USING THE 4 Ps AT ENERGIZER

The Energizer Bunny is a marketing icon. How many people are not familiar with this marketing campaign? The precursor to the company known today as Energizer was founded by two inventors: the inventor of the battery and the inventor of the flashlight. The synergy should be obvious. This partnership grew into the leading manufacturer and seller of batteries in the world today. Energizer is truly a global company-operating across the globe. Energizer has developed and implemented an outstanding marketing approach to its product lines. In fact, Energizer demonstrates the full range of marketing concepts, including the use of social media and market research in successfully promoting and sustaining a brand.

Advertising Age magazine ranks the brand icon Energizer Bunny as the number five brand icon of the twentieth century. This provides Energizer a competitive advantage in many of its markets. The company is continually involved in new product development through the identification and understanding of consumer needs, including how a person intends to use a battery, in what devices, and the types of users for various products where Energizer batteries can be used. Energizer has a well-developed and highly effective marketing division that is responsible for helping to ensure the success of current and new products.

The video walks the viewer through the four Ps of marketing-product, price, place, and promotion-and shows how Energizer utilizes marketing concepts effectively. The company views its approach to marketing and selling its product lines as one that is focused on developing, cultivating, and expanding customer relationships. Energizer is a company that has been significantly impacted by the growth of technology and uses this and the growth of the Internet as parts of its overall marketing communications approach to develop strong and lasting relationships with its customers. The video demonstrates the importance of relationship marketing as a key to Energizer's success. The complexities involved in the marketing mix, marketing research, and new product development are highlighted through specific examples in the video, such as the new product introduced by the company each summer. We see how the company uses qualitative data such as focus groups and secondary data to test market its product, elicit customer feedback, collect demographic and other data, and match its marketing strategy to be consistent with the appropriate segmentation factors.

1. Identify the elements that must be considered in the marketing environment.

2. Briefly discuss the evolution of marketing at Energizer as described in the video.

3. The Energizer Bunny is considered a marketing icon. What does this mean?