Proactiv: How Have Three Critical Marketing Decisions Shaped A New Venture's Future?
Proactiv: How Have Three Critical Marketing Decisions Shaped A New Venture's Future?
Proactiv: How Have Three Critical Marketing Decisions Shaped A New Venture's Future?
Proactiv: How have three critical marketing decisions shaped a new venture’s future?
Proactiv shaped its brand by making three critical marketing decisions early on. It was important
for Rodan and Kathy to take these decisions because; a product’s early life cycle determines its
success in the market. Dr Rodan’s and Dr Kathy’s experience with acne patients showed that
more people were in the market with a dire need for an acne solution than research had
stipulated. Acne is a sensitive condition; most people would rather have a product that prevents it
than cures which was the case in the market before proactive. It is, therefore, evident that any
acne patient who comes across as proactive and gets to see the results is more than thankful for
the product.
Using infomercials was the best decision to market Proactiv for various reasons, as Dr Rodan
and Dr Kathy came to understand. First, Acne was an embarrassing issue; therefore, selling the
product openly would not produce positive results, as patient turnout would be very low. Second,
people need to be educated on how to treat their acne, something that could not just work in a 30-
60 second advert. Thirdly, the infomercial audience was a good target as it consisted of women
between their 20s to their 40s who would do anything to get rid of their acne problem, therefore,
providing a good market segment. Through infomercials, the product can air testimonials from
It is clear that Rodan and Kathy were ready to throw in the towel after unsuccessfully seeking for
investment capital with no success. The deal with Guthy-Renker was their key to success, and if
it had not happened, then proactive would have had very low chances of existing in the market
today. Infomercials were a better choice for Proactiv than print and media advertising because
educating people on the product was necessary rather than just advertise (Agree and Martin).
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Infomercials offered more time to make this possible as compared to advertising through media
and print, where not many people would pay attention and most probably would assume it not to
Proactiv’s positioning strategy has made it a success in the market as these strategies were able
to distinguish it from the other products already in the market. Categorising their product under
skin care products rather than acne products enabled them to tap into a more attractive and larger
market share. Coming up with the name Proactiv also played a major role for the product as
customers were not just looking for an attractive name in the market but rather something that
would address their problem (Nickika). “Proactiv”, coined from “proactive”, the opposite of
“reactive”, was the solution and it generated more positive reactions from the market. The use of
infomercials was one of the best decisions for Proactiv. It created recognition and understanding
in the market through educating potential clients and testimonies, which sparked a greater market
Proactiv’s core product seeks to market itself in the skincare market in which there is much
demand. The actual product, which is acne treatment, tends to have a lower demand in the
market because of it being a rather sensitive subject. The actual product is what indirectly leads
to a high market share. More people are buying it because of its ability to cure acne rather than as
a skin care product. Therefore, the actual product characteristics have been able to make its
spread in the market niche that was looking for a solution to their problems.
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References
Agree, Tom and Brett A.S. Martin. ""Planned or Impulse Purchases? How to Create Effective
Nickika. Real stories: Finally something that really works! 15 December 2012. web. 3 March 2013.