at the request of ms. wendy poh, friend and future [...]* (???)
wow... realized that i have not been blogging for a really long time... as far as i remember, it goes back to about one and a half months ago since my last entry. that's really long! anyway, was chatting with danny, my sec sch till uni friend and he said "someone long time never blog liao hor" and that someone is yours truly (i.e. me). then, just about a few hours ago, i was having dinner with some of my uni friends and ms. poh *cheekily* asked me why i haven't been updating my entries. so, miss, here you are... enjoy it, though bear with me as i have many things to write.
i have just ended my 2nd week at Unilever, the company that i am attached to for my professional attachment. so that's 10 days, and frankly, though they moved from jalan boon lay (roughly 20 min bus ride from boon lay interchange not counting the wait time, but 20 min for 2 bloody stops!) to somerset, i have not yet the chance to fully appreciate the new office's facilities. why not? fyi, i'm not attached to marketing side totally... it's more of sales. outdoor sales, my dear readers, so that means i'm often out hitting the road. the new office is really nice, but the enjoying... well... gotta leave it to next week or so...
as of now i'm doing a project for my PA company. at the risk of divulging confidential information, i shall be rather prudent with my words from now on and not delve too deeply into the exact details of this project. what i can say, as an introduction, is the brands unilever has and these are not too foreign since they are present in most supermarkets and your common provision shop.
Food - Lipton, Skippy peanut butter, Walls and Ben's and Jerry's (the latter two is more of the ice cream division), Knorr (soup cubes)
Hair / Personal Care (includes body washes, shampoos, deos, conditioners etc) - Dove, Clear, Lux, Sunsilk (previously Organics), Impulse (body spray)...
i guess these brands are not too unfamiliar with my experienced shopper audience. in general, it is a market research project where me and 2 fellow interns don the hat of a research professional performing market studies (data collection, analysis and recommendations / implications) for the client. there is a scheduled presentation on this project, and if i'm not wrong, a report due for this. hoo boy, i tot i could "siam" reports and presentations during PA! but then cannot! so it's just like school, but it's the real thing and you are presenting to industry people. haha good news for my FYP mates... this is a mini-FYP! survey creation and stuff!! looks like this is gg to help lots for the draggy FYP...
for this research project, i am attached to a distributor's rep on field trips to the stores. currently, i am visiting traditional retailers - groceries, provision shops, medical halls, cosmetic shops... etc. for modernized retailers in particular the chain stores like NTUC, Sheng Siong and Prime, that will be left to a latter date.
in the FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) business, things move really fast - by the containers. the reason is readily apparent - in any economic situation the country is currently undergoing (boom, recession or just "normal) your expenditure on certain goods vary with your income, which in turn is (usually) determined by the economic climate. that means, you are more likely to buy a new car during a boom, while cutting expenses on luxuries like travel or entertainment during times of recession. but you do not stop eating, bathing, or washing your hair - that is where FMCG comes in. you may be likely to squeeze a little less shower cream during recessions so that you can prolong the time you buy your next Dove, but it is unlikely that you stop bathing altogether (yucks!)
in FMCG, the issue is not about who can come up with the better product, construct the more effective promotion, or raise brand awareness better than the competitor. it is about distribution to the masses by the containers. so, for example, P&G can come up with the "new and improved" anti-dandruff solution with new packaging and tout its superior benefits over Clear's similar product, but we can come up with the same or almost the same thing as they do, since we have pumped money into R&D. hence, the distributors' job is to secure deals with the retailers - the so-called gatekeepers to consumer markets - to carry more of our products than the competition's.
with the distributor rep, he/she will go around the assigned area (usually has about 150 - 200 outlets in that area of varying sales) and get the shopkeepers or towkays to place orders for our products. hence, the rep engages in trade marketing - the selling and promotion of products to the channel member (the trade). the retailer in turn engages in consumer marketing - the ultimate transferring of title and risk of products to the consumer. so, the distributor and unilever as well must coordinate efforts with the retailers, who are in the best position to reflect current market information to HQ so that further action can be taken.
so, as i've learnt during these 2 weeks (10 days - 4 in office and 6 outfield), the 4Ps of marketing are no doubt important (product, price, place and promotion). however, what the textbooks do not teach is the PEOPLE and PRESENTATION factors. the people factor means interpersonal relationships - when dealing with traditional retailers, who are mostly chinese shopkeepers, trust is the most crucial of all. with trust, orders are placed more easily and of higher sales value; promotion of new products and convincing them to take is easier, and they are more likely to cooperate with the distributor and/or unilever regarding shelving and pricing issues. for presentation, it means the whole package - company image, rep image, etc etc... as you can see these are abstract constructs that are not easily measured, but the role they play is so critical you cannot just simply disregard their existence.
attaching to the rep is also another avenue for learning. there are things that people usually do not know, let even ask, about something so pervasive like buying a shampoo off the shelf. the dynamics and complex integration of factors is truly an eye opener for me. no doubt, running around the assigned areas is physically demanding. however, it exposes you to the retail trade, and how the intricacies form together so that the consumer can get the item when and where it is wanted. tagging along allows for a deeper insight into the mechanics of FMCG retail trade, and no doubt raises the awareness i have of shopping.
as i told some of my friends, my job is to go shopping. not for stuff, but store visits. anyway, i have about 4 more days of visits to go before i go back to office to compile and analyse the data for presentation. in the meantime, if i happen to reach home early and feel less tired (rather difficult though) i shall blog more about the learning points that i have to share with my favorite audience.
haha... a bit long hor... i kinda felt i was writing my PA report already. nevertheless, i apologize for not posting entries as often. sorry people! anyway enjoy the holidays (if you have) or just enjoy life in general. PA keeps my mind off a lot of things, so i'm quite preoccupied with work work work... and of cos, knock off time!
if there's any suggestions or points that you like to say, pls put in a comment!
*btw, ms. poh may be my future... employer! haha!!! watcha thinking, eh? together we shall make the most successful accessory business in SG! (that's if i'm employed... no partner... marketing exec ma si ho -> 也是好... i talking to towkays v often as they complain alot so also time to train and brush up my beng hokkien! KN****B!!! hoo hoo hoo ray!) <- i think i siao le.
i have just ended my 2nd week at Unilever, the company that i am attached to for my professional attachment. so that's 10 days, and frankly, though they moved from jalan boon lay (roughly 20 min bus ride from boon lay interchange not counting the wait time, but 20 min for 2 bloody stops!) to somerset, i have not yet the chance to fully appreciate the new office's facilities. why not? fyi, i'm not attached to marketing side totally... it's more of sales. outdoor sales, my dear readers, so that means i'm often out hitting the road. the new office is really nice, but the enjoying... well... gotta leave it to next week or so...
as of now i'm doing a project for my PA company. at the risk of divulging confidential information, i shall be rather prudent with my words from now on and not delve too deeply into the exact details of this project. what i can say, as an introduction, is the brands unilever has and these are not too foreign since they are present in most supermarkets and your common provision shop.
Food - Lipton, Skippy peanut butter, Walls and Ben's and Jerry's (the latter two is more of the ice cream division), Knorr (soup cubes)
Hair / Personal Care (includes body washes, shampoos, deos, conditioners etc) - Dove, Clear, Lux, Sunsilk (previously Organics), Impulse (body spray)...
i guess these brands are not too unfamiliar with my experienced shopper audience. in general, it is a market research project where me and 2 fellow interns don the hat of a research professional performing market studies (data collection, analysis and recommendations / implications) for the client. there is a scheduled presentation on this project, and if i'm not wrong, a report due for this. hoo boy, i tot i could "siam" reports and presentations during PA! but then cannot! so it's just like school, but it's the real thing and you are presenting to industry people. haha good news for my FYP mates... this is a mini-FYP! survey creation and stuff!! looks like this is gg to help lots for the draggy FYP...
for this research project, i am attached to a distributor's rep on field trips to the stores. currently, i am visiting traditional retailers - groceries, provision shops, medical halls, cosmetic shops... etc. for modernized retailers in particular the chain stores like NTUC, Sheng Siong and Prime, that will be left to a latter date.
in the FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) business, things move really fast - by the containers. the reason is readily apparent - in any economic situation the country is currently undergoing (boom, recession or just "normal) your expenditure on certain goods vary with your income, which in turn is (usually) determined by the economic climate. that means, you are more likely to buy a new car during a boom, while cutting expenses on luxuries like travel or entertainment during times of recession. but you do not stop eating, bathing, or washing your hair - that is where FMCG comes in. you may be likely to squeeze a little less shower cream during recessions so that you can prolong the time you buy your next Dove, but it is unlikely that you stop bathing altogether (yucks!)
in FMCG, the issue is not about who can come up with the better product, construct the more effective promotion, or raise brand awareness better than the competitor. it is about distribution to the masses by the containers. so, for example, P&G can come up with the "new and improved" anti-dandruff solution with new packaging and tout its superior benefits over Clear's similar product, but we can come up with the same or almost the same thing as they do, since we have pumped money into R&D. hence, the distributors' job is to secure deals with the retailers - the so-called gatekeepers to consumer markets - to carry more of our products than the competition's.
with the distributor rep, he/she will go around the assigned area (usually has about 150 - 200 outlets in that area of varying sales) and get the shopkeepers or towkays to place orders for our products. hence, the rep engages in trade marketing - the selling and promotion of products to the channel member (the trade). the retailer in turn engages in consumer marketing - the ultimate transferring of title and risk of products to the consumer. so, the distributor and unilever as well must coordinate efforts with the retailers, who are in the best position to reflect current market information to HQ so that further action can be taken.
so, as i've learnt during these 2 weeks (10 days - 4 in office and 6 outfield), the 4Ps of marketing are no doubt important (product, price, place and promotion). however, what the textbooks do not teach is the PEOPLE and PRESENTATION factors. the people factor means interpersonal relationships - when dealing with traditional retailers, who are mostly chinese shopkeepers, trust is the most crucial of all. with trust, orders are placed more easily and of higher sales value; promotion of new products and convincing them to take is easier, and they are more likely to cooperate with the distributor and/or unilever regarding shelving and pricing issues. for presentation, it means the whole package - company image, rep image, etc etc... as you can see these are abstract constructs that are not easily measured, but the role they play is so critical you cannot just simply disregard their existence.
attaching to the rep is also another avenue for learning. there are things that people usually do not know, let even ask, about something so pervasive like buying a shampoo off the shelf. the dynamics and complex integration of factors is truly an eye opener for me. no doubt, running around the assigned areas is physically demanding. however, it exposes you to the retail trade, and how the intricacies form together so that the consumer can get the item when and where it is wanted. tagging along allows for a deeper insight into the mechanics of FMCG retail trade, and no doubt raises the awareness i have of shopping.
as i told some of my friends, my job is to go shopping. not for stuff, but store visits. anyway, i have about 4 more days of visits to go before i go back to office to compile and analyse the data for presentation. in the meantime, if i happen to reach home early and feel less tired (rather difficult though) i shall blog more about the learning points that i have to share with my favorite audience.
haha... a bit long hor... i kinda felt i was writing my PA report already. nevertheless, i apologize for not posting entries as often. sorry people! anyway enjoy the holidays (if you have) or just enjoy life in general. PA keeps my mind off a lot of things, so i'm quite preoccupied with work work work... and of cos, knock off time!
if there's any suggestions or points that you like to say, pls put in a comment!
*btw, ms. poh may be my future... employer! haha!!! watcha thinking, eh? together we shall make the most successful accessory business in SG! (that's if i'm employed... no partner... marketing exec ma si ho -> 也是好... i talking to towkays v often as they complain alot so also time to train and brush up my beng hokkien! KN****B!!! hoo hoo hoo ray!) <- i think i siao le.
posted by shicong says... at 11:02 PM
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