So there you are, marketing manager for a condom manufacturer and wondering what your value proposition is going to be. The rules of this particular game are already fairly well set. Emotional value reigns. When it comes to these matters, consumers want a brand they can trust, witness the dominant mindshare held by the likes of Durex, Ansell and Trojan. A price value proposition is always going to be a challenging one, because if they are cheap can we be sure that they are up to the job!
But what about the performance value option – could we argue that ours are the best in the business. No we are not thinking about that kind of performance ….. but rather contemplating the claim that we have the first fully virus-proof product on the market. Now that is a compelling claim and one that would lend itself to a premium pricing position as well! In fact, a Chinese company, Safedom is already there having produced a product that tests better than its big name rivals though its claims have yet to be verified by international bodies.
But rather than exploiting this performance lead, Safedom is looking to partner with a well-known brand to give is products a global presence. Recognition there perhaps that building mindshare is a long slow process. And in another interesting twist, the company’s segmentation strategy has been to target women who make up four fifths of its customer base. So while its rivals like to go with names like ‘Magnum’ (is that a pistol in our pocket …..) and ‘Performa’, its brand names include ‘Beautiful Girl’ and ‘Green Lemon’. Plaudits there for a novel strategy focusing on female health benefits.