Old Spice: Revitalizing Glacial Falls

Old Spice: Revitalizing Glacial Falls Context: In 2007, P&G reported a growth of 5% in volume and a 3% increase in revenue for its Old Spice brand. The achievement was deemed “flat” when P&G had maintained a competitive media spending of 23% in the men’s deodorant category. As a result, Mauricio O’Connell, assistant brand manager was tasked to address the reasons for the foundering sales of Glacial Falls scent, which was the worst performing scent not only in Old Spice’s portfolio but also in the entire category. Diagnosis: Red Zone line is the higher-end product offering of the Old Spice brand featuring the Glacial Falls scent.

From Exhibit 6, we see that consumers of this product enjoy the benefit of the enduring power of the scent keeping away the odors, thus having the need to use the deodorant once per day. Additionally, Old Spice products are easy use as well as offer a scent that is deemed clean and fresh by its loyal customers. However, Old Spice does not clearly distinguish how their product can be a catalyst to energize, empower or give confidence to its users. The case also highlights that Old Spice had not advertised the Glacial Falls scent specifically.

Additionally, P’s media campaigns seem to have painted the brand as “old” and the customers of both segments associate the brand with the elderly. P&G’s problem is its unfocussed position of the Old Spice brand and of the Glacial Falls scent that result in the “flat” growth in the men’s deodorant category. Consumers cannot distinguish between the three product lines especially the difference between the “Classic” and the “Red Zone” line. The flat growth or the foundering sales of the Glacial Falls scent are neither a result of the low quality nor the poor smell of Glacial Falls scent itself.

Proposed Solution: To improve the sales of the Glacial Falls scent, P&G needs to distinguish clearly between its product lines – Base, Classic and Red Zone. Based on the qualitative data presented in Exhibit 6, P&G should target Glacial Falls (a Red Zone product line offering) scent towards males in the younger males in the 12-24 years age group. Glacial Falls offers an important ability to block the odor for extended periods of time, a quality highly admired by the younger age group because odor elimination is equivalently perceived to boost male confidence.

Further, to win over the younger customers, Glacial Falls should capitalize on the confident, smarter image of mature men capable of taking care of themselves as well as their women, an image that is portrayed the parent Old Spice brand. Implementation: To improve sales of Glacial Falls scent through the proposed solution above, P&G should offer Glacial Falls as a high-end product at a reasonable price (lower end of the Red Zone product line) because the younger generation (primarily the college students with low student-level income) should be able to afford it.

The media campaigns should link the odor-eliminating feature of this product as a confidence boosting element for the younger generation thus energizing them every morning and keeping their spirits up throughout the day. Next, P&G needs to improve the product packaging and highlight an outdoors and an adventurous campaign easily connecting this generation with the benefits offered by the Glacial Falls scent.

Finally, P&G should highlight the Red Zone line of product more that the Old Spice branding to market the scent effectively to the males in the 12-24 age group who detest an association with the elderly fragrance. Positioning Statement: To the younger generation males looking to energize their daily lives with confidence, Glacial Falls is the brand of fresh and clean fragrance deodorant that has the ultimate ability to block the body odors effectively throughout the day because it has a scientifically-proven, advanced odor blocking formula.