Burt’s Bees

Marketing Management 300

Fall 2009

Lyly Nguyen

About Our Company

• Originating in Maine in the 1980s

• Roxanne Quimby and Burt Shavitz's are cofounders

• First product: Candles made from beeswax

– Profit: $200 - $20,000

Milestones

• 1984 – How it all began

• 1991 – Beeswax gets a new use

• 1993-94 – Time to move on

• 1998 – Smaller sizes, bigger success

Image Source: www.BurtsBees.com

Milestones continued…

• 1999 – Worldwide expansion

• 2004 – AEA Investors invest

• 2007 – Clorox acquires Burt’s Bees

• 2009 – Celebrating 25 years

Image Source: www.BurtsBees.com

Growth Rates in the Natural Personal Care Category

Source: Harvard Business Review

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Burts's Bees

Kiss My Face

Tom's of Maine

Avalon Natural

Nature's Gate

JASON Natural

88

59

4030

20 21

106

75

5040

35

23

2004

2005

• “I assure you that the brand and products we all know and love will not change! …In the months ahead, our actions will reflect our commitment to great natural personal care as well as bring to life our passion for people and the environment” (Replogle, 2007)

Video: Introducing line of natural acne solutions

http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/burtsbees/40454/

Question One

• Customer referralsBrand

Awareness

• “ the hive”Brand Loyalty

• feel good, high quality, eco-friendly, distinctive, & innovative

Perceived Quality

• “The Greater Good”Brand

Association

• Going natural and green first Brand Assets

Define the brand equity of Burt’s Bees. How would you assess the overall brand position for the company?

Question Two

• Keeping in mind the company’s brand identity, develop a marketing strategy for the rollout of the new line of men’s shampoo and conditioner product.

– Consumer feedback to aid product development

– Emphasize efficacy, natural, socially responsible and quirky/friendly

– Target the conscientious modern man

– Target men who have no time, but still wants to use a high quality product

Wake up in the morning with an invigorating buzz…

Image Source: BurtsBees.com

Question Three

• Create a long-term marketing strategy to continue to grow the company. Specifically, outline a three-to five year strategy for new product development.

– “Our challenge is to evolve the company through a change from being an entrepreneurial company in a niche market to a category leader in a transformed market”

– Internal development– Acquisition

Questions?

Image Source: BurtsBees.com

References• Datamonitor. (2008, April) Burt’s Bees case study. Retrieved from http://0-

web.ebscohost.com.library.ggu.edu/bsi/detail?vid=3&hid=105&sid=a749afe1-6b67-4879-b11c-ec9408cdfc54%40sessionmgr110&bdata=JnNpdGU9YnNpLWxpdmU%3d#db=bth&AN=36349353

• Story, L. (2008). Can Burt’s bees turn clorox green. The New York Times, Retrieved from

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/business/06bees.html

• Quimby, R. (2009). The Burt's Bees Story. Retrieved from

http://www.burtsbees.com/c/story/history/burt-s-story.html

• Wathieu, L. and Winig, L.. (2007) Burt’s Bees: Leaving the Hive. Harvard Business Review.

• (2009, July). Burt's bees. Retrieved from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burt%27s_Bees

• Video: Introducing Natural Acne Solutions(TM) By Burt's Bees(R). (15 October). PR Newswire. Retrieved October 27, 2009, fromABI/INFORM Dateline. (Document ID: 1879502951).