Proactiv: How Three Critical Marketing Decisions Shaped a New Ventures Future - Case Study Example

Proactiv shaped its brand by undertaking three critical marketing decisions in its early life. It was important for Rodan and Kathy to take these decisions because; a product’s early life cycle is what determines its success in the market. Dr. Rodan’s and Dr. Kathy’s experience with acne patients showed that there were more people in the market with a dire need for an acne solution than research had stipulated.

Acne is a sensitive condition most people would rather have a product that prevents it rather than cures which was the case in the market before proactive. It is therefore evident that any acne patient who comes across as proactive and gets to see the results are more than thankful for the product. Using infomercials was the best decision for the marketing of Proactiv for various reasons as Dr. Rodan and Dr. Kathy came to understand. First, Acne was an embarrassing issue therefore selling the product openly would not produce positive results, as patient turnout would be very low.

Second, people need to be educated on how to treat their acne something that could not just work in a 30-60 second advert. Thirdly, the infomercial audience was a good target as it consisted of women between their 20s to their 40s who would do anything to get rid of their acne problem, therefore, providing a good market segment. Through infomercials, the product has the opportunity to air testimonials from people who have experienced positive results. Rodan and Kathy were ready to throw in the towel after unsuccessfully seeking investment capital with no success.

The deal with Guthy-Renker was their key to success and if it had not happened then proactive would have had very low chances of existing in the market today. Infomercials were a better choice for Proactiv than print and media advertising because it was necessary to educate people on the product rather than just advertise (Agree and Martin). Infomercials offered more time to make this possible as compared to advertising through media and print where not many people would pay attention and most probably would assume it not to work as the ones already in the market.

Proactiv’s positioning strategy has made it to be a success in the market as these strategies were able to distinguish it from the other products that were already in the market. Categorizing their product under skincare products rather than acne products enabled them to tap into a more attractive and larger market share. Coming up with the name Proactiv also played a major role for the product as customers were not just looking for an attractive name in the market but rather something, that would address their problem (Nickika).

“Proactiv” coined from “proactive” the opposite of “reactive” was the solution and it generated more positive reactions from the market. The use of infomercials was one of the best decisions for Proactiv. It created recognition and understanding in the market through educating potential clients and testimonies, which sparked a greater market to seek the product leading to its success.