Segmentation
Integrated marketing communication is the approach of combining various tools and promotional platforms to achieve maximum penetration in the market so as to generate the high profits. Luxton, Reid and Mavondo (2015) while referring to the term ‘integrated marketing communication as the method which business organisations use to create strong market images among consumers by aligning all the promotional methods ranging from print media to digital media. The multinational companies in order to maintain their leading positions in the global market, are required to acquire brands which attract immense costs. Thus, it becomes imperative for them to market its brands aggressively in the global market in order to earn higher returns on the capital invested towards acquiring, maintaining and marketing the brands. The paper aims to delve into the use of IMC in corporate organisations to enhance the value of the brands they own using IMC. The study would commence under the stewardship of Axe, the men’s grooming brand owned by Unilever (Unilever.com. 2018).
This strategic customer persuasion technique enables Unilever to segment the market of its brand ‘Axe’ geographically, demographically and psychographiclly. The main markets of Axe are Asia, North America, South America, Europe, Australia and Africa, to a minor extent. The main target customer segments of the brand are young and middle aged urban customers. As far as psychographical segmentation is concerned, Axe targets customers who enjoy grooming themselves (Kitchen 2017).
Unilever markets Axe in the global market by using seven tools of persuasion to attract its target customer segment. The first two tools which Unilever uses while marketing Axe are reduction and tunnelling. Customers can direct click the ‘brands’ tab and then choose Axe from drop down pane. This enables Unilever remove its other brands from the view of the consumers and is known as reduction. The customer on clicking ‘Axe’ is directed to the official website of the brand and is known as ‘funnelling’. The next step of tailoring is achieved by offering the customers the entire product range available under the brand Axe. This singular and in depth view of Axe acts as a suggestion tool, enables the customers to self-monitor his own needs (Chambers, Sarkissian and Schill 2018). This strategic presentation of products enables Axe to persuade and condition the need of the customers to finally purchase products under the brand.
The current advertising strategy of Axe stands on its powerful catch line ‘The Axe Effect’ which speaks about the positive effects of using Axe on the consumers. The catch line conveys a very strong message about the utilities of the products marketed under its brand name. An analysis of the catch line would reveal that it means that consumers using Axe products feel more confident and motivated. The product line of Axe consist of soaps, body washes, shaving creams, shaving foams, shaving gels, shampoo, deodorants and aftershave lotions. All of these products carry on the unique selling proposition of Unilever brands, high quality (Cavusgil et al. 2018). The products of Axe are available in diverse fragrances to match the mood of the customers. The advertisements of the product sold under the brand name of Axe show that men using Axe become more appealing to other, especially the members of the opposite gender. An analysis of the advertisement of Axe would they reveal the value creation of the brand to the consumers. It is this value creation quality of the brand Axe which is led to its strong value in global male grooming market. The strong advertisement strategy and the value creation attribute of Axe has enable the brand to sustain its global position in spite of the strong competition it receives from Old Spice and Gillette, both owned by P&G.
Persuasion Analysis
The current integrated marketing communication mix of Axe consists of a combination of advertisement and promotion on different media. Unilever advertises the products under the brand Axe on local and national level newspapers and magazines. The products under the brand Axe are advertised on the television. The company uses social media websites like Youtube and Facebook to advertise the products. The marketing communication mix of Axe also consist of sponsoring fashion shows and celebrity endorsements, to position Axe as a premium male grooming brand. The Axe products like deodorants and shaving creams are also marketed in the shopping males and retail chains by sales person of Unilever. The products under the brand are also marketed on the ecommerce websites like Amazon. The company offers discounts on purchase of Axe products on ecommerce websites (Foroudi et al., 2017)(Appendix). The company also markets Axe and enables consumers to purchase Axe products from its official website as well. This formidable and omni-channel marketing communication mix enables the company to market the brand in the global market and generate immense revenue.
As far as Roy Morgan’s Value Segment is concerned, the brand Axe can be termed as the visible achievement segment. This segment refers to the rate of satisfaction which customers achieve by using the products offered under the brand. The customers using the brands are extremely strategic and are capable of balancing between professional and family life. Thus, the consumers of this category experience a great sense of success and personal achievement (Orazi et al. 2017). Considering the brand image of Axe, it can be remarked that the brand appropriate belongs to the visible achievement segment of Roy Morgan’s yardstick.
Conclusion:
The study can be concluded by pointing out that Axe is undoubtedly one of the biggest international brands in the global market. The integrated market communication mix of Unilever is extremely powerful and capable of retaining a position in the global market. It can be recommended that the company must market Axe in more number of countries, particularly in African markets. As far as the existing markets are concerned, Unilever should introduce more products. For example, the body wash is not available in certain Asian markets. The company must release the product in the Asian market as well. Thus, Axe can retain its global position by serving more number of consumers in new and existing markets.
References:
Cavusgil, S.T., Deligonul, S., Kardes, I. and Cavusgil, E., 2018. Middle-Class Consumers in Emerging Markets: Conceptualization, Propositions, and Implications for International Marketers. Journal of International Marketing.
Chambers, D., Sarkissian, S. and Schill, M.J., 2018. Market and regional segmentation and risk premia in the first era of financial globalization. The Review of Financial Studies, 31(10), pp.4063-4098.
Foroudi, P., Dinnie, K., Kitchen, P.J., Melewar, T.C. and Foroudi, M.M., 2017. IMC antecedents and the consequences of planned brand identity in higher education. European Journal of Marketing, 51(3), pp.528-550.
Kitchen, P.J., 2017. Guest editorial. European Journal of Marketing, 51(3), pp.394-405.
Luxton, S., Reid, M. and Mavondo, F., 2015. Integrated marketing communication capability and brand performance. Journal of Advertising, 44(1), pp.37-46.
Orazi, D.C., Spry, A., Theilacker, M.N. and Vredenburg, J., 2017. A multi-stakeholder IMC framework for networked brand identity. European Journal of Marketing, 51(3), pp.551-571.
Unilever.com. 2018. Retrieved from https://www.unilever.com/brands/?brand=414568-410037
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