Sunsilk Gang of Girls': Hindustan Lever Limited's Online Social Networking Initiative in India

ICMR HOME | Case Studies Collection

Case Details:

Case Code : MKTG175
Case Length : 24 Pages
Period : 2005-2007
Pub Date : 2007
Teaching Note : Not Available
Organization : Hindustan Lever Ltd.
Industry : FMCG
Countries : India

To download 'Sunsilk Gang of Girls': Hindustan Lever Limited's Online Social Networking Initiative in India case study (Case Code: MKTG175) click on the button below, and select the case from the list of available cases:

Price:
For delivery in electronic format: Rs. 300;
For delivery through courier (within India): Rs. 300 + Rs. 25 for Shipping & Handling Charges

Industry Case Packs

Aviation Industry, Banking & Financial Services, Electricals & Electronics, More Case Packs >>

» Marketing Case Studies
» Mini Cases on Marketing Management
» Micro Cases Studies on Marketing
» View Detailed Pricing Info
» How To Order This Case
» Business Case Studies

Please note:

This case study was compiled from published sources, and is intended to be used as a basis for class discussion. It is not intended to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a management situation. Nor is it a primary information source.

<< Previous

Excerpts Contd...

Impressive Figures

Within 36 days of its launch, GoG had 100,000 registered members. Though the 'Desperate Guys' section was intended to restrict the entry of males, within one month of its launch the membership in this section was up to 4,000. By November 2006, GoG had 250,000 registrations and 25,000 gangs. The site had registered almost 200 million hits and got on an average 12-13 million page views per month. By January 2007, the registration base reached 350,000, with 26,000 registered gangs...

More Branded Spaces for Girls

With the success of GoG, rival Procter and Gamble (P&G) also debuted its branded portal for girls in India, 'Being Girl' (Beinggirl.in), which promoted Whisper, its hygiene brand for women. This was an interactive portal that offered the visitors information related to health, hygiene and wellness, contests, games, polls, tips and tricks, Q&A spaces, freebies, etc. BeingGirl.in targeted girls in the 14-19 age group and had various interactive sections such as, 'Your Body', 'Your Mind', 'Beauty', and 'Love and Relationships'...

GOG - In Sync with the Changing Consumer Behavior

Analysts feel that marketers are adopting new media channels due to changes in media consumption behavior of the TG. With the growth in the number of entertainment options, a large portion of the youth had moved away from traditional channels and hence marketers had to woo them in new ways. The increase in disposable income among the Indian youth was also a key consideration...

The Other View

Though most experts have been positive in their reactions to GoG, some said that Sunsilk did not quite have the cult appeal of other popular brands, like Harley Davidson which had communities around them. Some analysts felt that HLL was talking about taking the site global as it was unable to sustain the interest of the TG in India. After the initial surge in web traffic, the interest had tapered off...

Outlook

Experts said that HLL had been suitably rewarded for among the first Indian companies to take the risk of harnessing an online community to promote its brand. They felt that other marketers would also follow suit. It was reported that HLL had a number of activities lined up for the members of GoG through 2007. By taking GoG global, HLL wanted to create the world's largest online community of girls. It was also trying to form a similar community for Sunsilk called Sunsilk Sahelian in rural areas. However it could not be ascertained whether this would be an online or offline initiative...

Exhibits

Exhibit I: A Brief Note on Unilever
Exhibit II: HLL and Unilever Logo
Exhibit III: Brands of Hindustan Lever Ltd.
Exhibit IV: Revenue and Profit of HLL: 2003-2006 (in Rs. billion)
Exhibit V: A Brief Note on the Shampoo Market in India
Exhibit VI: A Pack-shot of Sunsilk
Exhibit VII: Screenshot of Sunsilkgangofgirls.com
Exhibit VIII: A Photograph of a Community Outreach Initiative of Sunsilk
Exhibit IX: A Print AD Promoting Sunsilk Hair Bars
Exhibit X: Daily Reach of Sunsilkgangofgirls.com
Exhibit XI: Indian Youth: Average Time Spent on Traditional Media
Exhibit XII: What the Indian Youth Do on the Internet (in %)
Exhibit XIII: Comparative Daily Pageviews of Indian Social Networking Sites


Fundamentals of Marketing Management Workbook Work Book - Rs. 500 Workbooks Collection	Case Studies in Marketing - Vol. II Case Volume - Rs. 1500 Case Study Volumes Collection	Fundamentals of Marketing Management Text Book - Rs. 500 Textbooks Collection