PRODUCT LIFE

CYCLE

OF
SHAMPOO
 Intro
The product life cycle has 4 very clearly defined stages,
each with its own characteristics that mean different things

for business that are trying to manage the life cycle of their
particular products.
Introduction Stage This stage of the cycle could be the
most expensive for a company launching a new product.
The size of the market for the product is small, which
means sales are low, although they will be increasing. On
the other hand, the cost of things like research and
development, consumer testing, and the marketing needed
to launch the product can be very high, especially if its a
competitive sector.
Growth Stage The growth stage is typically
characterized by a strong growth in sales and profits, and
because the company can start to benefit from economies
of scale in production, the profit margins, as well as the
overall amount of profit, will increase. This makes it possible
for businesses to invest more money in the promotional
activity to maximize the potential of this growth stage.

 Maturity Stage During the maturity stage, the
product is established and the aim for the
manufacturer is now to maintain the market share they
have built up. This is probably the most competitive

time for most products and businesses need to invest
wisely in any marketing they undertake. They also
need to consider any product modifications or
improvements to the production process which might
give them a competitive advantage.
Decline Stage Eventually, the market for a product
will start to shrink, and this is whats known as the
decline stage. This shrinkage could be due to the
market becoming saturated (i.e. all the customers who
will buy the product have already purchased it), or
because the consumers are switching to a different
type of product. While this decline may be inevitable, it
may still be possible for companies to make some
profit by switching to less-expensive production
methods and cheaper markets.

Sunsilk is a hair care brand, primarily aimed at women,
produced by theUnilevergroup, which is now considered
the world's leading company and brand in hair
conditioning and the second largest in shampoo.Sunsilk
is Unilevers leading hair care brand, and ranks as one of
the billion dollar brands". Sunsilk shampoos, conditioners
and other hair care products are sold in 69 countries
worldwide. Sunsilk was launched in theUKin 1954, and by
1959 it was available in 18 different countres worldwide.
At the time, Sunsilk had an advantage over other
shampoos in the market as it only needed one application,
and so meant washing less natural oils from the hair.
Sunsilk cream shampoo for dry hair was launched in 1956.

Sunsilk was launched in India in 1964 and it grew with the
growth in the hair care industry, specifically the shampoo
market, in India, launching a number of product variants.

INTRODUCTION -The introduction stage of
the productlife cycleis where a new product is
launched into amarket.
Sunsilk was launched as a cosmetic beauty
shampoo, and was positioned the same way
during its initial years in India.Sunsilk began its
publicity efforts in 1955 with an advertising
campaign that focused on specific hair "issues".
OPPORTUNITY- In its early years in India as well,
Sunsilk focused much of its marketing attention
to position the product as a beauty shampoo.
 GROWTH -In thegrowth stageof theproduct
life cycle, the market has accepted the
product and sales begin to increase.

In the early 1970s, Sunsilk was advertised with
the punch line All you need is Sunsilk. In its
growth stage, the communication of Sunsilk
was focused on different product variants and
promoting the use of Sunsilk conditioners.
 Within ten years of its launch in India, Sunsilk

introduced a tonic shampoo for dandruff,
which was the first anti-dandruff shampoo in
India. In the subsequent years, it launched
many shampoo variants such as Sunsilk Silky
and Straight Shampoo, Sunsilk Care & Repair
Shampoo, Sunsilk Hydra, Sunsilk for Hair
Damaged by Daily Wear and Tear. Sunsilk also
came out with its range of hair conditioners
such as Sunsilk Daily Repair Conditioner and
Sunsilk Soothing Conditioner.
 MATURITY-In thematuritystage of the
product life cycle, sales willreachtheir peak.

Sunsilk attained maturity as a global brand,
with its products being sold in 69 countries. To
prolong the set in of the decline stage, Sunsilk
went for Brand rejuvenation in 2003 and came
out with SUNSILK NATURALS.
 From 2009, Sunsilk has started working with a number of
professional hair experts to develop new and improved products.
Each hair issue variant has been linked to an expert with the
relevant specialist hair knowledge. For example, Dr Francesca
Fusco, a New York dermatologist, co-created a hairfall variant

for the brand. Sunsilk created a new look with new variants, new
packaging, new advertisement and a new tagline Life cant
wait.
Sunsilk has managed to stand apart from its rivals. Sunsilk
understands that different girls have different needs and hence
has created 7 products that cater to a variety of them.

On June 17, 2006, Unilever launched Sunsilkgangofgirls.com,

India's first "online all-girl community" which quickly caught the
attention of the target group as it was promoted through a 360-
degree media communication blitz. The site was branded space
to promote Sunsilk, while at the same time it provided a social
networking platform for girls.The site offers its users access to a
variety of local and global experts to address various hair care
needs through its content, blogs and live chat room.
 COMPETITION & CHALLENGES
Sunsilk faces tough competition from the
sachet market which accounts for 70 percent of

the market. Also Sunsilk still neglects the rural
market which is the major chunk of the shampoo
industry in the present day scenario. Further, the
brand is restricting its target to 20 something
women only and in hence neglecting the middle
aged customers.They have also lost a huge
segment of male users by naming them
Desperate Guys.
 DECLINE-In thedecline stageof the product
life cycle, sales will begin to decline as the
product reaches its saturation point. Most

products are phased out of the market at this
point due to the decrease in sales and
because of competitive pressure. The market
will see the product as old and no longer in
demand.

SUNSILKis in its maturity stage, as it already

made its impact on the market and is still far
away from the decline stage.
 CONCLUSION
In the early years, Sunsilk focused much of its

marketing attention on gaining international
presence. A new campaign was launched to recruit
younger users. The new products focused on hair
color, texture, feeling, dryness, etc. The updated
Sunsilk campaign, "Get Hairapy", followed the same
strategy, marking a bold move towards users in their
20s and upwards said to be in their "quarter-life
crisis". Around 20% of the brands current users are
new users after repositioning while 40% are brand
loyal. The brand is also approaching the rural areas
with Sunsilk Sahelian.

Head & Shoulders(H&S) is an Americanbrandof
anti-dandruffand non-dandruffshampooproduced by
parent companyProcter & Gamblethat was introduced
in 1961.[2]By 1982, it was the "number one brand" of
shampoo, and it was noted that "[n]o one hair care
brand gets so many ad dollars as Head & Shoulders, a
20-year-old brand, and no other brand matches its
sales", despite it being a "medicated" shampoo. [3]Since
the 1980s, the brand has long been marketed under
thetagline, "You Never Get a Second Chance to Make a
First Impression", which has been identified as an
example of "anxiety marketing"