Client Type: Leading global personal care company
Challenge:
Leading beauty company needed to select one of two skin care brands for development and investment in Asia – and wanted to minimize its risk in making that decision.
Kline Solution:
Kline undertook a detailed assessment of the country markets in scope (i.e. economic, demographic, regulatory) and deep dive on facial care and body care categories and competitors. Evaluated brand attributes, positioning, pricing relative to market and consumer needs. Assessed channel participation requirements. Conducted progressive work sessions with regional leadership team to formulate market decisions.
- Developed insights on alternate go to market models for consideration with traditional entry model.
- Vetted options with global senior leadership.
- Achieved alignment to focus on one of the two brands for market entry.
Client Type: Leading global marketer of cosmetics & toiletries
Challenge:
To build a sustainable position in skin care and round out its personal care portfolio
Kline Solution:
Our business management consulting team provided in-depth analyses of key categories and competitors, identifying key success factors, and delivered a detailed mapping of competitive brands and their positioning. Our industry knowledge and direct feedback from retailers was used to challenge/validate current client hypotheses and business models, and to identify unmet needs. We recommended a comprehensive business strategy which enabled the client to build the business and close key gaps.
Client Type: Leading marketer of prestige cosmetics and toiletries
Challenge:
To identify acquisition and/or strategic partner candidates which would effectively broaden the client’s channel and customer reach and enable it to achieve a global leadership position in the industry.
Kline Solution:
Our management consulting group evaluated several growth-oriented sectors which had significant alignment with our client’s current business.
Our management consulting associates overlayed this analysis with a rigorous acquisition screening program and identified several targets, on a global basis, which fit with our client’s criteria. Several of the candidates that we recommended were subsequently acquired. Our client is now one of the top five global competitors in this industry.
Client Type: Leading marketer of home improvement products
Challenge:
With much of the home improvement market moving to big box retailers (Home Depot; Lowes), client needed to assess if and how it should participate in this channel for its core product line. The client’s brand is a well-respected premium brand purchased by consumers as well as professionals, and had historically been sold through independent and chain hardware and specialty retailers.
Kline Solution:
Our management consulting team provided a comprehensive assessment of the KSFs to participate in the “big box” channel, covering: the investment and resources needed sourcing, manufacturing, distribution, marketing, product mix/pricing, and more.
Our management consulting associates benchmarked our client against the KSFs and recommended a range of options through which we could work with our client to continue to optimize its current business strategy. Ultimately, our client decided to stay the course and not enter the big box channel. This has allowed them to maintain their premium positioning and pricing (and accompanying profitability), and continue to achieve solid growth.
Client Type: Leading global consumer products company
Challenge:
To build its household and personal care products business in convenience stores; it also needed to assess if it was deploying a competitive sales resources to this trade class.
Kline Solution:
Kline's business management consultants conducted extensive interviews with buyers as well as brokers serving major c-store chains, as well as independents. We compared the performance and trade support activities provided by our client against the competition, in view of the retailers’ desire/interest in building sales of these categories. The client was able to use this information to better utilize its sales resources and funding, based on its potential at each specific account.
