Submitted by:

Ammarah Masroor
(12779)
Mifrah Yusufi
(13663)
Rahima Tanseer Syed (14597)
Ejaz ullah Khan
(13657)
Section: A

Comparison of Marketing Department of Safeguard and

Lifebuoy

LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL
December 16, 2013
Ms. Fareeda Ibad
Prof. Business Communication
Institute of Business Management
Respected Madam,
We are submitting herewith the report titled Comparison of Marketing Department of
Safeguard and Lifebuoy. The purpose of this report is to give a brief overview on the
differences between the marketing aspects of Safeguard and Lifebuoy. We believe that the report
will be in accordance with the guide lines provided for its preparation.
This report was made to examine consumers response regarding marketing strategies of both the
companies through an online questionnaire. This primary research was then analyzed properly.
We also interviewed Ms. Marium Arif, Assistant Manager - Sales Development PnG,
Abudawood and Mr. Shahzeb Saeed, Area Manager - New Initiatives, Unilever Pakistan and
gathered information about the marketing department of both the companies. Secondary research
was also conducted from different sources: articles, blogs, companys annual report and online
resources.
We are thankful to you for your assistance in selection of department of both the companies for
research and instructions for research methodology. This report was a great help in gaining
experience and knowledge about the soap industry. If you have any queries regarding the report
we will be obliged to discuss it with you at your request. We will be grateful if you provide us
with suggestions to improve our study.

Sincerely,
Ammarah Masroor
Mifrah Yusufi
Rahima Tanseer

Comparison of Marketing Department of Safeguard and

Lifebuoy

Ejaz ullah Khan

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
In the Name of Allah, the most Beneficent and the most Merciful

Firstly, we are grateful to Almighty Allah for His utmost graciousness and help throughout our
work. We bow our heads in front of our Lord on the successful completion of our term report.
We are profoundly indebted to our course faculty, Maam Fareeda Ibad, whose enormous
support, mentoring, guiding principles and constructive disparagement has enabled us to
accomplish this task. Without her constant check and immense determination, we would not have
been able to complete our term report.
THANK YOU MAAM, for you sheer mentoring and enlightening our morals and intellect
for good. We put forward our profound gratefulness for your support and generosity.
We are also indebted to Institute of Business Management for providing us with an opportunity
to augment our skills and rationale through such projects.
Lastly, we extend our appreciation for our group members for their cooperation; collaboration
and fortitude without which we could not have consummate the task by the dead line.
Hopefully, this report will lead to the positive reception and commend for our hard work.

Comparison of Marketing Department of Safeguard and

Lifebuoy

Table of Contents
LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL............................................................................................ 2
ACKNOWLEDGMENT................................................................................................... 3
ABSTRACT................................................................................................................... 5
INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................... 6
REVIEW OF LITERATURE.............................................................................................. 7
WORLDWIDE VIEW OF MARKET OF ANTI-BACTERIAL SOAPS....................................7
MARKETING STRATEGIES:........................................................................................ 8
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY....................................................................................... 11
Research Tools....................................................................................................... 11
Research Design.................................................................................................... 11
Research Participants............................................................................................ 12
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS.........................................................................12
Interview Analysis................................................................................................. 12
Market Segmentation............................................................................................ 14
Geographic Segmentation.................................................................................. 14
Demographic Segmentation...............................................................................15
Psychographic.................................................................................................... 15
Behavioral.......................................................................................................... 16
Target Market........................................................................................................ 16
Questionnaire Analysis.......................................................................................... 17
Consumer Response towards Safeguard and Lifebuoy.......................................17
Preference.......................................................................................................... 19
Positioning.......................................................................................................... 21
Advertisement.................................................................................................... 23
Availability.......................................................................................................... 24
Differentiation.................................................................................................... 25
CONCLUSION............................................................................................................ 28
RECOMMENDATIONS................................................................................................. 29
BIBLIOGRAPHY.......................................................................................................... 30

Comparison of Marketing Department of Safeguard and

Lifebuoy

APPENDIX 1 RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRE ON ANTI-BACTERIAL SOAPS...................32

ABSTRACT
The purpose of this report is to determine the marketing aspects of two brands in anti-bacterial
soaps that are Safeguard and Lifebuoy. The boundary of investigation of this research is to find
out the consumer response towards the marketing strategies and the marketing mix of the two
brands. However, there were certain limitations of this research, on which attempts have been
made to minimize their effects. The limitations include a brief questionnaire that may not have
included certain marketing questions and the use of non-probability convenience sampling
method. The method used for primary data collection was a questionnaire that was filled online
by the respondents. The data was analyzed through simple statistical techniques. The findings of
the study shows that Safeguard is the preferred anti-bacterial brand than lifebuoy and what
differentiates it from other brands is its variety and pricing. Thus we can conclude that Lifebuoy
should start working hard to come up to the level of market leader.

Comparison of Marketing Department of Safeguard and

Lifebuoy

INTRODUCTION
Soaps are the products used by consumers for washing their hands and bodies. Hand washing
habits differ between urban and rural areas (Prahalad, 2009). With the discovery of deadly
viruses the need for an anti-bacterial soap was felt. The recent entry of products containing
antibacterial agents into healthy households has escalated from a few dozen products in the mid1990s to more than 700 today. Antibacterial products were developed and have been successfully
used to prevent transmission of disease-causing microorganisms among patients, particularly in
hospitals (Levy, 2001). A central challenge in selling health is the development of successful
partnerships between private business and public-health offices and organizations. (Prahalad,
2009).
Therefore, two multi-national organizations by the name P&G and Unilever introduced soaps
that could keep us 99.9% germ free. This is why these soaps were introduced in the world. The
purpose of conducting this research is to find out peoples perception about the marketing
strategies followed by anti-bacterial soaps. Both qualitative and quantitative means were used to
collect data and data was analyzed through simple statistical techniques. Our primary source of
data collecting was online questionnaires whereas secondary source was research articles,
research papers and World Wide Web.
The results of the 40 respondents were analyzed and are discussed in the report. Our team
interviewed Ms. Marium Arif, Assistant Manager - Sales Development PnG, Abudawood and
Mr. Shahzeb Saeed, Area Manager - New Initiatives, Unilever Pakistan.

Comparison of Marketing Department of Safeguard and

Lifebuoy

REVIEW OF LITERATURE
WORLDWIDE VIEW OF MARKET OF ANTI-BACTERIAL SOAPS
Anti-bacterial soaps have been targeting mothers for their businesses worldwide. The traditional
strategy of selling and sales management of many companies faces many challenges to meet the
demand of the customers who want to stay healthy and keep themselves germ free.
Advertisements focus on mothers who are concerned about their familys health and this is the
reason why their sales have manifold.
In a Case Study Series from the department of Corporate Strategy and International Business, it
is showed that a research on preventive behaviors for diarrheal disease shows that washing hands
with soap could significantly reduce incidences of infection. In 1988, research conducted by the
World Health Organization showed that washing hands with soap reduced diarrhea attacks by
48%. (Selling Health:Hindustan Lever Limited And The Soap Market, 2003)
Initially, the ads targeted children that included childrens hero Commander Safeguard in
Safeguard ads and children as Germ Busters in Lifebuoys ads.
At the global scale, however, the developed markets are becoming saturated. Market growth has
been mainly attributed to new product developments and extensions into anti-bacterial and
moisturizing products, liquid and shower soaps, and products focusing on added value and
convenience. These markets are expected to tighten in the next few years due to increased price
competition and consolidation between soap manufacturers, leaving multi-nationals to seek out
new markets in developing countries. (Selling Health:Hindustan Lever Limited And The Soap
Market, 2003)
In Asia, the main markets of anti-bacterial soaps are India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Other
countries include Nigeria and Philippines.

Comparison of Marketing Department of Safeguard and

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Due to low expertise and comparatively low startup costs required to start a soap business, it is
necessary to have unique and imperative marketing strategies in order to reach new customers
and differentiate the business you have with that of your competitor. The natural products are
considered to be having a niche market therefore it is important to focus on the customers
targeted and in turn develop marketing strategies to reach them.

MARKETING STRATEGIES
Partnership Marketing
It is a kind of marketing in which the target organizations tend to reach the target market for
instance the restaurant that use natural and organic products for making their food are
considered to have a profound liking for herbal soaps that they mostly use for their restrooms. Or
consider the office parks that have a very eco-friendly environment are also more likely to target
those employees who like buying naturally made soaps. The restaurants on the other hand also
provide samples of the soaps that the customers can take home. This can be done by wrapping
the soap in cellophane in turn tying it with the help of a ribbon and by attaching the business card
of the shop from where the customer can by that soap. Many firms do partnership with local
organizations in order to promote their soaps during important events like festivals and
conferences.
Social Media Photo Marketing
Many companies use the social media marketing to publicize their soaps. According to Facebook
the pictures and photo albums receive 120 and 180 % more assurance then promotions done via
texting. High quality photos of the soaps can be easily shared with many customers via social
media. Social networks for instance Instagram and Pinterest are picture-driven networks that are
also used these days to promote soaps.
Direct Party Marketing
In 2009, according to the Direct Selling Association, U.S.-based direct-sales representatives
generated more than $28.3 billion in revenue. This profit is made by the help of using the party
or the one-on-one marketing strategy. People arrange for parties in either rented spaces or their
homes where they lounge their products like soaps etc. Their companions and acquaintances

Comparison of Marketing Department of Safeguard and

Lifebuoy

come and learn about these products. One big advantage of using this marketing technique is that
we can easily market to a large group of potential customers at once, earn enough sales there and
then and also meet a few people who might be ready to help you host more such parties in the
near future.
Online Affiliate Marketing
Establishing an online affiliate marketing program is also another way of advertising and
promoting soaps. Affiliate programs allow people who are directly responsible for people
purchasing from you to receive a small percentage of sales. Linkshare and Ejunkie are the
services that helps set up online affiliate programs that keep track of sales and affiliate members.
The best candidates for affiliate partnerships are people who are already advocates for your
brand, so start with existing customers. To help people refer to the products sample images for
promotion and affiliates simple instructions are provided to them.
Brand strategy
Brand is the promise made to your customer and thus by building a brand for our product is an
important task. For instance; gentle, all-natural cleaning without animal testing for the same
price as commercial brands." The brand should communicate with your customers through
packaging, point-of- sale and advertising as well. Thus it is vital to understand that your brand
promise should be congruent with the needs and desires of the customers. Also it should be kept
in mind that only those people should be targeted who care about your product for example if
you are promoting an herbal soap one doesnt needs to market it to those who are least bothered
about natural ingredients.
Direct mail strategy
Direct mail is yet another strategy used to strengthen relationships and prompt an action, like
visiting any store or going to any website. You tend to keep your costs down as compared to
mass mailing by focusing on the customers. It also allows you to get creative, which makes your
direct mail piece more effective and less likely to be thrown away. For example, you can package
a small washcloth imprinted with a special discount until a certain date. The washcloth is
compatible with your soap, and the dated discount prompts action within a specific time period.

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Community outreach
To get known within a community is considered to be an inexpensive strategy, by the help of
samples and sufficient of time this strategy can be easily devised. It offers to talk about
commerce of events or other such bicycling groups that come under the customer demographics.
In this strategy the firm tells about how it initially began working in the business, the procedure
it uses for producing their soaps and also talks about the differentiator if any like donating a part
of the sales generated to any non-profit organization. Distributing samples and informing
everyone to ask for the soap at their favorites outlet is also another way of promoting your
product. If a store perceives a demand, they are likely to approach you about supplying your
product.

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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research Tools
In order to conduct our research the first tool that we used for the study is Interview. The
interview was taken from Ms. Marium Arif, Assistant Manager - Sales Development PnG,
Abudawood and Mr. Shahzeb Saeed, Area Manager - New Initiatives, Unilever Pakistan to have
a clear insight about the products of both the companies and their marketing strategy to make the
research more authentic.
The next tool used for our research was online questionnaires, whose questions were consistent
with our research conducted in this entire duration from November to December. The purpose of
using questionnaire is that it is scientific and practical and thus it can be easily evaluated and
interpreted. The questionnaire was a structured one including questions that are simple and easy
to understand.

Research Design
The research is descriptive and exploratory in design. The data analysis is qualitative on the basis
of interview and quantitative on the basis of questionnaire. The data collected from questionnaire
was through field work from sample respondents with the aid of structured questionnaire.

Research Participants
The participants for our study to whom the questionnaire was given are the students of IoBM. 40
questionnaires on the basis of non-probability convenient sampling were filled online by students
who are residing in different areas of Karachi and are studying in different semesters.

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DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS

The data collected in our study will be presented under each sub section as follows:

Interview Analysis
Our research work includes the interviews of Ms. Marium Arif, Assistant Manager Sales
Development PnG, Abudawood and Mr. Shahzeb Saeed, Area Manager - New Initiatives,
Unilever Pakistan. These interviews hence result in the qualitative data for our study.
Safeguard (Ms. Marium Arif, Assistant Manager Sales Development PnG, Abudawood):
When our respondent was asked the question that how effective did they think their marketing is
in terms of Safeguard the answer was that their marketing strategy is extremely affective and
their teasers even lead to more TRP than their competitor brands. Next when we asked that how
do they market their product, she said that they use billboards and TV commercials whereby
their commander safeguards campaign revolutionize marketing of their products. According to
them the brand that gives and can give a tough competition to safeguard in near future was
Dettol.
Also we asked about what major difference do they see in Safeguards marketing now from
where it started years back, the answer was that safeguard has come a long way since its launch
of commander safeguard campaign that reached out to millions of consumers and gave them
market edge in record time .The brand though has come a long way but they realize that it is
imperative to continue with revolutionary ideas in order to maintain the leader board position and
keep the consumer interested. Further when asked about their target audience she answered that
they primarily target young kids and hygiene sensitive audience.
We also asked that if Safeguard soaps were still keeping up the sales or hand wash has taken an
edge, she said that the dynamics of Pakistani industry is still persistent with the bar soap category
and hand washes only form minor share in terms of total portfolio primarily as the masses still
prefer the bar soap.

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Lastly, we asked that what was the future of their product in Pakistani market to which she
answered that the future seems to be bright as the target audience is young kids who and if they
are able to keep them loyal to their brand they will continue to use their brand and also the new
generation that follows with them if loyalty sustains.

Lifebuoy (Mr. Shahzeb Saeed, Area Manager - New Initiatives, Unilever Pakistan) :
When our respondent was asked the question that how effective did they think their marketing is
in terms of Lifebuoy the answer was that Lifebuoy has a long history of health & hygiene and
throughout this period they have marketed it by delivering the brand promise, through their
campaigns and by creating awareness in markets. Next when we asked that how do they market
their product, he said that they market their product lifebuoy via 360 degree campaign (in terms
of coverage), via customer touch points, digital marketing, direct contacts & school activities.
According to them safeguard is a strong competitor to Lifebuoy.
Also we asked about what major difference they see in Lifebuoys marketing now from where it
started years back, the answer was that the biggest difference in lifebuoy was its launch. Initially
they marketed it as a carbolic soap but then revamped it with new colors, variety and as an
antibacterial soap protecting families and children. Further when asked about their target
audience he answered that they target mostly children of age 5 plus and families.
We also asked that if Lifebuoy soaps were still keeping up the sales or hand wash has taken an
edge, he said that hand wash is an improved way of modern era maintaining hygiene. It creates
market development as hand wash is considered to be a niche. Soap is a global thing used in the
World since ages. But as few factors of hand wash are considered to be better of soap usage has
decline in terms of time, convenience, better feel and higher sales.
Lastly, we asked that what they think is the future of their product in Pakistani market to which
he answered that they believe they cover the entire population of Pakistan in terms of health
census they have conducted as there is plenty of household coverage. Proper hygiene is not
provided in small towns due to which diarrhea and other health issues are caused. They want to

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give proper hygiene to their nation with quality of their product for a better future. Future in
Pakistan according to them is really bright.

Market Segmentation
The term market segmentation means dividing the entire market of consumers into diverse
groups of buyers based on their similar characteristics, need and behaviors.
The market segmentation of safeguard and lifebuoy is divided into 4 parts:
1.

Geographic Segmentation

It means collecting and analyzing information according to the physical location of

the customer or additional data source. Geographic segmentation is frequently used in marketing,
because companies selling products and services want to know about the places where their
products are being sold so as to boost advertising and sales efforts at those places.
The geographic market of safeguard and lifebuoy are similar. Geographic segmentation tries to
divide markets into different geographical units: these units include:
Countries: Pakistan, India, U.K, U.S.A, and Australia.
City / Town size: Population within ranges 5-10 million.
Population density: Urban, suburban and some rural areas
Climate: Eastern and Western
2.

Demographic Segmentation

Demographic segmentation is what divides the market into groups based on different variables
such as age, gender, family size, income, occupation, education, religion, race and nationality.
Age:
Safeguard divides its segment according to age ranging between 8-35 years because their target
market is children and youngsters.

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Lifebuoy divides its segment according to age ranging between 10-45 years because lifebuoy has
positioned itself as a family soap.

Gender:
Safeguard and Lifebuoy target market according to gender is male and female.
Family Size:
Safeguard segment according to family size is children and youngsters and lifebuoy targets the
entire family.
Income:
Safeguard market segment according to income is people of Upper class with income > 50,000
because it is a premium anti-bacterial soap whereas lifebuoy market segment according to
income is family, middle and lowers class, with income >25000.
Occupation:
Safeguards occupation segment includes students as it targets children and youngsters. Lifebuoy
occupation segment is students, working men and women.
3.

Psychographic

Psychographic includes lifestyle and personality. Both safeguard and lifebuoy focuses on
housewives and mothers who care about the health and well being of her family.
Safeguards psychographic segment includes people of Upper class with a lifestyle of Health
consciousness and they focus on people with a robust personality.
Lifebuoys psychographic segment includes people with Healthy and hygiene lifestyle and the
personality they focus on is achievers.
4.

Behavioral

The behavioral segment categorizes the market segment according to occasions, benefits,
readiness stage, and attitude towards product.

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Safeguard behavior segmentation consumed every day, cost dependent on size, every hour
germ protection and germ free concern.
Lifebuoy behavior segmentation consumed every day, every day germ protection, low price,
health and hygiene.

Target Market
Market targeting refers to choosing the most profitable segment which can attract more
consumers and can generate maximum profits.
For Safeguard: The target market for safeguard is the youth, their keenness towards attaining a
healthy and a germ-free life and in turn creating a level of motivation with them to fight against
the bacteria and the germs. It also targets kids by airing various T.V. commercials and the most
popular show Commander Safeguard. The company has successfully built this trend of cartoon
series. This cartoon is regarded to be an ice-breaker in the market, locally.
For Lifebuoy: Lifebuoy previously targeted only men and it focused on masculine health only.
At that time sports men and Macho man was something associated with Lifebuoy. However,
Lifebuoy changed the course of its target market by re-launching itself as germ protection soap.
Its target market then became all people regardless of the gender. It targeted it on elder people as
well as children too by coming up with kids as germ busters. They target family as a whole too.
(Brand story: Lifebuoys journey that is in the spotlight, 2013)

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Questionnaire Analysis
Consumer Response towards Safeguard and Lifebuoy

The questionnaire that was developed to conduct the study included the consumers response
about the anti-bacterial soap they prefer and also about the anti-bacterial soap they dont prefer
and the reason behind it. The questionnaire mainly focuses on consumers choice and which
could then be used to draw out analysis about the efficiency of the marketing department of both
Safeguard and Lifebuoy.
Since the basis of our research was non-probability convenience sampling which was done from
IoBM students hence the age of our sample size lies between two ranges: 18-20 and 21-29 which
can be seen in the graph below.

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Our next question was to see that how much anti-bacterial soaps have penetrated into the lives of
people. The result that came out was good and we saw that 90% of the people use anti-bacterial
soaps and only 10% do not. This shows that anti-bacterial soaps are now leading the market and
that they have positioned themselves well so much that a large majority has started using it.

Preference

The graph on the next page indicates that the people who were being surveyed rated their choice
of brands and it came out that 52.5% people prefer safeguard over other anti-bacterial soaps
whereas 7.5% prefer Lifebuoy and 40% people prefer other soaps over the two. Out of these
others 32.5% prefer Dettol. This analysis shows that both the companies departments are not
having tough competition since other soaps acquire a major portion of preference. Safeguards
department is reaching to the target audience efficiently through their marketing messages and
delivering the desired value to its customers as the percentage of people preferring Safeguard is
much higher than that of Lifebuoy.

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Positioning

The graph below shows the responses of the people who chose the reasons why they prefer the
selected brand and how have they positioned themselves. Thus, the majority of the people
selected brand image to be the reason behind preferring the selected brand with a percentage of
57.5%. Furthermore, the option Other (Protection against germs, hygiene, cleanliness etc.) was
ranked second with 55% as this is what anti-bacterial soaps are for and that they are fulfilling the
purpose. What came third was the Price of the soap with 22.5% which was followed by
Advertisement and Fragrance ranked fourth and fifth with 20% and 17.5% respectively. The
advertisements sometimes do not convey the actual message and lacks consistency and there are
people who are not comfortable with certain fragrances. Color was ranked the lowest 2.5%
showed that it was not the reason to justify ones selection of brands.

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The graph below shows the responses of the people who chose the reasons why they dont prefer
the unselected brand. Thus, the majority of the people selected Other (Protection against germs,
hygiene, cleanliness etc.) as being the reason behind not preferring the unselected brand with the
highest percentage of 50%. Furthermore, brand image was ranked second with 35% which
showed that image of the product and the company matters a lot in the minds of the consumers.
Fragrance was ranked on third with 25% followed by Advertisement at 17.5% as the
advertisements sometimes do not convey the actual message and lacks consistency. Pricing was
again rated very low at 2.5% which shows that prices of the product do not very much affect the
purchasing behavior of consumers whereas Color did not receive any vote which shows that it
does not have any effect on why people do not purchase a certain brand.

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Advertisement

According to the survey conducted in IoBM a majority of students placed the advertisements of
T.V. commercials' to be the main source through which they get to know about the soap product
they want to use. This shows that both the products are doing effective promotion through
advertisements and that people are becoming aware of their brand through this source. Friends
and family advice are the second source through which people opt for a brand hence its
percentage is 20%. This means that this is the word of mouth through which people get to use the
soaps. Newspapers and magazines (15%) is the third ranked source whereas All of the above
listed sources comprises of 12.5%. Website and some Other sources comprise of 5% each
which indicates that advertisements are not strong through these channels.
The result clearly shows that the advertisements of both Safeguard and Lifebuoy are effective in
promoting the idea. However, through other sources not much effective advertisement is done.

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The graph below indicates the usage of the brands. According to the results it can be seen that
80% of the people buy the soap monthly. Only 12.5% people buy it weekly whereas only 7.5%
have a regular or daily use of soap and hence buy it regularly.

Availability

The graph below indicates that where do people mostly go to shop for their soaps and where do
they easily find it. The highest on the graph appears to be the Departmental stores where most
of the people shop for the soap and that is 67.5%. Next in line are All of the above sources from
where people buy (17.5%) whereas Stores in high street and shopping malls comprises of
12.5%. There are other stores also from where people buy their soaps and where they are readily
available and so they comprise of 2.5%.

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Differentiation

Lifebuoy
According to the respondents what differentiates Lifebuoy from its other competitor antibacterial soaps is its Variety in its soaps. The colors, the fragrances and a large variety of hand
washes are what make Lifebuoy to stand out with 3.02%. The second parameter that
differentiates it is it unique square Packaging (2.98%) of its soaps and a unique shape of the
bottle of hand wash. Its Advertisement (2.77%) and Endorsement (2.75%) are rated third and
fourth. Recently, the Pakistani actress Reema has been endorsing the brand in different
advertisement campaigns. The Quality of the soaps is the fifth differentiating factor of Lifebuoy
soaps (2.6%) and because of its quality it has maintained a standard in the market. Pricing and
Availability is the least differentiating factors with 2.20% and 2.10% respectively.

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Safeguard
What completely differentiates safeguard from other brands is both its Variety and Pricing
with an equal 2.13% each. Its different varieties in the soap brands, hand washes and sanitizers
and its appropriate pricing is what brings Safeguard in the limelight and the most used soap
which can be seen through the results of what brand people prefer, and hence it is the market
leader. Its Endorsement (2.05%) from the doctors and certified sources is the third factor that
differentiates it and Packaging (2.02%) being the fourth. Its Quality (1.95%) and
Availability (1.9%) are not much that result in its differentiation whereas Advertisement is the
least rated parameter that is 1.7%.

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CONCLUSION
After carrying the research work we got a clear picture of the marketing strategies and tools used
by both well known brands. There are many areas where Safeguard is found to be leading market
while, Lifebuoy is good on other parameter scales. This data collection method was used just to
compare both the brands. The questions were highlighting the consumer responses and their
attitude towards the preferred brand. The surveys main purpose was to see the efficiency and
effectiveness of the marketing department of each.

However, both the companies tend to segment and target in similar manner. Whereas, both
differentiate on the basis of variety, pricing, advertisement and endorsement. Moreover, not
significant difference can be seen on basis of availabilty but this factor is a source of consumer
purchasing the brand. They have unique ways to retain consumers on basis of their positioning
via advertisements and campaigns.

During survey it revealed that consumers prefer Safeguard over Lifebuoy. Ads play major role in
choosing of brand. Celebrity endorsement or medical certification has a great effect on people
consuming anti-bacterial soaps. Brand Image and the level of protection the brand provides
against germs and is concerned about cleanliness came out to be most important for consumers
in preferring for a particular brand.

Overall, both the companies are efficient but they have to work on some areas to acquire great
market.

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RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Lifebuoy should try to build up their brand image through rigorous marketing to
penetrate into the minds of the audience as complete germ protection soap.

2. Safeguard should target to families as a whole.

3. Both Safeguard and Lifebuoy should come up with new innovative ideas of how to
promote hand washes among all the consumer sectors.
4. Lifebuoy, like Safeguard should design a cartoon character that can attract kids to their
brand.
5. Safeguard apart from medical certification by PMA should use celebrity endorsement for
their brand whereas Lifebuoy should work to get medical certification. This would
increase the sales and improve brand image of both the brands.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY
(2013). Retrieved from http://www.unilever.pk/Images/GHD-PRESS-ADENGLISH_tcm96-275018.jpg
About Us: Lifebuoy. (2012). Retrieved from Lifebuoy: http://www.lifebuoy.com/aboutus/history-of-health/
About Us: Safeguard. (2013). Retrieved from Procter& Gamble:
http://www.pg.com/en_US/brands/beauty_grooming/safeguard.shtml
About Us: Safeguard Pakistan. (2013). Retrieved from Safeguard:
http://www.safeguard.com.pk/about-us.php
Brand story: Lifebuoys journey that is in the spotlight. (2013). The Economic Times.
Levy, S. B. (2001). Antibacterial Household Products: Cause for Concern. Emerging
Infectious Diseases, 7, pp. 512-515. Boston, Massachusetts. Retrieved from
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/7/7/pdfs/01-7705.pdf
Our Brands - Overview: Lifebuoy. (2013). Retrieved from Unilever:
http://www.unilever.pk/our-brands/detail/Lifebuoy-Soap/338549/
Prahalad, C. (2009). Hindustan Unilever: Lifebuoy Soap. In C. Prahalad, The Fortune
at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Eradicating Poverty through Profits (pp. 249260). Pearson Prentice Hall.
Selling Health:Hindustan Lever Limited And The Soap Market (December 12, 2003).
Retrieved from
http://www.bus.umich.edu/FacultyResearch/ResearchCenters/ProgramsPartner
ships/IT-Champions/Soap.pdf

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APPENDIX 1 RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRE ON ANTIBACTERIAL SOAPS
Q1) Which category below includes your age?
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
F)
G)

17 or younger
18-20
21-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
60 or older

Q2) Do you use anti-bacterial soaps? (If yes, then only continue with the questionnaire)
A) Yes
B) No
Q3) Which brand of anti-bacterial soap do you prefer?
A)
B)
C)
D)

Lifebuoy
Dettol
Safeguard
Other

Q4) Why do you prefer the selected brand?

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
F)

Brand Image
Price
Advertisement
Fragrance
Color
Other (Protection against germs, hygiene, cleanliness etc.)

Q5) Why do you not prefer the unselected brand?

A) Brand Image
B) Price
C) Advertisement

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Comparison of Marketing Department of Safeguard and

Lifebuoy
D) Fragrance
E) Color
F) Other (Protection against germs, hygiene, cleanliness etc.)

Q6) How did you get to know about the selected brand?
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
F)

Newspaper/magazine
T.V. commercial
Website
Friend/family advise
All of the above
Other

Q7) How frequently do you purchase the selected brand?

A) Daily
B) Weekly
C) Monthly
Q8) Where do you go to shop for your soap?
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

Departmental stores
Flagship stores
Stores in high streets/ shopping malls
All of the above
Other

Q9) Rate Lifebuoy in terms of the following parameters:

PARAMETERS Excellent
Pricing
Advertisement
Quality
Packaging
Variety
Availability

Good

Neutral

Satisfactory

Poor

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Lifebuoy
Endorsement

Q10) Rate Safeguard in terms of the following parameters:

PARAMETERS Excellent
Pricing
Advertisement
Quality
Packaging
Variety
Availability
Endorsement

Good

Neutral

Satisfactory

Poor

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