If you were about to purchase a Clearasil product, would it matter if you knew they were manufactured by the same company that owned Airwick, Veet and Finish?

Perhaps you might not pay particular attention to the parent company when buying a branded product, but when you’re looking for Marketing Graduate Programs in the FMCG industry, it important to understand who produces what and which company has a portfolio of strong brands to work for…

Think back to before you started Marketing 101, would you have known who manufactured Pringles or Dove? Why is it that most consumers are familiar with Nestle and Johnson & Johnson’s portfolio of products, but generally draw a blank when we’re asked about Reckitt Benckiser or Henkel?

It boils down to whether a company’s strategy is to individually brand or umbrella brand their portfolio of products – and both strategies have their own merits. We may have strong, recognisable brands amongst our 17 global power brands, but I’m sure our name does not come to mind when you’re planning which marketing/sales job to apply for, even though RB is one of the top performing FMCG companies in the world and just recently, our RB UK Marketing Director topped the list of UK’s most influential people in the Marketing industry. 

As a graduate, what resources do you have to find out about FMCG companies? When I was in my penultimate year at university, I went on Wikipedia.org and typed in ’FMCG’, firstly to see what it meant (!), but secondly to find out which companies fell into this category. From there, I went to each local corporate website and had a look at which ones were offering internships, graduate programs or entry level jobs.

Alternatively, you can go to your local supermarket or department store and look at the labels on recognised brands to find which parent company they belong to…you may be shocked to find that there are only a handful of key players in the market!

I think it’s important to research and investigate which company culture suits you – from reading their company brochures to attending career fairs where you can ask the graduates themselves, its vital to know what you’re getting yourself into. As mentioned most recently in my colleague Chris’ blog post, RB is not for everyone but if you share our cultural values of achievement, team spirit, entrepreneurship and ownership, you will thrive at RB.

What is RB doing to increase its corporate profile? In 2009, we updated our corporate logo to the high performance, pink kite display to better reflect the fast, direct and strong nature of our business and our brands. We have a strong presence on social network websites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube –do you remember last year’s Facebook campaign where RB challenged users to upload videos of their suggestions for innovative products that would meet the needs of people going to music festivals?

Given that there are only a handful of global FMCG companies operating in Australia/New Zealand, you need to do your homework early or risk missing out some great opportunities that can take your career to the next level. Mind you, not everyone has a graduate program or positions in your country but at least you can have peace of mind know about any opportunities that do exist.

I don’t need to tell you that Marketing is a well sought after career and that the applicant pool is competitive, but do your research and you might just end up on top!

Recently Reckitt Benckiser announced the winners in the company´s global competition to come up with an innovative new product for festival goers.

So what was the “big” idea?
Who took the crown in the Decision Making Challenge?

Well, it was Sandeep Gautam and Manisha Mishra, two Indian friends who created HairSUKH, ‘the no sweat hair solution’ for their entry.
But what did they do to make their product stand out from the other interesting projects, which included body cleansing wipes and a biodegradable tent?
Their invention caught the eye of the judges for it’s simplicity, innovation and creativity.
Quite simply, HairSUKH is a useful product. It dries up perspiration on the scalp and hair instantaneously and allows your head to cool “naturally”.

And there´s more! This new product could be used in conjunction with any other hair styling products on the market.

For me, this project also stood out from the others because:

1. They thought beyond the obvious – they invented something creative, new, and at the same time, a viable product.
2. They invented a product based on a real consumer need -they researched to test its consumption potential and its acceptance. This is what we do in “real marketing life” – testing the product before launching it.
3. They tackled the competition brief effectively – they invented a new product with sales potential and planned the most important steps for launching it. They also decided upon the marketing strategy during music concerts for making the product successful (it would come in a range of fragrances and be available in bottles and sachets).

Interestingly, when asked what influenced them to participate in the challenge, Sandeep said: “”The format of the challenge was such that it had to be fun but the biggest motivator for both of us was the name: RB. It is a dream destination.
“We particularly enjoyed it because it allowed us to use innovation and creativity more than theoretical knowledge.”

And they made sure they stood a better chance than their competitors as they read this blog to learn more about RB´s culture – so important to develop a new product that fits into its DNA.
As you may or may not know, Reckitt is recognized for having one of the highest rates of innovation – with about 40% of annual revenues coming from products launched in the prior three years.

I´ve been working at RB for almost year and a half, and for me it is extremely rewarding to hear the winners say: “RB encourages people not only to perform but to outperform. It is a demanding place but it ensures it’s employees excel in what they do.”
This is really what we feel working at RB!

When asked about their winning product, Sandeep added: “The brand name HairSUKH was chosen strategically to evoke curiosity in people. It means Happy hair. We marketed HairSUKH by creating a buzz about it, did viral marketing and also word of mouth marketing. Our friends played a major role in this by using their own network to spread the message. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people involved in this win.”

Nice, isn´t it? This is what you feel succeeding in a project, not just in a challenge…

Well, If you didn’t win or didn’t take part in the competition but are interested in a career in marketing why not visit my previous blog post How to Ace your Marketing Career - or if I can help in any way just write me a line. I´ll be glad to talk to you!

The countdown is on. Who made the best decisions and will take home the $5,000?

If you haven’t yet,  check out the finalists in the RB decision making challenge  - the top 20 rated videos are on site now.

The judging is happening this week and the winner will be announced next week. Entries are being judged on:

• creativity or innovation
• originality
• bold decision-making 
• quality of marketing ideas

There have been some interesting entries, some amusing entries and some strange entries! Which is your pick to win?

Check them out at www.reckittbenckiser.jos/challenge

 
The thinking at RB is, in short, innovative.

There are many other qualities that the people I work with daily attribute (all of which link to the Reckitt Benckiser core values), however an inventive attitude is essential.

Whether it relates to working around blocks or not over-complicating a solution, the ultimate aim is something I always keep in the forefront of my mind. This means that the balance between time/expense and reward is formed quite easily.

Top entrepreneurs embody this attitude, and a recent episode of the British TV show Dragons’ Denfeaturing a single mum from Scunthorpe, perfectly exemplifies how challenging the status quo can lead to huge reward.

The product is called Magnamole and basically helps feed cables through cavity walls.
It’s simple, services a real need, and during the presentation it’s clear that all the challenges were pre-empted.
The dragons love it (as summarised by the one of the investor’s himself in this Telegraph article) and end up fighting over her business.

This entrepreneur obviously made the right decisions, and now you too have the opportunity to do the same.
The Reckitt Benckiser decision making challenge is a competition in which you can win $5000, and all you have to do is invent a festival product which impresses us with your creativity.
More information can be found on this RB opportunity post submitted by Edd.
The competition is only open for another 3 days, so don’t delay, get your entry in now.

And, just as with Magnamole, simplicity may be the key.  Best of luck!

Hi everybody!

This week I want to talk about RB’s Decision Making Challenge. Have you already read something about it?

It is part of Reckitt Benckiser’s awareness raising campaign to have more grads and early career professionals consider RB when they are looking for a job.
Here in Brazil, for example, a lot of people know RB’s brands, such as Vanish, Veet, Veja and SBP, but they don’t recognize RB as company.
The main purpose of this initiative is to develop the institutional brand amongst this target.
Brazilians had their first “contact” with our institutional brand last week, through business magazines and newspapers that explored this subject and issued the release.

The competition was launched on the RB Facebook page where you can find a video explaining how to enter.
The task is to ‘invent’ an innovative produt that would be useful to anyone going to a music festival and upload a video explaining your idea.

And the winner gets $5,000 (or local equivalent) -  a significant prize, don’t you think?

My British colleague Edd wrote a blog post about RB’s Decision Making Challenge when it was launched. He offered tips and advice on how to tackle the challenge – so have a look there for some ideas.

As he works in research and development at RB, he has great tips on inventing a market-breaking new product! It is very interesting to know more about this ” innovation process” (and it could just help you win!)

Inventors and festival goers are already chatting about the challenge. Visit Inventor Spot and Festival Planet to see.

And there have been some great entries. From Frosty Wipes and a Helium Backback to a hilarious entry for a biodegradable tent.
Check him out in the video at the top of the page.
What do you make of the catchy jingle (and his very strange friend!)?
Do you think this is the way forward – or could you do better?

Good luck. I’m looking forward to watching your videos!