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Brand Loyalty Level of
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The scope of this project is to discuss the brand loyalty level of safe guard in comparison to
Lifebuoy soap. This research will enable the brand manager(s) to know their present loyalty level
and this will enable them to develop a good marketing strategy to win the hearts of their
customers hence increasing market share and increasing brand equity. This research will also
help to unleash the reasons behind the success of one brand over other in the market and it will
provide a ground to understand the customer preferences and expectations from these brands.

For this purpose I conducted in depth research on marketing functions and strategies adopted by
P&G and Unilever for their products Safeguard and Lifebuoy soap respectively. These marketing
functions mainly include the marketing mix i-e, Product strategy, Pricing Strategy, Promotional
tools and strategies and Placement & Distribution strategy as well as other market strategies.
Moreover the project also discusses the analysis of competition, market growth & trends,
opportunity analysis and strategies for creating competitive advantage adopted by P&G and
Unilever Pakistan.

The information is collected from primary and secondary sources. Customers are the
primary source of information. For the purpose of this research a survey was conducted
from100 Participants, who were taken from different cities of the country. Participants
were highly satisfied in domains of quality, Price, and performance of safeguard soap and
seem contented for what they have been offered. Scores were measured through
percentages method for each domain. Higher percentages indicating higher satisfaction.

On the basis of findings from the survey, results were incorporated. The results indicated that
people are more loyal towards Safeguard soap which is why it holds the position of market
leader in Pakistan with more than 30% of the market share.

Some of the recommendations in this report were that Unilever Pakistan should pursue
aggressive marketing and advertising strategy in order to keep its pace with P&G Pakistan.

All information in this report is based on my observations, interviews with the customers and the
secondary research conducted via internet and practical involvement in the research process.

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Price premium and market share has been closely related to the salient concept of Brand Equity.
Positive actions in improving brand image are considered as assets of brand and negative factors
are considered as liabilities. More liability will squeeze brand equity. With the increase on brand
equity, importance of brand loyalty has been increased and in presence of severe competition it is
immanent to have strong brand loyalty which ofcourse will enable a brand to charge premium
price without the risk of decrease in market share. Brand loyalty leads to certain advantages
including reducing cost, new customers and greater trade leverage. Studies verified that its takes
20 time more effort and money to develop the new customer in comparison to retaining the old
one. So Brand loyalty plays key role in increasing market share because loyal customers does not
only buy the product, they also becomes ambassador. It will also clarifies the proportional spend
of market budget along with future launches. A strong brand will help in diversification either
line extension or product extension.

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Soap is a major consumable item and there is a huge demand and potential in this market
particularly the anti ±bacterial segment. The anti bacterial market segment has grown year on
year by more than 7 % percent due to increased consumer awareness and education on the
benefits of anti-bacterial soaps. As a result, the pie is growing bigger every year. In a present
market there are mainly two categories of soaps.

c Beauty soaps

c Antibacterial soaps.

In antibacterial soaps Safe Guard, Dettol and Lifebuoy are considered as key brands. Lifebuoy
and dettol both have launched their handwash liquids but safeguard has still not launched any
product in competition. In this research I will study the brand loyalty level of safe guard in

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comparison to Lifebuoy. As mentioned in the above paragraph, customer loyalty plays key role
in brand growth. So this research will enable the brand manager to know their present loyalty
level and this will enable them to develop a good marketing strategy to win the hearts of their
customers hence increasing market share and increasing brand equity.

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P&G was established in 1983. P&G has built a rich heritage of touching consumers¶ lives with
brands that make life a little better every day. This simple purpose has enabled us to become one
of the world¶s leading consumer products companies²and will continue to guide us as we seek
to improve lives now and for generations to come



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P&G focuses on five core strengths required to win in the consumer products industry. We are
designed to lead in each of these areas.

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Safeguard is an anti-bacterial soap that provides superior longer lasting

germ protection. Safeguard helps protect your family from germs which
are found everywhere even on apparently clean surfaces We meet everyday
needs for nutrition, hygiene and personal care
with brands that help people feel good, look good
and get more out of life.

(Second Company)

Unilever is leading FMCG company provides product in Food, Home Care and Personal Care.
Ponds, Surf Excel, Fair & Lovely, Lux, Lifebuoy, Sunsilk, Dove, Rafhan, Knorr, Lipton and
Walls are their main brands. Unilever works with vision of

³We meet everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene and personal care with brands that help people
feel good, look good and get more out of life´

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Lifebuoy aims to provide affordable and accessible hygiene solutions that enable people to lead a
life free from hygiene related worries, everywhere, regardless of the boundaries of nationality,
religion and socio-economic status.

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Other then above two following are competitors in present market.

- Dettol by Reckitt & Benckiser

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Objectives of this research are

Ôc To measure the loyalty of the consumers towards lifebuoy
Ôc To measure the loyalty of the consumers towards safeguard
Ôc To compare the loyalty of the consumers towards the selected brands and making
recommendations if needed.
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 a)c The comparative analysis of Safeguard soap with lifebuoy will provide an understanding
and reveal the consequences why safeguard soaps soap is preferred / not-preferred by the
household customers over lifebuoy.

b)c The results of research will help brand managers to take the measure to enhance loyalty
of customer towards selected brand.

c)c This research will identify the reasons why one brand is preferred over another so it will
help to increase focus on particular aspect which needs improvement.

d)c This report will help to understand the customer preference and expectations from these
brands. This study is important to the researcher as it provides the opportunity to conduct
research in real life This can also be used in future as reference for purpose of
comparison.

 

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Safeguard soap is a fast moving consumer product.

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It is an essential good vis-à-vis it¶s target market, which is all households (primarily children)
who can afford buying soap and who want to fulfill an everyday need (primarily bathing) that
provides them and their family with a 100% antibacterial solution ± complete protection from all
germs/bacteria and cleanliness from dirt / grime.

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Safeguard soap has set new standards for defining "health & hygiene" in Pakistan.

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Health and hygeine

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The five variants in two different sizes provide an ideal product mix in terms of consumer needs
i.e.

(10 skus ± 115 Gms and 70 Gms):

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of superior germ protection.
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: Makes you feel refreshed with its zesty smell
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Ôc‘ : Cleans your skin and makes it smooth
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: Moisturizes your skin

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Pricing of SafeGuard is set as a market leader and it has always been higher then LifeBuoy.

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P&G has the good distribution setup across Pakistan & all the products of the company are
distributed to retailers & wholesalers through this effective distribution channel. These
distributions are independently owned setups & a fixed margin is offered by the company in
return of making the product available to consumers. Payment terms & other services are agreed
by both through a written agreement. Now after trends of International Modern Trade i-e Makro,
Metro and HyperStar its also available their.

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Different promotional strategies including price discounts, bundle package offer have been
adopted, advertisement through cartoons to attract kids.

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Ôc Psychographic Segmentation

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Ôc Geographic Segmentation
Ôc Behavioural Segmentation

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Striking on women¶s minds that are very caring for her family. Also focussing on kids because
kids are the most influential part of any family.

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Includes all Urban, Sub Urban, Rural areas of Pakistan.

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Gender: Male & Female

Age: 14-55

Focus: Kids 5- <14

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SafeGuard targets all households with special focus on kids as they are more susceptible to
Germs. It targets the market who can afford soap for every day needs like bathing. To attract the
target market, SafeGuard starts education to children regarding safety and hygiene,

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Safeguard is available in a variety of packaging formats to suit all consumer needs and
consumption occasions. Packaging is innovative to meet the individual needs consumers all over
the country. The range of formats extends from the individual bar soap (115 Gms)to the family
size bar(70 Gms), for in-home and office usage.

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the stamp of FDA with license is also mentioned.

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 : Pure White
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Brand selection parameters can include following.

Ôc ëuality
Ôc Price
Ôc Performance
Ôc Product features
Ôc Availability

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Safeguard soap has set new standards for defining "health & hygiene" in Pakistan

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Safeguard

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Day through night germ protection«.. tick tick tick tick tick tick tick

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Since this is a Fast Moving Consumer Product, the average product life cycle of this product (if
used every day) is 30 days and 2 years if not in use (if stored in a cool and dry location). The
brand is entering from growth to maturity.2c½ ( c&
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Safeguard is positioned as a premium brand which focuses on children. The children are the
focal point for Safeguard soap educating them about health and hygiene through the famous
commander safeguard series and many other promotional campaigns. Children are their ultimate
focus as compared to the Dettol soap and lifebuoy, the former focuses on mothers in the family
and later on children.

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The primary positioning vis a vis product attribute is that Safeguard Soap has the essence of
Triclosan Solution , the no. 1 antiseptic brand in the world trusted by families everywhere for
over a century ± which its competitors do not posses. Hence, it is considered a premium brand in
the antibacterial segment.

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As Safeguard is a premium brand, it is priced at a premium to its competitors (Dettol and

Lifebuoy). Being premium means there will be no compromise in quality as the link between
price and quality exists and customer is always willing to pay more for perceived quality which
in the case of Safeguard soap, he/she does!

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Safeguard has targeted children under 15 and run strong campaigns to attract families. Long
protection time communicated during their campaign of tick tick tick was their unique selling
point.
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Safeguard revolves around the benefit of protection against germs for longer period.

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Company directly accepts order from two main channels, IMT (International Modern Trade i-e
Makro, Metro, Hyper Star) and from distributors. On pre set payment terms Company delivered
the stocks on allocated warehouses. This process in further discussed in detail in product and
service delivery.

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There are 2 primary channels of distribution for Safeguard soap:

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The company sells the products to its appointed distributors and sub distributors (+300 all over
Pakistan) that are responsible for the distribution of pre-defined geographical areas who
distribute it further to wholesalers and/or retailers. The retail distribution is further classified into
LMT (Local Modern Trade like Naheed, Chase up, Imtiaz, Decent, HKB) and whole sale
comprises of categories of diamond, gold and silver divided on the based on their average
purchase per month and from here the product reaches the point of sale for the customer.

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The company provides direct delivery to select large customers like institutional buyers of key
accounts which sell directly to the consumer (in case of USC and CSD) or to small retailers /
end-consumer (in case of MAKRO / METRO).

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P&G has an intensive distribution strategy of the product through its distributors that cover every
geographical area and who resell onwards to wholesalers and retailers. There is also direct
delivery service to key accounts (USC, CSD, and MAKRO &METRO). Every available channel
is utilized for maximum distribution and coverage to all the hypermarkets, supermarkets, general
stores, kiryana stores and medical stores. The company also has in place a RDF (rural
development force) which is covering the rural areas and exploring new markets for potential
market penetration.

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sure that the retailer;

Ôc Knows about the significant characteristics of the product.

Ôc Places the product along with its major competitors like Lifebuoy (Unilever) and Dettol
(reckittbenckiser) but displays in distinctive way.
Ôc They give off and on offers as trade promotion incentives to their distributors. The
distributors contribute to the promotion of Safeguard by word of mouth.

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It is of prime importance for every one to manage & retain customers which result in increased
sales, satisfaction, and brand equity & company image. P&G has managed this by following
measures

Ôc Continuous product improvement based on R&D & consumer feedback

Ôc Focused group meetings to check the pulse of the consumers
Ôc Continual activities such as brand promotion, sales promotions, social campaigns &
advertisement

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Lifebuoy is one of the leading soup & shampoo brands of Pakistan, offered by renowned
multinational FMCG firm Unilever. Lifebuoy soap was first marketed in 1895 (England). Initially
the soap was carbolic acid based, however now a days it is replaced by aromatic variants.
Lifebuoy Shampoo & liquid Hand wash is the relatively new addition to product portfolio under
the same brand name but Lifebuoy is still famous dominantly for its Soap.

Today Lifebuoy is mainly sold in Asia and parts of Africa. In 2005, Lifebuoy was awarded a
'Citizen Brand' accolade in Indonesia in recognition of the work the brand has undertaken in hand
wash education. Nearly half of the Lifebuoy brand's consumption is in rural Asia, where most of
the population live on less than US$1 per day

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Lifebuoy carries a good marketing mix as a brand with following details.

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Lifebuoy brand contains Soap, Shampoo & liquid hand wash. Manufacturing has categorised this
as ³personal care products´. Further more the products are available in different variants to
capture more of the segments within a market & to demand more shelf space in a retail outlet.

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Lifebuoy soap has always been a choice for affordable toilet soap, it still is but through product
development, advertisement & communication the company has managed to change the
perception of the consumers from an economical soap to relatively high end toilet soap. Price of
the lifebuoy products are competitive with a slight difference from company¶s own high end
products to differentiate the value offered.

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Unilever has the largest distribution setup across Pakistan & all the products of the company are
distributed to retailers & wholesalers through this effective distribution channel.

These distributions are independently owned setups & a fixed margin is offered by the company
in return of making the product available to consumers. Payment terms & other services are
agreed by both through a written agreement.

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Unilever offers to its consumer¶s time to time promotions & communications highlighting the
merits of the products and benefits achieved by using the product. Usually a marketing campaign
based on some theme such as ³five way protection´ (soap) & ³germ buster´ ( handwash)

Is run which includes road shows, product demonstrations/trials, TVCs, hoardings, celebrity
endorsement (wasim akram) etc.

One important aspect of Lifebuoy¶s promotion Is linked with societal marketing concept, hence
³school of 5´ campaign not only communicate to the customers the benefits of the product but
also its contribution as a socially responsible brand in the society.

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Lifebuoy carries a good market segmentation strategy as a brand with following details.

Ôc Psychographic Segmentation
Ôc Demographic Segmentation
Ôc Geographic Segmentation
Ôc Behavioural Segmentation

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šc Social class: Middle & Lower class.

šc Lifestyle: Outdoor-Oriented,Sports-Oriented

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Akram with brand will influence kids.

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šc World region: Asia

šc Country: India, Pakistan

šc Cities: All cities of India & Pakistan

šc Target Area: Urban,Semi Urban, Rural.

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šc Age: 6-50+

šc Gender: Anyone

šc Family size: 2, 3-4, 5+

šc Income: Rs.5,000+

šc Target Area:Lower income group

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šc Benefits: Total protection antiseptic soap.

šc User status : Regular user

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After careful selection of Target market the company adopted to go for ³Differentiated
Marketing´ strategy.

They have selected several market segments & have tried to offer a different product for each
e.g., Soap for general mass & hand wash for upper class income group.

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positioning of the brand in each market segment. However it does cost company more in terms
of developing different marketing promotions & plans for different market segments.

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Lifebuoy¶s major competitors are not every soap but germ killing soaps only with still the
aesthetic features of toilet soap. So following are the main competitors of Lifebuoy soap & hand
wash.

Ôc Safeguard (P&G)
Ôc Dettol (Reckitt Benckiser)
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Safeguard offers germ killing clean & fragrant hand wash which protects children from basic
diseases such as flu, cough diarrhoea etc.

Safeguard is available only in bar soap.

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Dettol is the name that comes first in the mind probably, when germ cleaning is asked. Dettol
provides complete protection from the germs, available only in bar soap.

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Lifebuoy has been positioned rightly in the target market & the growth in market share,
consumer perception & sales figures endorse this fact.

Not only the brand is positioned rightly it is also positioned effectively & to upgrade the
promotion lifebuoy very rightly inducted ³liquid hand wash´ to capture the upper class segment
as well. A good mix of value propositions has made the brand a popular one in Pakistan with
increasing share in the market.

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Choosing a brand positioning strategy is a difficult & very critical task in marketing
management. Lifebuoy did this in a smart way by not risking the brand while still to ³more for

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fragrances in same price as other competitors. When it came to upper market segments that have
different needs & satisfaction level, hand wash was the solution for them.

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Lifebuoy has differentiated itself from the competitors by offering a unique proposition that is to
clean the germs in few seconds so that you don¶t have to risk your skin of being exposed to soap
containing germicide for long. And yet your hands smell great by the aromatic components in it.

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It mainly revolves around the benefit of washing hands again and again. Specially their present
campaign of ³Vice Captain of Waseem Akram´ was focussing on washing hands atleast five
times a day.

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Unilever has a complex ordering system for the products; all the distributors have been assigned
a specific code which is the identity of that account (distributor, Cash & Carry store, and CSD
outlet, direct users such as PIA, Airforce or institutions). A price structure is loaded against that
account number for all the products that have been agreed to be distributed, a PO or demand is
raised on specific formats to Unilever which then process the order for further execution.

Payments are made according to the terms greed. From these Distributions & stores the product
is moved to wholesalers & retailers to end users.

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Same as Safeguard, There are 2 primary channels of distribution for Safeguard soap:

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The company sells the products to its appointed distributors and sub distributors (+300 all over
Pakistan) that are responsible for the distribution of pre-defined geographical areas who
distribute it further to wholesalers and/or retailers.

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The company provides direct delivery to select large customers like institutional buyers of key
accounts which sell directly to the consumer (in case of USC and CSD) or to small retailers /
end-consumer (in case of MAKRO / METRO).

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Due to the nature of the product there are no after sales services for lifebuoy specifically,
however a Contact Number is printed on each & every product pack which is a toll free number
RABTA through which consumer can report any product defects or complaints or give feed back
about the product for improvement.

For distributors, software is made available at all distribution through which they not only report
sales & other strategically important data but can also report any complaints in delivery or
packaging defects etc.

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In any business it is very important to manage & retain customers which result in increased
sales, satisfaction, and brand equity & company image. Lifebuoy has managed this by following
measures

Ôc Continuous product improvement based on R&D & consumer feedback

Ôc Focused group meetings to check the pulse of the consumers
Ôc Continual activities such as brand promotion, sales promotions, social campaigns &
advertisement

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The information is collected from following primary and secondary sources.

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Ôc For Field data collection the most important tool involved in gathering data for research
and analysis purposes was questionnaire.
Ôc Secondary data is collected through internet.

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Total 100 consumers was covered by questionnaire

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Purposive sampling method was used. This sampling technique refers to the selection of only
consumers who will buy the target brands. For example if a consumer will buy lux, he will not be
considered as sample

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ë: Which Soap category you use most?

During this survey I have found the people are keen towards using antibacterial soaps. Today¶s
customers are no more regarded as ignorant folks. They are savvy customers. Our survey
indicated that 84% of the population is currently using antibacterial soaps to meet their daily
needs.

ë: Which brand you prefer in antibacterial category?

The graph above represents that 54% of the survey respondents said they prefer Safeguard Soap
over other brands currently offered in the antibacterial category.

ë: How long have you been using this brand?

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When the respondents were asked about the tenure of using Safeguard soap then the results were
quite scattered. The proponents of safeguard soap showed great amount of loyalty towards their
brand. Here the above mentioned graph represents the number of people who are using
Safeguard from the span of 1-5years. Almost 30% of the people who use Safeguard fall in the
range of less than 5 years whereas 20% of the people are using this brand for more than 3 years.

Likewise, the graph next to safeguard soap represents the users of Lifebuoy soap. The results
shows that very small numbers of people are using this brand this may be due to the continuous
brand switching or other factors involved. As compared to safeguard soap, only 10% of the
respondents fall in the range of 1-3years time span. The results show low loyalty level towards
Lifebuoy soap.

ë: where did you come to know about your brand?

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The above stated question aims to measure the promotional activities performed by the two
brands i-e safeguard and lifebuoy soap respectively. When the respondents were asked about the
various modes of communication applied by both the brands and from where they learned about
them then they laid emphasis on Print Media and Electronic Media more with the exception of
word of mouth in the case of Safeguard Soap. The comparison of both the brands and the above
graphs states that Lifebuoy spend more on Print Media while Safeguard is keen towards
Electronic Media.

ë: why you prefer one brand over other?

During my survey the results indicated that people are ready to pay high for the best quality as
in the case of safeguard soap. The consumers of safeguard are willing to pay higher for the
quality they get in result. The market survey indicated that safeguard is positioned as a
premium brand therefore the users of this particular brand falls in the upper to middle class
categories. The above graph at left represents safeguard soap stating the preferences of people
on the selection of their favorite brand. Nearly 50% of the respondents laid emphasis on the
quality over the other variables.

Whereas in the case of Lifebuoy soap, the people are prone towards lower prices. They are
ready to neglect the quality and other related variables against low prices.

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ë: Did you considered brand name when making your purchase decisions

The above stated question aimed to measure the brand preference, awareness and recognition of
various brands available in the market. The survey respondents strongly agreed to the point that
they do consider the brand name before making the purchase decisions. The results indicated that
people pays lot of attention towards brands; which is considered as a status symbol in Pakistan as
well as an emblem of quality.

ë: How do you rate this brand?

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During Survey one question was asked to the respondents to rate the particular brand they are
using. The results of which are shown above in the form of graphical representation. Five
different attributes were listed; quality, price, performance, product features and the availability
of brand. Five point "

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was used to analyze their responses ranging from excellent,
good, average, poor, very poor respectively. Large number of respondents prefer the particular
brand due to its availability in large number of shelves at different stores 24/7 * 365 days. The
consumers of safeguard soap relayed that they prefer safeguard due to its good performance and
vast availability in the different stores and shops. Whereas the users of lifebuoy rated it higher in
terms of prices and availability in the market.

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When the users of both the brands were asked about how often they like to replace their current
brand with some other brand with the similar or identical qualities and features then almost 30%

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of the respondents said they rarely like to replace their brand showing their loyalty for safeguard
soap, which is very difficult to gain in the current market scenario due to the high level of public
awareness and understanding of different brands.

Whereas in the case of lifebuoy soap, people showed discontent towards the current brand they
are using and showed they like to sometime replace it with some other related brand.

ë: How often would you like to recommend this brand to others?

The survey showed that people are very aware of the market trends and the different brands
available in the market. Consumers today hardly fall on the appreciation done by their fellow
beings. The results indicated that the respondents following safeguard soap agreed to sometimes
endorse their favorite brand to their fellow beings while the users of lifebuoy soap showed that
they rarely take pain to convince others to try their favorite brand.

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When the respondents were asked about using some other brand if their favorite brand stops to
appear in the market then the following attributes were mentioned from which the respondents
had to select one they want to see in the new brand. It seems that there is a quite interesting fight
between quality and pricing. The safeguard soap users showed they will use other brand only if
they are given the same quality or above. They also showed interest in the same or low level of
pricing.

The lifebuoy users indicated that they are willing to switch their brand on the grounds of superior
quality than their current preferred brand to be presented at same pricing level.

ë: Is this better quality than other brands

During the survey 51% of the respondents relayed that they believe Safeguard is providing better
quality to its end users than Lifebuoy soap.

ë: Offer something that other brands do not offer

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The above graphical representations show the respondents relayed that the safeguard is provides
something which other brands are lacking which if explained in terms of attributes then it is
known as excellent quality then the counterparts in the market. 95% of the respondents showed
high level of empathy towards the brand meeting their family needs. Where as in the case of
Lifebuoy soap the respondents were confused about the product attributes offered by their
favorite brand.

ë: Works better than other brands

The above presented graph shows Safeguard took the leverage here. The end users believed that
the safeguard soap performs better than other brands available in the same category.

ë: Meets the need of your family

The survey respondents 55% out of the pie showed the feeling of contentedness towards
Safeguard soap stating that it better meets their family needs.

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On the basis of findings from the survey, results were incorporated. The results indicated that
people are more loyal towards Safeguard soap which is why it holds the position of market
leader in Pakistan with more than 30% of the market share.

During this survey I have found the people are keen towards using antibacterial soaps. People
prefer safeguard soap over lifebuoy due to its excellent quality and attributes it offers. The
respondents showed remarkable level of loyalty towards their preferred brands. The
communications channels played very important role for the brand awareness and recognition.
Among them the most notable ones are Print Media and Electronic Media respectively. People
today are willing to pay more against the excellent quality one particular brand offers to them.
The users of lifebuoy soap are price sensitive people they believe in lesser prices over normal to
average quality. The results indicated that people pays lot of attention towards brands; which is
considered as a status symbol in Pakistan as well as an emblem of quality.

The consumers of safeguard soap rated it higher on the quality it provides and the performance
of their brand whereas the lifebuoy users rated it higher in terms of low pricing and its
availability in the market. The respondents showed high level of loyalty towards their preferred
brands and preferred not to switch to any other brand of the same category. The survey showed
that people are very aware of the market trends and the different brands available in the market.
Consumers today hardly fall on the appreciation done by their fellow beings.

The respondents showed interest in switching or using some other brand only if they were to be
provided by the same level of quality or higher in the case of both the brands. Large number of
respondents regarded safeguard better in terms of quality than lifebuoy soap. The users of
lifebuoy soap showed confusion towards the attributes of their preferred brand due to the lack of
proper awareness. Large number of survey respondents showed contentedness towards
Safeguard soap stating that it better meets their family needs.

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This project was aimed to measure the loyalty of consumers towards lifebuoy soap and safeguard
soap and to compare the loyalty of the consumers towards the selected brands and making
recommendations where required.

In order to understand the Marketing strategies adopted by Safeguard and Lifebuoy soap an
online research was conducted. Where the secondary modes of data were interpreted to gain
understanding towards the strategies currently the above mentioned brands are applying. The
primary data collection was considered in the form of a survey from the respondents of different
age groups and social status to gain their views and responses towards safeguard and lifebuoy
soap to compare the loyalty of consumers towards these selected brands.

The research insights gained from the secondary data collection modes stated that the P&G
Pakistan has the good distribution setup across Pakistan & all the products of the company are
distributed to retailers & wholesalers through this effective distribution channels. P&G Pakistan
is engaged in the aggressive marketing and promotional strategies to promote the usage of
safeguard soap. It is positioned as a premium brand therefore prices charged from the consumers
are higher than its competitors.

Lifebuoy soap is available in the three categories; Soap, Shampoo and has an edge over
safeguard soap with liquid hand wash. It is positioned as a ³personal care product´ therefore the
prices are set low but through product development, advertisement & communication the
company has managed to change the perception of the consumers from an economical soap to
relatively high end toilet soap. One important aspect of Lifebuoy¶s promotion is linked with
societal marketing concept, hence ³school of 5´ campaign not only communicate to the
customers the benefits of the product but also its contribution as a socially responsible brand in
the society.

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In order to understand the consumer view point and their preferences towards the following
brands a survey was conducted which serve as a measure of comparison between Safeguard soap
and its competitor- Lifebuoy respectively.

The survey results indicated that the large number of people prefer safeguard soap over lifebuoy
due to its quality, brand attributes and features offered by this very soap. The respondents
showed loyalty towards safeguard soap and stated that they will agree to switch only if provided
with the same level of quality or above.

Lifebuoy¶s main customer base is people looking for low price and people using lifebuoy
believes it is better than any other soap with in the price offered. The status of these people
ranges from lower ±lower to middle-middle class. Their preference is based on the pricing and
the availability of their favorite brand. People are not very loyal to lifebuoy soap they said they
will choose other brand over it if they are given something better than this brand. They lack
proper knowledge about the product attributes and features available in the market.

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I have carefully analyzed all the market strategies adopted by P&G and Unilever Pakistan to
boost the sales their products. Comparison of both the brands indicated that customers are more
loyal towards Safeguard Soap and Lifebuoy fails to convey its message to the general public
(lack of awareness as for the product and its attributes). As per my expertise, I am suggesting the
following measures to overcome the very crucial bottlenecks to enhance the performance of
Lifebuoy soap in the market.

Ôc Unilever Pakistan has the major share in the rural markets. This is a point where Lifebuoy
has an edge over Safeguard soap. But due to their old brand image as a ( (c &; they
are lagging behind in the urban markets where lifebuoy soap is considered as a rural
product; not to be used by them. So I suggest them to increase brand awareness and
recognition among the urban markets and deliver the message to the potential customers
of its product and attributes.

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 Ôc Lifebuoy is lacking in its market Geography strategy as it is more common in rural areas
of the country where more of the urban citizens keep it as a low level brand.
Ôc The major challenge Unilever has to face is its commitment to its old brand of Lifebuoy.
Unilever got a major setback when P&G introduced Safeguard through a heavy media
campaign. Unilever has tried to compensate that through promotional program of
³Healthy Hoga Pakistan´ but still it needs a strong and continuous commitment to this
product.

Ôc They must understand the customer requirements and expectations from the particular
brand. Ad hoc communication is very crucial in order to stay in touch with them.
Ôc The brand image should be refined and redesigned in order to maintain the customer
loyalty towards Lifebuoy soap. Lifebuoy has well repositioned itself but still there is need
to change the image that it is a low quality low price product.

Ôc I would I like to suggest that Unilever Pakistan must pursue a very aggressive marketing
and advertising strategy so that it can create awareness in the general public about its
Product- Lifebuoy Soap. Aggressive Marketing strategy is extremely very necessary in
today¶s cut throat competitive environment. For this purpose Unilever must hire efficient
marketing personnel to increase its market penetration.
Ôc The current promotional activities by Lifebuoy soap needed to be rethought. Lifebuoy is
not positioned as a children brand instead it is positioned as a family brand- a brand for
all. Therefore focusing only on children in the advertisements is not an efficient thing to
do.
Ôc In promoting the worth of the Lifebuoy, it has to modify its promotional campaigns base
on traditional heroism and fantasy; one is to come up with new realistic approaches
highlighting the need of an antibacterial soap in most hygienic environment.

Ôc Finally I would suggest Unilever Pakistan to improve the placement of its brand as well.
Safeguard and Dettol are given prominent shelves at any superstore like Makro, Micro,
CSD or HyperStar. The reason behind un-prominent shelves for Lifebuoy are its low
volumes.

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Although I believe that I put maximum effort to make this project useful but still there were few
limitations which I feel had restricted me to come to better results.

Ôc Access to the company representative especially from P&G can help in writing
better company information, planning, execution faces company strategies
towards sustainability.
Ôc People were not giving ample time to ask questions, so questions were ask very
quickly, little more details about the reason of their choice can help in resulting to
better results.
Ôc People were resistance to participate because usually now a days different
company representative took shoppers time during shoping and people was taking
me in a same manner so it was little difficult to convince them that my research is
for study not for commercial purpose.
Ôc Time scale was OK but more time can result better result.
Ôc Because of budget constraint only one method of research was used, Group
discussions can be arranged to get better view and reasons for choosing one brand
over another can come.
Ôc Scope of study was only comparison between two brands. Dettol is major player
and addition of dettol can be useful in this research.

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