Week 15- Segmenting and Targeting Markets

Colgate's market segmentation is very broad because all their products are of need to most people so those people share a similar interest in product needs. Colgate uses a segmentation bases by knowing that certain groups of people need Colgate toothpaste for a specific similar reason like yellow teeth, sensitive teeth or just teeth with cavities. Colgate also uses the family life cycle because they make toothpaste that could be used for grown ups and children. Also, special toothbrushes are made to attract young children with carttoon characters and different tastes and are less strong so that it wouldnt damage their gums. When Colgate does this they use demographic segmentation because they market toothpaste and toothbrushes for all sizes and ages. Almost everyone who uses Colgate toothpaste is in some kind of similar group like other people other than just using regular toothpaste and toothbrushes. Everyone who brushes their teeth are considered a target market for Colgate-Palmolive company. Colgate positioned several toothpaste so that people would like the products more like adding a different style or taste to the toothpaste. Colgate repositions their products because with the way they market and promote their products, consumers know that these products are way better than other brands and competition that is out there.

A few years ago,inventor Edward Melcarek brought his idea to Colgate-Palmolive through a challenge on the innocentive web page, which invented entreprenuers to devisean efficient way to inject flouride into a toothpaste tube without getting flouride all over the place. As compensation for his innovation, Melcarek received a $25,000 award directly from innocentive.

Week 13- Developing and Managing Products

Colgate is well recognized for having many product lines and adding changes to existing products. Colgate also launches many new products such as the Wisp! that was released last year. In the year 2000, Colgate-Palmolive announces the introduction of an advanced, new toothpaste to help people suffering with sensitive teeth. The new Colgate Sensitive Maximum Strength toothpaste contains a break through, dual formula technology that delivers maximum strenght relief to soothe sensitive teeth. In 2005 Colgate-Palmolive was focused on a relatively new product attribute that was strong shiny enamel for Luminous smiles. It was a major launch that year.
Not only does Colgate get their product ideas from the professionals that are part of the company itself, but they also get ideas through the public, consumers and followers. Somewhere in the Colgate webpaege you can apply for a patent and be able to submit your ideas or thoughts to better a product. You can also give your feedback on existing products you might or might not like. Colgate-Palmolive launches hundreds of products each year. They also open innovation intermediaries to find ideas. Companies such as Innocentive take the problesm of giant corporate clients and post them as challenges for entreprenuers to solve.

Week 12- Customer Relationship Management

Keeping customers satisfied is the ultimate goal of Colgate-Palmolive. Being that people wouldn't be able to brush their teeth in the streets, Colgate invented a small travel size product called the Wisp! that would clean your teeth in a matter of seconds. When they came up with this product they targeted mainly to people who like to live the nightlife or just are out all day and need to clean their teeth. Unlike gum, the Wisp! cleans their teeth. You could chew gum, but it doesn't necessarily clean your teeth.
Colgate knows what customers need because everyone or the majority of people want to keep their teeth clean and fresh because many people rather substitute that with going to the dentist not that Colgate promotes anything mentioning that they shouldn't visit a dentist. Colgate has the ultimate customer relationship because even if a customers buys a simple toothbrush from Colgate, they know they are getting their moneys' worth. Colgate markets all over the world, and being that their advertising everywhere they are famous and want people to know that they are still working to make their products better. Sort of like a reminder.
Around the world, Colgate is working closely with thousands of small shop owners and local wholesalers to ensure greater visibility on the store shelf. For instance, to drive distribution and greater awareness for Colgate Twister Fresh manual toothbrush in the Antioquia region of Columbia, Colgate provided shop owners with training on products benefits and utilized in-store signage and displays along with local media support. Within three months of the campaign, Colgate's toothbrush market share in that region grew from 24% to 43%.
Treating all customers with transparency, fairness and integrity is a priority at Colgate. All Colgate people who have contact with customers are required to complete a workshop on implementing the company's goal commercial selling principles.

Colgate's Competition

Colgate and Crest have been in competition for a long time now. The battle actually evolved into a couple of filed lawsuits in 2001 and 2003 over brands which one thought were to close to their brand in both name and ingredients. Spending as much as 90 million dollars in advertising a year both comapnies continue in an intense battle for market share and introduction of so called better, products on a yearly basis. The brands Crest trademark and product of Proctor and Gamble Company and Colgate product of competitor Colgate-Palmolive have continued to diversify their product year by year in the hopes that one of the new toothpastes will propel them into the market share leader the position both want to adore. Both companies have come out with similar products but slightly different in taste and look but mainly for the same purpose. Colgate being more successful at consumer brands because they advertise more are recognized for their excellent products. Colgate is a bigger and more successful company that has spread globally for being number one.

Week 11- Integrated Marketing Communications

Colgate-Palmolive have many years of marketing experience in which their company has been very successful. Colgate-Palmolive has conducted Market Contact Audit study for toothpaste category in 2006 and 2007, which is a proprietary model from Integration Marketing & Communication. The study included 3 phases, i.e. Qualitative, Quantitative and tracker stage. It has helped Colgates identify the most influential contacts or touch points in the category and to gather learning that helps in the design of an optional Colgate brand experience. Learning from interaction with MCA system has been applied in Colgate marketing communication strategy to enhance brand experience. With consumer affairs departments in more than 55 countries, its clear how valuable consumer input is to Colgate. Colgate consumers expect that the products will be subject to rigorous safety evaluations before entering the marketing place. Colgate regularly receives personal consumer information through marketing events, inquiries and consumer opinions. They place advertising in a variety of media including tv, radio, print, internet and outdoor. They seek outlets that reflect the sensibilities of their target consumers. Colgate-Palmolive know that they have many consumers who are loyal to the Colgate products and help them advertise their products by word of mouth.

Week 10- Product Concepts

     A product is the heart of a compnay. Colgate-Plamolive's heart is mainly the toothpaste they sell. Colgate's toothpaste would be considered as a specialty product because most people buy it because thier doctor recommended it or because it specializes in what they need. Colgate's products are majorly consumer products manufactured to satisfy a customers needs. With all the different products Colgate-Palmolive manufacture, they can be classified as a product mix. A product mix is a mix of products sold by one company. For example, Colgate-Palmolive sell oral products, personal care products, home products, and even pet nutrition products. These products include toothpaste, toothbrushes, wisp, deordorant, soap, body wash, detergents, cleaning products, dog food and even dog toothbrushes along with toothpaste.
     Colgate's branding name is known to almost everyone in the entire world. Colgate-Palmolive is one of the most successful companies in the world because it is trusted by many people to work. Colgate has gained a great loyalty with many of their consumers. They hold a strong brand equity because I persoanlly, value all of Colgate-Palmolive products and continue to purchase them over the years.

Week 9- Sales Promotion and Personal Selling

Colgate is known for all its advertising techniques through out the world. Their sales promotions are very famous because everyone knows about Colgate and its main purpose of selling. Colgate practices a lot of relationship selling because they make specific products targeted to specific people for a certain cause or personal problems that a consumer might have but they also have a general target market where everyone is targeted.Colgate generates a great sales lead because as I might have mentioned before, Colgate's products are proven to be #1 toothpaste reccomended by doctors and approved by the FDA so this allows consumers to gain confidence and be secure about the products they purchase. Colgate has an intangible relationship with their customers because by their advertising and marketing skills they have the ability to capture thier customers. Just by looking at their total over view of sales you will know that Colgate is successful because customers keep coming back for more. Colgate also offers many premiums. You can walk into any store like Target, Walgreens, Walmart, Kmart, Rite Aide or any small neighborhood store and notice that many Colgate products offer like a small travel size toothpaste or tooth brush along with the toothpaste free of charge.

Week 8- Advertising & Public Relations

Colgate-Palmolive is generally associated with toothpaste and soap but they also have other products such as pet food, deodorants, fabric softeners, household cleaners and detergents. Brands include Ajax, Speed Stick, Mennen and Hill's Science Diet. Colgate is the world's #1 toothpaste and toothbrush brand while Palmolive soap is the third largest soap brand. Colgate-Palmolive is truly international, deriving 75% of its sales outside the US. Advertising Age estimated global measured advertising expenditure of $1.1 billion in 2008, making Colgate the world's #36 advertiser.

Week 7- Retailing

Colgate retailing is very important because a Colgate consumer can practically purchase Colgate Total or any Colgate toothpaste in almost any nearby store in NYC and in many other places all over the world. Colgate being the number one toothpaste guaranteed and proven to work better than most toothpaste makes them very popular. Colgate consumers can buy toothpaste at a grocery store, whole sale store or any supermarket. The level of service for a consumer is high because if you would go into Target you would see that the toothpaste section has all the Colgate toothpastes are separate from the others so that people can see the variety of Colgate's toothpaste. For the majority, it meets the customers satisfaction because they would always find their product. Colgate toothpaste ranges from $2 to $4 making it affordable for most people especially because it is proven to be worth what it costs. Retailing is very important and very big all over the world. Colgate has developed global commercial selling principles that apply to their relationships with customers. Colgate is strengthening its retail trade partnership through shopper marketing initiatives. Those marketing programs are developed and executed in partnership with their retail consumers. A majority of Colgate's sales come from small neighborhood stores. Colgate shoppers are considered smart shoppers.

Week 6- Importance of Understanding Consumer Behavior

For Colgate, consumer behavior is very important. Colgate knows that there are many people out there that have many problems with their teeth such as plaques, bad breath, gingivitis and cavities. Colgate does their research and know that people need a toothpaste to fight against germs and all that i have mentioned. Colgate also understands that consumer decision making is very important thats why they market thier products especially toothpaste to be the #1 doctor's approved and FDA approved recommended toothpaste. They do this so that consumers are aware that the product is good and authentic. Colgate knows they get a positive evalution from consumers because once they finish their product to go out for more. Colgate knows that there are certain things that do not work for everyone so they take their product and change it a little bit by adding or deducting a certain taste to the product so that it can meet the consumers needs. Consumers word of mouth expands the sales production of a product specifically Colgate because everyone wants a fresh clean smile. Its easy for a Colgate consumer to make a decision based on their routine because if the consumer knows the product is good, they will continue to purchase it. Now Colgate Total has been marketing that this toothpaste fights germs for 12 hours after you brush your teeth and they know that most consumers would like that. Research shows that regular toothpaste wouldnt do this. Marketing strategies like that keep consumers satisfied and keeps them going back. Famous rap star Lil Wayne has over $150,000 worth of diamonds in his grill. To protect his investment he brushes his teeth after lunch and dinner with Colgate toothpaste.

Week 5- Global Marketing

Colgate is so diverse they have over 30,000 people from countries all around the world. There are many career opportunities available for people with diverse knowledge and backgrounds. Their Supplier Diversity team encourages relationships with minority-owned and women-owned businesses that meet or exceed expectations for quality, speed, innovations and cost effectiveness. Through numerous efforts, educational and cultural programs have been established benefiting and empowering families accross the globe. "Bright Smiles, Bright Futures" is a program that promotes oral health education and prevention to understand children around the world. They distribute videos, story books, software and interactive activities to millions each year. Colgate's global marketing has been strongly recognized all over the world. To honor their success, they are advertised in magazines, newspapers and other foundations in other countries. For example, in Italy, it was advertised as a "Best Companies to Work For" and in the United Kingdom it was said that it is "Best North American Company in the UK Market." At Colgate they understand that each globale market has its own unique purchasing preferences. Recent U.S. Census data confirms that Hispanic-American , African-American, and Asian-American markets are the fastest growing consumer markets in both numbers and purchasing power.

Week 4- Corpoarte Irresponsibility!

On October 5, 1998, the Gillette Company sued Colagte-Palmolive Company for an injunction and damages. Gillettes's lawsuit challenged Colgate's advertising for its new Total Professional toothbrush where Colgate claims that the toothbrush provides "at least 75% of the cleaning benefits of flossing," is "almost flossing and solves the problem" of consumers not having enough time to floss. Gillette claimed that Colgate's advertising is not only false and misleading, but also jeopardizes public health.

Week 4- Understanding the External Environment

Colgate has been around for over 100 years. Obviously they're doing something right in listening to their consumers needs. Colgate keeps it's customers interested by targeting mainly everyone by having special products for children and by having other convenient products for adults. They also target adults by making cleaning products. Colgate has a global diversity. Colgate recognizes the different traits, nationality, culture, race and gender. They feel their cultural diversity makes the company more successful. 

In order to keep customers involved, Colgate has an RSS which is known as the Really Simple Syndication. This advanced technology allows marketers to scan blogs and learn about customers opinions and comments. It is a format designed for sharing web content such as headlines. An RSS feed highlights fresh material for you, so you don't have to repeatedly check a site yourself for updates.

Country of Origin

Jacket- H&M                                       Socks - Hanes

Shirt   - H&M                                       Underwear- Victoria Secret

Tights - Forever 21                                Bra - Victoria Secret

Week 3- Ethics & Social Responsibilities!

Colgate builds it's morals mainly from experience and from the Colgate people and consumers they come across. The company cares about people: Colgate people, customers, shareholders, and business partners. Colgate is committed to act with compassion, integrity, honesty, and high ethics in all situations. They listen with respect to others and to value differences. They have stood by their morals and have kept the value of a few products including the Colgate toothpaste. They have made adjustments since 1896 until today 2010.

1896 V.S. 2010

1896

2010

At Colgate, reducing their environmental impacts is an important part of our commitment to respecting the world around them. They have set global goals to improve their water use, and energy use efficiency and to reduce the carbon emissions and waste water contaminants associated with our operations. Colgate reduced energy use per unit of production by over 21% from 2002 to 2009. From 2002 to 2009, Colgate reduced carbon emissions per ton of product by over 22%. Colgate's water use per ton of production decreased by over 40% from 2002 to 2009. Their strategy is to eliminate, reduce or reuse waste whenever possible.  

Week 2- Continued

To honor HIspanic Heritage month, Colgate proudly announces the return of its scholarship program "Haz la U." High school seniors are encouraged to apply for the opportunity to win a $15,000 educational grant, or one of ten $2,500 additional grants.

Week 2- Strategic Planning

Ian Cook

Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer Ian Cook says "It's my pleasure to welcome you to the world of Colgate-Palmolive." He also says "Colgate people working together all around the world share a commitment to our three care corporate values: Caring, Global Teamwork and Continuous Improvement." Colgate is a successful business that focuses on achieving growth in the business around the world to maintain a strong company. Colgate believes in innovation and continual improvement of their product line. Colgate Total is definitely recommended by most dentist around the world because it is proven to work. To make consumers more satisfied with the product they came up with different products of Colgate Total such as Enamel Strength, Advanced Whitening, Advanced Clean, Clean Mint, etc. All of these are Colgate Total and work with the same intensions but with different tastes. The Colgate company is aware of their success and know that their consumers like their products so make ways for people to buy more by changing up the toothpaste a little but with more strength to clean your teeth. Colgate Total provides up to 12 hours of germ fighting protection so why wouldn't people be interested in this product. All of the advertising and TV commercials help the growth of each product sell and expand more because Colgate makes people want more clean and whiter teeth.

Week 1- History and mission statement

William Colgate (founder of Colgate) started his starch, soap and candle business on Dutch Street in New York City in 1806. He makes his way up with help from others and other products until he starts his first toothpaste in 1873.

History and mission statement

The founder of Colgate is William Colgate. His first distribution of toothpaste started in 1873 and it was in jars. The Colgate company has been around for more than 100 years.
Colgate Total is approved by the FDA in prevention of cavities, plaques and gingivitis. Colgate Total fights against all germs and can create a clean, fresh and whiter smile to your every day life.