BBA 4004 CASES IN MARKETING
CONTENT
1.0 OVERVIEW
2.0 MARKET SITUATION
3.0 OPPORTUNITY ON THE INDUSTRY
4.0 COMPETITORS AND MARKETING OBJECTIVES
5.0 MARKETING PLAN
6.0 NEW PRODUCT OR SERVICE IDEA AND FUTURE MARKETING STRATEGY
7.0 REFERENCE
8.0 COURSEWORK
1.0 OVERVIEW
For a brand firmly associated with feminine beauty, Olay has a rather surprising history. The product was actually invented during World War II by South African chemist Graham Gordon Wulff, as a glycerine-based rehydration treatment for Royal Air Force pilots suffering from severe burn injuries. When the war ended, Wulff began to search around for a new career, and teamed up with former advertising copywriter Jack Adams Lowe to attempt to sell the cream to consumers. The pair invented the existence of a mysterious tropical plant which they called the Ulan, from which they claimed their "oil" was derived. Understanding the marketing power of less-is-more, they decided to say as little as possible about the precise purpose of this Oil of Ulan. Instead they called it a "mysterious beauty fluid that makes you look younger", and began selling it door-to-door in South Africa under the auspices of their newly formed company Adams National Industries, based in Durban.
Against the odds, Oil of Ulan began to sell very well indeed, and Adams quickly established a thriving mail order operation, selling the product to other countries. During the 1950s, the company began exporting to Australia and the UK, followed by North America and Mexico in the early 1960s. In many cases they adapted the product's branding and packaging to appeal to local tastes. As a result, Oil of Ulan became Oil of Ulay in the UK and Australia, Oil of Olay in North America, Oil of Olaz or Ulaz in Latin America and so on.
By 1967, Adams National Group was generating worldwide sales of around $10m, still almost entirely from mail order or door-to-door sales. That year it was literally stumbled upon by US pharmaceutical group Richardson-Merrell, which
1.0 OVERVIEW
2.0 MARKET SITUATION
3.0 OPPORTUNITY ON THE INDUSTRY
4.0 COMPETITORS AND MARKETING OBJECTIVES
5.0 MARKETING PLAN
6.0 NEW PRODUCT OR SERVICE IDEA AND FUTURE MARKETING STRATEGY
7.0 REFERENCE
8.0 COURSEWORK
1.0 OVERVIEW
For a brand firmly associated with feminine beauty, Olay has a rather surprising history. The product was actually invented during World War II by South African chemist Graham Gordon Wulff, as a glycerine-based rehydration treatment for Royal Air Force pilots suffering from severe burn injuries. When the war ended, Wulff began to search around for a new career, and teamed up with former advertising copywriter Jack Adams Lowe to attempt to sell the cream to consumers. The pair invented the existence of a mysterious tropical plant which they called the Ulan, from which they claimed their "oil" was derived. Understanding the marketing power of less-is-more, they decided to say as little as possible about the precise purpose of this Oil of Ulan. Instead they called it a "mysterious beauty fluid that makes you look younger", and began selling it door-to-door in South Africa under the auspices of their newly formed company Adams National Industries, based in Durban.
Against the odds, Oil of Ulan began to sell very well indeed, and Adams quickly established a thriving mail order operation, selling the product to other countries. During the 1950s, the company began exporting to Australia and the UK, followed by North America and Mexico in the early 1960s. In many cases they adapted the product's branding and packaging to appeal to local tastes. As a result, Oil of Ulan became Oil of Ulay in the UK and Australia, Oil of Olay in North America, Oil of Olaz or Ulaz in Latin America and so on.
By 1967, Adams National Group was generating worldwide sales of around $10m, still almost entirely from mail order or door-to-door sales. That year it was literally stumbled upon by US pharmaceutical group Richardson-Merrell, which