Colgate-Palmolive: Cleopatra in Quebec

1. Colgate-Palmolive: Cleopatra in Quebec • Group members: 刘小利、谭秋霞、苏琪、徐晓青

2. Question 1What are the that suggest acceptance for Cleopatra after the French success? Critically evaluate the market research prior to the launch. Any significant differences which would alert you to potential problems ahead of the launch?

3. Similarities between the French and the Quebec markets：most people in Quebec are the future generations of French, but they are not the native French, more than 80% families using the French as their mother tongue. This shows that, the culture of Quebec is similar, and the other products, such as Lux, which shows the strong Europe image was quite popular.

4. However, Quebec is not French. They are living under the similarity culture, but they have their own living style, the different economic condition , and the pursuits are different. Quebec is a province of Canada, the culture of the whole country are different from French. Maybe they will not pay so much on a soap.

5. By the way, in 1985, Cleopatra soap had own the 10% market, it means that Cleopatra had access many French families, and became one of the think of their lives. But Quebec is a bigger market ,there are more competitors: Dove , Lux, and so on .

6. Many of the people in Quebec are using the other brand of soap. They do not care if there are any differences of soap among various brands they prefer to the price. ——Reported by 谭秋霞

7. Question 2 • How would you evaluate the positioning of Cleopatra in Canada? Any alternative options? ----Answered by 徐晓青

8. From the viewpoint of Colgate, "high quality and high price" in Canada can put Cleopatra in a high position as in France do, but it may remind consumers of "high class" and "luxury" which they won't connect with soap. • They might want something usfull and substantial. So I think there should be another option which lower down the price.

9. Question 3 • Evaluate the promotional launch and the advertising campaign. Were mistakes made that could have been anticipated? ----Answered by 徐晓青

10. The promotional launch and the advertising campaign of Cleopatra in Quebec are completely different from the other companies in the same industries, they expect direct demands from customers by arousing their interest and bypassing retailers who have a significant effect on selling.

11. Therefore they would lose supporting from retailers and get some unreliable information. And obviously, the promotional launch and the advertising campaign are costly and high-level which frighten most ordinary consumers thereby losing a large market. So a misunderstand for the product do exist.

12. Question 4 • On the basis of the consumer research data collected after launch, I have some suggestions about what went wrong. ----Answered by 刘小利

13. About the reasons why the customers don’t like this product: About the reasons why they don’t use Cleopatra: Some data from the research:

14. About the use condition:

15. 1. Product positioning • . After Cleopatra’s big success in French, Cleopatra’s “premium quality, premium priced” positioning maybe is a wrong choice in Quebec because of the highly competitive soap market here. And then the following rough advance research directed against high-working women make Cleopatra considered as women Beauty Soap, luxury goods. This narrowing the scope of the target market and actually in Quebec, for the average consumer, affordable and practical utility bath soap has a bigger market potential. That is ignore the important policy “national policy”.

16. 2. Marketing channel : • Colgate-Palmolive sell through the retailers in Quebec only which cause the problem of being in a very passive position and easy to be controlled by these retailers. • The abundant advertising campaign and promotion transaction doesn’t work as expected. Delivery company soap coupons to each family, people can shop in exchange for the soap at the same time draw, not so attractive and encouraged. And it promoting without a business with intermediately and these retailers may consult in the bad relationship with them so that may cause the problems in selling.

17. Question 5 • If you were Steve Boyd, which of the three options you pursue? Justify your choice. ----Answered by 苏琪

18. If I wereSteve Boyd, I will choose the third option. In my opinion, one of the substantial reasons that Cleopatra can’t obtain the success is the strategy was not well prepared. Colgate in Canada's subsidiary company imitated France's pattern blindly without the system investigates in local market thoroughly, neglected the difference between the French market and the Quebec market.

19. So I will choose to change the strategy as the third option instead of continuing to carry out the original plan as the second option which causes more nonessential wastes. After the analysis of the case, I think Cleopatra still has potential market in Quebec.

20. Therefore, I will not choose the first option and directly give up the effort I did before. Product can be changed if necessary, and native element also can be added into product to meet the consumer's demand.