Arctic Power

The brand plan that we recommend for Arctic Power for 1988 includes expansion into the West. Because there has been little to no focus in areas such as British Columbia and Alberta, not enough people have heard of or tried the product to help market share. Dipping to 5.5% in B.C. and 2.1% in Alberta, most companies would fear the competition enough to stay out of those areas. However, looking at the information, there is not enough awareness in the west to make the difference that Colgate Palmolive is looking for. When a product is so popular in one region, it is important to find what has triggered that popularity and if it can be found across Canada's other regions. According to exhibit 10, even Ontario's awareness of Arctic Power is suffering. The only place where Arctic Power appears on top is in Quebec while they seem to be ranked on third on average according to the image measure by region (exhibit 9).

Canada has different influences and should not be considered one large market. The vast country has different views on products and companies need to use unique marketing techniques to reach consumers in the west when compared to consumers in Ontario or Quebec. Quebec appears more conscientious about conservation of energy. Though this is targeted as a major issue throughout Canada as a whole, Quebec is one of the leaders of using cold water to do laundry based on the idea of saving energy. Other Canadians worry more about keeping their clothes in the best condition. Places like Ontario focus on stopping shrinkage and preventing colors from running. British Columbia's main objective appears to be saving on electricity whereas Maritimes is pretty evenly spread across six of the eight groups (exhibit 4). The brand's strength includes cleaning in cold water, but there is an obvious weakness in its advertising because people in the target market are not aware of the product's potential. Many understand the benefits in