Gain Laundry Detergent Market Share

Brand Placement of Gain Laundry Detergent Gain laundry detergent has been in the market for significantly a long period of time and has been adopted and accepted throughout the U.S. as a household detergent that produces quality and acceptable results in laundry since the 1960s to the present time. Gain has undergone several rebranding exercises aimed at improving the position of the brands in the market just like other products of P&G.

However, of late the Gain brand has been highlighted to be lagging behind the other competing brands that hitherto it used to beat in the market. This paper hence seeks to find out the reason for this displacement from the top performing brand in the market, and also look at the consumer behavior that could possible contribute to the decline in the performance of Gain as a brand name. One of the factors sighted for the decline in performance of the brand is the price relative to the competition.

Gain is estimated to cost .06 cents per load in the laundry machine, which is one of the lowest prices in its range, say compared to Kirkland Signature Environmentally Friendly Ultra 2X HE which costs .12 cents per load as well as the Seventh Generation Natural Powdered HE which costs .36 cents per load (Clarksville, 2015). In as much as high price may not necessarily mean good performance, the pricing strategy often needs to take care of the psychological disposition of the consumer since most consumers tend to relate high price with better performance.

This is one reason why Gain is sidelined by many consumers since they misinterpret the relatively cheaper pricing to mean lower quality hence go for the competing brands that are slightly higher in price. There is need to work on the pricing strategy. According to the consumer feedback on Amazon (2015), most of the consumers were concerned about the new scented Gain laundry detergent. It is perceived as being quite strong and triggering allergic reaction.

Most of the people who objected the new scent preferred the old mild scented Gain laundry detergent which they say was hardly noticeable on the clothes with only one rinsing. Some respondents indicated that the new scent needed one to rinse the clothes twice which is taxing in terms of time and water plus power.

A significant number of clients who had used the new Gain laundry detergent also complained of the excessive irritation that they experienced when they put on the clothes after watching them using the Gain laundry detergent. Some complained of reaction just due to the smell. A few expressed their concern over possible poisoning sine they felt dizzy when they got into contact with the detergent or came across the smell, some reactions are extreme to the extent that they had to be injected to curb it.

These are factors that contribute to the degradation of the brand through word of mouth and social media as it is experienced in Stain Removal 101 (2015) which is a social media platform specifically to discuss the detergents used in homes. It is important hence to understand the marketing strategies that the company has put in place to help counter and correct the above perceptions that are damaging the reputation of the long standing brand.

P&G has strived to ensure that the brand location of Gain detergent is readily available to the consumer, it is a product that can be bought at the local supermarkets and retail outlets. The pricing strategy has also been considered, though not the cheapest it is also not the most expensive hence the company strives to balance the entire strategy of pricing.

This pricing strategy ensures that the highest number possible can afford the product and hence maintain the brand community that Gain has always had over the decades. Gain ahs also used their quality as a strategic marketing point to sell their products over the years, factor that has enabled them to stay in the market for this long period of time. The colorfulness is yet another reason mentioned by the consumers as having contributed to the product being liked by the loyal customers.

However, there are some areas that Gain as a brand, though still strives to emphasize on to gain brand-equity, the competition is fast catching up with them and displacing their brand from the top position in the market. Some of these tactics that have turned out to be flawed are; Brand salience- since Gain has been in existence for many more than four decades, it is presumed that whenever a family thinks of cleanliness they think of Gain before any other detergent.

This however is challenged of late since the advertisements through social media and the mainstream media has exponentially grown such that other brands like Tide and Purex are becoming more conspicuous and taking over the minds of many consumers. Performance -- Gain has always given results as compared to other brands. This has always been the selling point of the brand and a fact that has perpetuated the brand to the current position it is in.

this tactic however is fast changing sine the advance of science and technology, the formula behind the detergents are converging and it is no longer just a matter of quality and performance but the positioning the brand gets in the eyes and the feelings of the potential consumers. Brand imagery -- this is yet another tactic that Gain uses to market its strategy by creating flashy and bright colorful images of their product in the perception of the consumers.

With little or no monopoly over the colors to be used, the competition can easily copy the color schemes that the Gain brand uses and replicate their packaging. The gain marketing team hence needs to ensure that they are at the top of the market by constantly updating the image of their products, in as much as they may stick to the brand color, they need to ensure they are not left behind by the evolution in packaging.

Consumer judgments and feelings- bearing the high ratings and the acceptability of the brand, Gain hitherto triumphed over the competition and the company has used this over many years to maintain the brand community.