AS1901

Procter & Gamble

CROSS-CULTURAL INSIGHTS SHAPE BRAND COMMUNICATIONS
Procter & Gamble (P&G) has global brands with the same brand positioning and central message. It manages
to communicate this single message, while also localizing it for each distinct market in which it operates, by
really understanding each country’s socioeconomic situation and the aspirations of its consumers. This
gathering of consumer insights is critical to how P&G tailors its communications to local audiences, while at
the same time projecting a consistent brand proposition. This case is a good example of a brand that adapts
what it says to its consumers—and how it says it—based on what it knows about them.
TARGETING WOMEN
Many of P&G’s brands are targeted at women, and we will look at two examples of its women’s brands,
Pampers and Always. But first, P&G regularly takes a long, hard look at its target market, to see if there is
anything changing in the lives of its prospective customers that must be reflected in its brand communications.
P&G says that women, as a target market, are changing in many ways. They are reinventing themselves. They
are becoming more independent, more demanding, more questioning, more self-reliant, more aware of their
power, and more connected. And the increasing pace of globalization, driven largely by technology, has united
them in how they live their lives, using social networking and mobile media. P&G found that the use of mobile
text messaging (SMS) is increasing rapidly, particularly where young women and teens have little privacy at
home. In Saudi Arabia, for instance, teens use Bluetooth technology to bypass the laws that prevent them
from communicating with the opposite sex.
Technology is now a vital part of women’s lives, and they use it in different ways, but women as a whole have
one ideal in common—personal fulfillment. As with the use of connection technology, P&G found that the
expression of this ideal also differs in different cultures and markets. In Western markets, women see the
pursuit of independent non-work activities and passions as their gateway to happiness; whereas women in
emerging markets seek to find a balance between achieving their potential and gaining financial
independence, and complying with traditions and the obligations of family. These insights have led P&G to
look closely at how women’s basic ideals are shared, and how different expressions of them, filtered by cultural
norms, can influence their decisions to purchase its women’s product brands, such as Pampers and Always.
PAMPERS BRAND
Pampers is what P&G and other brand owners call a “power brand,” having achieved more than US$1 billion
in sales. In fact, sales of Pampers have topped US$8 billion, and the brand has a presence in almost every
country in the world. Pampers has become the generic name for diapers in its category, similar to Colgate in
the toothpaste category, and consumer understanding is the secret of its success.
Although motherhood is universal, and a mother’s concerns are similar wherever in the world she might be,
P&G targets the Pampers brand based on women’s different aspirations. The brand stands for the same central
idea everywhere in the world: caring for a baby’s development. However, according to Nada Dugas, associate
director, corporate affairs:
The way we communicate differs with respect to who we are addressing. There are mainly three groups of
mothers that exist in all countries, but the predominance of each group depends a lot on the socio-economic
situation and the economic development of the country.
The first group is more related to developed countries and affluent classes (but is not limited to them), and
their aspiration is to have achievers (children such as the early music learners and experimenting kids). The
key motivators for a mother belonging to this group are:

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• Self-reliance, and creating a nuclear family

o seeing herself as a person—not just a mother
o having contact with people outside the family, but
o with a sense of belonging that comes from a smaller circle
• Enabling development, tracking progress, and coaching for success
o the mother sees herself as a coach
o is able to track development goals
o seeks a competitive edge to reach her milestones
• Discovery, seeing the child as an individual, and building independence
o sees the child as a little person; a “self”
o views the world as a safe place, if one is prepared
o teaches children to make their own choices
o learns through experience and discovery
• Newer and better, looking forward, and being prepared for the future
o views things with a longer time horizon
o believes in progress; wants the newest and the best
o focuses on tomorrow, and has a plan to get there
For this group our communication focuses on “hero-ing” the baby, showing his progress and development.
A second group is focused on relationships and the physical and emotional contact with the baby. This segment
is focused on:
• Building bonds, belonging, and the extended family
o her world is defined by the extended family
o she lives in a community of families
o traditional, generational influences (her mother, her grandmother, etc.)
• Being there today
o of life goals, “Mom” eclipses all others
o more likely to be a stay-at-home mother
o wants to enjoy every day while her children are babies
• The desire to protect
o sees the child as very dependent on her
o the world is different from the one in which she was raised
o may fear the day her child leaves the nest
• Everyday moments
o focuses on “now”; not eager for separation
o memories made of the missteps as well as achievements
o enjoying the “roller coaster” of life
For this group, again, we tailor our communication to reflect the closeness of the mother to the baby and her
caring for him.
Finally, in the less affluent countries, what matters is being practical, healthy, and buying a product that
performs and represents good value for money. Women in this group are motivated by:
• Healthy development, day-to-day living, physical health
o illness is more likely
o baby’s physical health is an accomplishment
o can impact on emotional and economic status
o puts family at risk

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• Value, responsibility, balance, and practicality

o life happens
o solo parenting
o makes trade-offs
o takes pride in making good choices
o each choice is important
• Positive self-image, confidence, and the belief in good
o optimistic outlook makes today happier
o gets confidence from the black and white
o stands up for herself. . .and especially for kids
o believes in things that are “good” and “right”
• Hope and a better tomorrow
o dreams are free
o for her children, she wants happiness, health, education, and “to have it better”
o feet planted on the ground, but can indulge in fantasy
o believes things can change at any moment
For this segment, we target our communication by showing the performance of our product and its value.
The role of consumer insight in brand communications is to enable brand managers to address the target
audience in terms that are relevant and suitable to them. Another example of P&G’s discerning insights into
consumer thinking is the Always brand. Nada Dugas explains:
The Always brand stands for women’s empowerment, but empowerment is perceived differently, and so our
communication differs accordingly.
For example, in countries like Pakistan, Egypt, and the Arabian Peninsula, women’s accomplishment is through
family status: marriage and children. In this case, our communications focus a lot on the married woman and
her family environment. In Russia and other countries, women’s self-realization is through a good job and
economic independence. The external signal is very important. In this case, we focus more in our
communication on the role of the woman as an independent and self-assured woman.
So, although P&G has global brands and global communication, it constantly adapts its marketing to suit local
needs and the nuances of local cultures. What it says and how it says things to people depends very much on
how well it gets to know them.

References
Temporal, P. (2010). Advanced Brand management. Singapore: John Wiley & Sons Asia Pte. ltd.

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