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...

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…