I never thought I would get to write that as a headline – but that’s exactly what happened in Chennai this month! Working in the scientific services group, one of our roles is to support claims, demonstrations and approve marketing communications for the brands we support. Demonstrations are a really powerful tool in communicating with our consumer. It’s easy to be sceptical about claims made in TV advertising, it’s a lot harder to disregard when you see it with your own eyes!

This month marketing organised a “Great stain-off” which included use of a 20foot cloth, lots of messy stains and numerous packs of Vanish! We invited residents to throw wine, iodine, ketchup, juices, tea and coffee at 4 targets on our 20ft cloth. 3 stains successfully within the target won residents a prize – I’m sure you can guess what that was !

After a messy hour, the yellow cloth was looking a bit worse for wear and it was definitely time to bring out the Vanish. Taking half the cloth for washing, residents looked on as Vanish got to work. Everyone was intrigued by the oxygen action you could see and had lots of burning questions. The Grande finale was revealed when washing was complete and the cloth was hung next to its messy counterpart.

I think the results speak for themselves!

Can’t get over the embarassement of buying condoms? Try this trick…

Hi Guys. Here’s my first blog, so please do enjoy and read it because it most likely applies to you to!

I’ve been working at RB for two months now, and I find it very fascinating by one of our brands – Durex. It’s THE brand that popularized condoms, lubes and sex toys to the world out there. But guys – please DON’T BE ASHAMED about condoms! However embarrassing it may be to talk about our sexual indulges, having an active sexual lifestyle is important, but equally, knowing how to PROTECT each other with condoms is even more important.

Before I began this blog, I always wanted to write about Durex, but I didn’t know how to approach this subject until – flash back – I remember this rather strange and awkward situation which happened last week.

I was doing my shopping in a Parisian supermarket chain, and of course, as a self-professed RB addict that I am, I checked all the shelves to see if everything was normal and our products were in place.

Then comes the contraceptive shelf; I saw a guy snooping around for condoms while monitoring his surroundings for any wary glances. At the cashier, I saw the same guy in front of me trying to hide his box of condoms (and of course, Durex was his choice ) under a bag of chips.

And there, I started to ask myself lot of questions … Why are so many people so embarrassed about buying condoms? They are condoms, not dildos or whatever sex toys.

For me there is no reason to be ashamed and I am going to tell to you why:

1. You are showing to everyone that you have a sexual life. I am sure a lot of people out there envy your “situation”.
2. Not only do you have a sexual life, but you are also being responsible for yourself and your partner.
3. You will have a clear conscience later and you will not be asking yourself millions of questions because you DID actually protect you and your partner!

So, to that guy at the supermarket (and of course, all guys/girls out there): Stop being so stressful and ashamed about buying a packet of condoms. There is nothing more natural and reassuring!

And to sum this all up in one motto: “Use Condoms… and Use them Without Moderation!”

Let’s say that from now!

This week I have been busy impacting the Profit & Loss (P&L)!

One of my personal objectives for this year on the graduate program is to improve my knowledge and understanding of the financial side of RB. Both the Sales Analyst and Assistant Brand Manager roles are highly focused on numbers. Why? Because RB is a numbers business. Whilst we live and breathe our brands, it’s the numbers that count when reporting our results at the end of the day.
As an Assistant Brand Manager, one of my key responsibilities is the Marketing Budget and ensuring that it balances. In addition to this, I report on the Dettol brand’s monthly performance – both in-market ad from an ex-factory point of view: NR, TS, GM, PC, NWC, YTD, BTG, MTD, PY – What do they all mean? Well I have spent the last 3 days trying to find out!

Impacting the P&L is a 3 day training session constructed around a business simulation which provides practical experience and understanding of RB’s financial terminology and reports. We were put into teams, or ‘businesses’ and guided through a selection of financial data, as well as creating our own through the business simulation. The structure of the training was really well-suited to RB – encouraging bold thinking and initiative as our teams worked through each of the business cycles, fiercely trying to beat our competition.

The team busily impacting!

It was a valuable experience for me, although my team didn’t win, we definitely learnt along the way. Some of my key take outs from the training included a better understanding of the P&L structure and how my own day-to-day activities can impact upon this, and a better understanding of the key roles played by the different functions within RB and their impacts on the P&L (eg: Sales, Marketing, Supply). I also increased my understanding of the financial statements, learning to view them in a different way.

So it was a great 3 days, I am now equipped with the right tools and with a little bit more practice, I will be the Finance Director before I know it. Wish me luck! =P

Our amazingly talented trainer, Gordon!

]]> http://www.myrbopportunity.com/2011/09/29/make-an-impact/feed 0 http://www.myrbopportunity.com/2011/09/08/out-of-office-reply-take-a-hike http://www.myrbopportunity.com/2011/09/08/out-of-office-reply-take-a-hike#comments Thu, 08 Sep 2011 07:50:09 +0000 Jason http://www.myrbopportunity.com/?p=8931

 Over the past few days, my team and I were in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, for a marketing research project.  We were able to head out into the field for a truly amazing experience.  Unlike the usual analysis done in the office, our project was conducted at The Great Smoky Mountain National Park.  We all hiked through the Appalachian Trail and up to Clingman’s Dome (the highest point on the trail).  It was great to really feel the essence of the park, and truly understand why our concept would be successful.  The mountains were beautiful and the air was clean and refreshing.  It was surprising to learn that the reason they’re called the Smoky’s is because of air pollution!

Also, this is the #1 most visited National Parks in the United States.   At one point during our tour of the mountain, we could look to our right and see Tennessee, and to our left, North Carolina.  This trip was not only a great way to conduct research; it was also a good team building activity.  There were discussions on consumer insights, industry trends and long term growth strategies.  We also brainstormed on ways we can continue to grow our business.  This just further reinforced the idea that not all marketing research is done in the office and that it can be fun, exciting and unique, just like RB!  I’ll leave you with 5 quick facts about the Smoky Mountains. Please post a response on any of the cool places you’ve been to around the world!

5 Facts about the Smoky Mountain Nation Park

1. Clingmans Dome is also the third highest mountain East of the Mississippi behind Mount Craig (6,647 feet / 2037 metres) and Mount Mitchell (6,684 feet / 2037 metres).

2. With approximately 9-10 million visitors annually, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is also the most visited national park in the United States. (In contrast, Grand Canyons National Park receives less than 5 million visitors annually)

3. Great Smoky Mountains National Park encompasses approximately 244,000 acres in Tennessee and 276,000 acres in North Carolina for a total of 520,000 acres or more than 800 square miles.

4. In addition to the Appalachian Trail, Great Smoky Mountains National Park features more than 850 miles of hiking trails.

5. The raspberries and blackberries found throughout the trails  are absolutely delicious (I found this out myself)

Source: www.Escapetothesmokies.com

It really goes to show if you put in the effort, it will pay off in the end.

Recently, the Australian marketing team presented the 2012 Brand Plan. Brand Plan – those 2 evil words that would send a shiver down the spine of every marketer. They will mean longer hours, never-ending workload, extreme consumption of chocolate, lollies, pizza. But it’s not all that bad.

This year was my first experience with the dreaded “Brand Plan” and I am happy to say that I did survive! Sure, I worked some late nights and did up my consumption of all things junk food, but I also got to experience the development and planning of our core business – our brands. It really was a great learning process and provided a great platform to understand the drivers of every brand at RB. And working on Dettol, there is always something exciting happening, so this process also meant working up some great initiatives for 2012 – from new product development to our new and improved schools program. It also meant that as a graduate, I was able to contribute my ideas towards furthering our growth and success in 2012, something that I am really excited to see happen!

After all our hours of hard work and stress, it was time to have some fun! Our post-brand plan celebration consisted of a delicious 3 course lunch at a cool inner-city bar, followed by a team building cocktail making course at the Hilton Hotel. It was a great setting for the team to let their hair down after working hard during the previous 3 months, and a great opportunity to chat to and get to know the wider marketing team. At the end of the cocktail class, we were put into teams and had to re-create the cocktail recipes that we had just been taught. We were judged on speed, taste and presentation. I am very happy to say that my team won (and get to return to the venue to spend our gift voucher =D ).

There is now rest for the wicked, however, so we are now straight back to work – putting our plans into action! I can’t wait to put my learning into action the second time around. 2012 is going to be a very interesting year!