– Marketing Management –
Lifebuoy Case
1. How is the concept of PLC useful?
Product Life Cycle, the sequence that goes from introduction to decline,
passing through growth and maturity, was a concept that surely Unilever had in
mind with the inception of its Lifebuoy soap in India. This was fundamental for
the verified and long success of the brand since an insight on the segments of the
life of a product allowed managers and marketeers to exploit and advertise
different characteristics of the soap to better get in touch with consumers along
the different phases. Moreover, PLC’s structure encourages managers to develop
a proactive attitude rather than a reactive posture, which will prepare them
better towards competitors’ moves through expected tendencies.
2. How did Lifebuoy strategies in the early stages of its PLC enabled the
brand to become a leader?
Lifebuoy did a very good job adapting its strategies to the introduction
and growth phase. During the first part of the PLC, the soap was introduced to
the market with the positioning of killing germs and promoting health with the
use of its carbolic acid. Now, at the time, Rural India was constantly tormented by
plagues, and as a good that responded to a need of first instance, life, as the name
that comes from life-saving device implies, and further deepens the product’s
