreens, etc. Not only this but Ban products are

found on many online outlets such as Amazon. Thus, making the product an easy

access to their consumers.

 Ban products have also encountered an evolution of labeling packaging.

Today Ban’s packaging is green and reads Ban across the front of the package.

On the top of the deodorant package it also says “24-hour protection.” By updating

their packaging there can connect with today’s changing society and keeping a fresh

look. Ban has been able to be dependable to their target market, safe to their

consumers, animal testing free and easily found in convenience stores.

Weaknesses

Ban roll on deodorant has been found to be a very well-liked by its consumers, but the

brand does have areas of weakness. One area of vulnerability is that their roll on deodorant

products contain aluminum. Research has been done and some believe that aluminum

contains the risk of increasing the chances of the user getting Alzheimer’s. “Even higher levels

of aluminum have been found in the brains of individuals diagnosed with an early-onset form of

sporadic Alzheimer’s disease” (Exley). Ban roll on deodorant has not had any cases where

users reported that it onset Alzheimer’s. On the company’s website in the FAQ, frequently

asked questions, they disclaim that their product does contain aluminum, but they also deny

claims that it causes Alzheimer’s. Ban’s target market is women ages 40-60 which is a

weakness in its variety of consumers. Alzheimer’s becomes a concern for people usually on

the latter end of their target audience’s life so despite what their website says, some may be

turned away due to the product containing aluminum. Another reason their target market is

viewed as a weakness is because their market is too narrow. Ban introduced the first roll on

deodorant in 1955, which eventually turned in a baby-boomer targeted audience. Since we are

shifting into a new era of marketing, Ban will fall behind if their target audience remains the

same as their long-term consumers are beginning to decease.

Ban also disclaims on their website that the ingredients in their product can be absorbed

into cloth causing a white, powdery stain especially on darker clothing. The company states
that this is an issue, but their roll-on products have the least likely chance of this happening.

However, they also state that the stain will come out in the wash with no issue, but this is still a

turnoff for many customers. After talking to representatives of KAO Brands, we concluded that

their deodorant is aimed for practical use, instead of active use. This could be could a

weakness for the product because some customers prefer a dual use deodorant.

Ban is owned and controlled by parent company Kao Brands who has a headquarters

in Asia. While there are many benefits provided by having a parent company, such as the ability

to learn from new market trends and innovative technologies that manifest in Asia, there are

also a couple downsides. Primarily, budgetary restrictions placed on Ban which inhibit

marketing growth and make it difficult for Ban to reach a newer and younger demographic.

Second, Kao has the power to shoot down ideas pitched to them by the Ban team in America. In

many cases, this makes it difficult for Ban to implement innovative ideas into the

marketplace.

The Ban roll-on deodorant comes in only six scents and their invisible solid in

five. The two have similar scents such as unscented, powder fresh, and simply clean and come

in regular, satin breeze, fresh cotton, sweet simplicity, or shower fresh. That means there are

only eight options of scents for deodorant, some of which are not offered in both products.

This is a market weakness due to their competition from companies such as Degree, Secret,

and Dove. These are huge companies to be competing with and not only do these companies

have their name in a variety of women products, but their deodorant lines also have a greater

number of options. For example, Secret has three different product lines for the deodorant each

with its own specific description and usage. Then in each product line they have different forms

of deodorant for you to choose from, such as clear gel, smooth solid, clear solid, aerosol, and

their newest product, invisible spray-on. Then after you choose from there, you have a plethora

of scents to choose from. This is a great marketing strategy for women’s deodorant because the

more product options increase the number of possible consumers.

 Not only are customers limited on their number of options for Ban products, but

also, they are only available in women’s products. The deodorant giants such as Axe, Dove,

and Degree have numerous types and scents of products and they are also available in men’s

and women’s. Whereas Ban only has two different types of products available for women. That

aspect heightens the competition even more and makes it harder for Ban to contend against

other deodorant companies. Although Ban is a smaller name in deodorant, they use trade focus

by special shelf placement and coupons such as dual BOGO packs. With such a large market

for deodorant in today’s economy, Ban’s weaknesses could set them back in competition due to

their company size, limited number of products, and product flaws.

External Environment:

Opportunities

The deodorant Ban has many possible opportunities to take advantage of as well. The

first possibility for Ban deodorant is to expand into a larger base of consumers. Ban is only

sold in the United States and Canada, which limits the product and how much can be sold. It

would be immensely lucrative for Kao to expand to other countries. Asia is a large market that

they could take advantage of especially since 4 of the 5 fastest growing deodorant markets

are in the South Pacific including India, the second most populated country in the world. This

would be a suitable place to expand because Japan where KAO is headquartered is in South

East Asia area making it easy for Ban to get acclimated to the market. Also, Europe is another

market they could expand to because MarketResearchReport.com says that “Globally now

Europe represents the largest regional market for deodorant.” Europe has so many large

countries that it would be very beneficial for Ban to expand and sell in Europe too, especially

since Europe has a larger market than the United States. Another excellent location to expand

into is the South American country of Brazil. Brazil appears to be one of the fastest growing

markets, and 97% of Brazilians use deodorant with 77% reapplying it throughout the day.
This is in part believed to be due to the warm climate. According to Emmanuelle Moeglin, a

Global Fragrance and Colour Cosmetics Analyst at Mintel, “Brazil’s double-digit growth over the

last five years puts it in second place with a value of $2.2m [in market size] in 2015.” Also, she

expressed “It was also the second fastest growing market over 2014-15, with an impressive

growth of nearly 20% in value in local currency.” Another place Ban could expand into is Giant

Eagle grocery stores. Giant Eagle currently has 229 stores in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West

Virginia, Maryland, and Indiana. It is the 31st largest privately-owned company, with 9.3 billion

in revenue and 32,000 employees. Putting Ban into smaller but still relatively large grocery

store chains allows for them to reach a newer group of people and spreads brand recognition.

Also, smaller stores tend to be more personal than larger chains such as Kroger. Ban should

also consider expanding to spray deodorant too because according to Nicholas Micallef, a

Personal Care analyst at Euromonitor, spray deodorant accounts for roughly half of the

deodorant market. Ban could also consider making longer lasting antiperspirants because

most of their competitors’ last for 48 hours while Ban only lasts for 24 hours. This could

help change the minds of consumers torn between Ban and another brand as the 48 hours is a

competitive advantage. Ban could also consider the natural and organic deodorant market

because Technavio, a market research company, says that “consumers are showing a

greater preference towards natural and organic products, especially in the personal care

product segment.”

In terms of marketing, Ban could start to market their deodorant through Facebook

and try to use the social media rise to their advantage and reach a wide audience. The good

thing about Facebook is that most of Ban’s target market use the site so it will be easy to

market on there and continue to interact with customers. Another great site to use would be

Youtube because it is so widely used by many age groups, and it is possible to manipulate

the placement of Ban ads by attaching them to videos watched primarily by the demographic
desired. Another opportunity is to have a celebrity endorse the deodorant Ban. Many

deodorants have celebrities endorse them such as Degree having Steph Curry, Terry Crews for

Old Spice, or Jennifer Aniston for Dove. The celebrities are great, especially when they have

similar qualities or traits similar to the target market. They help connect consumers to the

product. In conclusion, endorsements by celebrities are effective, which is why they should be

considered by Ban.

An opportunity for Ban would also be to provide access for customers on the Ban

website to directly purchase the deodorant from Kao. Currently the site redirects customers

to the stores that carry the products. The customer purchasing Ban products straight from Kao

would allow Kao to choose a price that is lower than the retailers yet make more profit from the

production cost than selling it wholesale. Allowing customers to purchase Ban products straight

from the Ban website would make it much more convenient for customers and increase profits

from the products.

Another opportunity is to help inspire employees about the products and the history of

Kao would be to give each new hire a tour of the manufacturing plant like the one the

SWOT team went on. A tour would be an effective way to show the company culture to the

employee and see if it’s still a good fit for them. This would also help the employees have a

better understanding of the product that they will be working with, so they can market and sell

it efficiently. It is beneficial for any employee of any product company to see the entire process

of the product, from the manufacturing of it to its placement on the shelf. This provides

employees a better whole understanding of the company and can help people help the

company.

Threats

Threats of a company are the significant forces in the environment that the

company must overcome to be successful. The Ban deodorant brand has a large
variety of competitors and outside forces that compete with them for resources and

customers. According to www.ranker.com, Ban deodorant is the 11th most popular

brand of women’s deodorant. Ranker is a website where consumers of modern

products can vote and share their opinions on goods they enjoy. The people that

generally vote on ranker are primarily female, around 25-34 years old, Caucasian, and

only high school graduates. The brands that ranked higher than Ban on the list are as

follows: Degree, Dove, Old Spice, Gillette, Irish Spring, Gold Bond, Mitchum, Secret

Deodorant, Certain Dri, and Speed Stick. Ban’s primary target audience lies within the

Baby Boomer generation. Ban is threatened by these companies because they

appeal to both younger and older generations. The deodorant brands that target

younger generations will have their customers for an extended period because they still

have a lot of time to live. It is important for a company to target new generations as their

company continues to age. Ban’s target market will slowly start to dwindle because

they do not attract younger consumers. The brands listed above effectively promote to

all generations, so they are Ban’s largest threats in the female deodorant industry.

Ban Deodorant is a product produced by a large company called Kao. Other Vendors

that produce female deodorant products are huge threats to the Kao company because they

take business away from Kao and offer unique products. According to statista.com, the leading

deodorant vendors in the US based on sales are Proctor and Gamble ($1044.9 million),

Unilever ($753.6 million), Lever Brothers Co. ($436 million), The Dial Corp. ($143.1 million),

Colgate Palmolive ($131.9 million), Revlon ($91.2 million), Church and Dwight Co. ($76.9

million), Kao USA ($43.8 million). Kao is the 8th leading deodorant vendor in the US based on

sales. The seven companies that have larger aggregate sales than Kao are the greatest threats

to the Ban brand because they receive a larger revenue from their customers; they can spend
more money into producing their product and growing their business because they have more

revenue from their company. Proctor and Gamble is Kao’s largest threat because they

produce multiple top selling deodorant brands such as secret, and they have almost 24 times

as many sales as Kao. Unilever also steals a lot of Ban’s competition because they create two

of the largest female deodorant brands in Dove and Degree. They are not quite as large as

P&G, but they still pose a huge threat to Ban because of their vast amount of resources and

revenue. These large corporations can afford to spend a lot of money on their deodorant

brands, so they can improve their product and brand. P&G and Unilever have enough money to

create large advertising campaigns to target many different generations. Their deodorant brands

will continue to grow as their corporations grow because they can afford plenty of resources.

Kao cannot afford all the resources that major vendors such as P&G and Unilever can

afford, so Ban cannot grow at their rate. Kao still has problems with the pricing of Ban because

they do not create as much revenue as corporations such as Unilever and Proctor and Gamble.

Ban deodorant is less economical than other companies. According to Walmart’s

pricing, Ban is sold for $1.52/oz. Walmart offers a large variety of deodorants and many of them

are far cheaper than Ban. Some common prices per ounce at Walmart are as follows: Dove

Ultimate Go Fresh - $1.51, Suave Powder - $0.73, Degree Women Sheer Powder - $0.95,

Suave Sweet Pea and Violet - $1.16, Sure Unscented Invisible - $1.04, Dove Original Clean -

$1.05, Suave Fresh - $0.46, Lady Speed Stick - $1.02, Dove Sensitive Skin - $1.39, and Ban -

$1.52. Ban deodorant is one of the most expensive deodorants when it comes to price per

ounce. Ban’s expensive price leads to a decrease in the demand their product. The companies

that have an inexpensive price per ounce are threatening the sales of Ban Deodorant.

Consumers decide whether the benefit of buying a product is worth the price the actual product

costs. The deodorant products above contain a benefit that is more equivalent to the price of

their product, so consumers are more willing to buy from them. The inexpensive deodorant

brands are large threats because they steal potential customers from Kao.
 Some of the biggest threats to Ban Deodorant are the corporations that have their

headquarters in the United States of America. The deodorant industry is very large in the

United States, so the sales in America are crucial to a company’s success. The Kao company

that is in America takes orders from their headquarters in Japan; this creates a huge

disadvantage for the Ban brand relative to the deodorant brands that have companies based in

the United States. The Japanese headquarters enforces strict rules that makes production

difficult for the American company. Ban has a lot of their production ideas shut down

because the Japanese company does agree with their ideas; this can be difficult for production

because the headquarters does not always understand what is going on in the states. There

can also be a major lag in decision making because the Japanese headquarters must transport

their ideas to America. Proctor & Gamble is based in the United States, so they are a major

threat to Ban Deodorant. P&G can create all their ideas in the US and immediately transfer

their decisions to their production companies because they are an American-based company.

They know that America provides a substantial amount of revenue toward their deodorant

products, so they focus mainly on their American sales. P&G still must deal with cultural

changes and decision-making lag in other countries, but they know that America gives them

most of their revenue. Proctor and Gamble is the largest American vendor in the female

deodorant industry, but other American-based vendors have major advantages in production

compared to Kao. American are a huge target for deodorant vendors, and companies are very

successful when they target American people.

Strategic recommendations

Ban has enjoyed great success over the years and I am sure this will continue for

years to come, but having said this there are some suggestions we created based on

the research and background of the company.

 The first recommendation we had is for Ban to not only appeal to the younger

generation in the future but also to expand their target market to another ethnicity.

Ban is primarily targeted to white females over the age of 40, while other brands such

as Degree, Secret and axe are targeted towards a larger variety of different ethnicities.

We think by appealing to the younger generation can be accomplished by adding a

sport or athletic deodorant. Adding an athletic deodorant will not only add more

consumers, but it will also add diversity to the sales by reeling in the younger

generation. In conclusion, the target market for Ban is shrinking yearly because of

the reliance on the baby boomer generation, but we think that by appealing more to

younger consumers the reliance on the baby boomer generation will fade and it will

open up a whole lot of opportunities in the millennial market and a more ethnic market.

Another recommendation for Ban is to adjust their advertising to gain

exposure and to keep their current customers coming back. As years pass the

population of baby boomers decreases, therefore, Ban’s target market shrinks yearly.

This problem can be solved by the popularity among younger audiences. One way to

gain this popularity is through advertising on social media. The world now is heavily

social media based and people are spending more time on their phones now more than

ever. This creates great advertising opportunities that are already being put in use

today. For example, Facebook is currently allowing companies to post their ads

publicly for people to see on their phones worldwide. Another great platform would be

Youtube because it is used by a variety of ages and attracts millions. As stated before,

Ban can adapt the location of their advertisements on videos by whatever

demographic they want. Another advertisement recommendation we had is for ban to

add a “face” to their brand. Ban currently lacks a celebrity that people associate with

Ban and this is a huge disadvantage. Companies like Degree and Old Spice are already

doing this, and it attracts more consumers because they can relate. During the

presentation the representatives from Kao presented the team with the question of who

would personify Ban the best. After much thought, it had been concluded that Jennifer

Aniston would make a great face for the company. What makes her a great celebrity

endorsement is that she fits the mold of what Ban is trying to advertise: woman,

middle aged, and popular with older and younger generations. Next, it would be

beneficial for Ban to add more scents to their deodorants, as well as a workout

endurance deodorant. This will help specifically with the younger generations so they

feel they have more choices and do not have to worry about body odor when working

out. Our final recommendation is for Ban to expand to other countries. This may be a

difficult and expensive step at first, it will be lucrative in the long run. One spot

particularly appealing was Brazil because the population of women in their 30’s and

40’s. This population makes Brazil the ideal market to start expansion. Along with the

stellar population Brazil is world renown for being a cosmetic powerhouse. This

means that by expanding into Brazil Ban not only gains a huge market in a developing

country, but they also gain a chance to make their mark in one of the most popular

cosmetic countries in the world. Although these advertisement adjustments may sound

small and unnecessary, they will pay dividends for Ban in the future.

Ban is a successful company that really does a great job appealing to their

current target market, and our recommendations are only trying to enhance and boost

them. Ban and the company can exponentially improve itself through expansion and
changing the marketing approach. With a larger market of people who want deodorant,

Ban is bound to do well. Advertising in more common forms such as Facebook and

Youtube will appeal to many more people and hit more of the younger generation. With

more scents and options younger generations will give Ban a shot. Currently, Ban is

doing average, but with expansion in where Ban is sold, what kinds of scents are sold,

and where Ban is seen in marketing it will achieve a larger market share and thrive as a

deodorant under Kao Brands.