Burt’s Bees

Marketing Management 300

Fall 2009
Lyly Nguyen
 About Our Company
• Originating in Maine in the 1980s
• Roxanne Quimby and Burt Shavitz's are
cofounders
• First product: Candles made from beeswax
– Profit: $200 - $20,000
 Milestones
• 1984 – How it all began
• 1991 – Beeswax gets a new use
• 1993-94 – Time to move on
• 1998 – Smaller sizes, bigger success

Image Source: www.BurtsBees.com

 Milestones continued…
• 1999 – Worldwide expansion
• 2004 – AEA Investors invest
• 2007 – Clorox acquires Burt’s Bees
• 2009 – Celebrating 25 years

Image Source: www.BurtsBees.com

 Growth Rates in the Natural Personal
Care Category
120
106
100 88

80 75
59
60 50 2004
40 40 2005
40 35
30
20 21 23
20

0
Burts's Kiss My Tom's of Avalon Nature's JASON
Bees Face Maine Natural Gate Natural

Source: Harvard Business Review

• “I assure you that
the brand and
products we all
know and love will
not change! …In
the months
ahead, our actions
will reflect our
commitment to
great natural
personal care as
well as bring to
life our passion for
people and the
environment”
(Replogle, 2007)
Video: Introducing line of natural acne
solutions

http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/burtsbees/40454/
 Question One
Define the brand equity of Burt’s Bees. How would you
assess the overall brand position for the company?
Brand
• Customer referrals
Awareness

Brand Loyalty • “ the hive”

Perceived • feel good, high quality, eco-

Quality friendly, distinctive, & innovative
Brand
• “The Greater Good”
Association

Brand Assets • Going natural and green first

 Question Two
• Keeping in mind the company’s brand identity,
develop a marketing strategy for the rollout of
the new line of men’s shampoo and
conditioner product.
– Consumer feedback to aid product development
– Emphasize efficacy, natural, socially responsible and
quirky/friendly
– Target the conscientious modern man
– Target men who have no time, but still wants to use a high
quality product
Wake up in the morning with an
invigorating buzz…

Image Source: BurtsBees.com

 Question Three
• Create a long-term marketing strategy to
continue to grow the company. Specifically,
outline a three-to five year strategy for new
product development.
– “Our challenge is to evolve the company through a
change from being an entrepreneurial company in a
niche market to a category leader in a transformed
market”
– Internal development
– Acquisition
Questions?

Image Source: BurtsBees.com

 References
• Datamonitor. (2008, April) Burt’s Bees case study. Retrieved from http://0-
web.ebscohost.com.library.ggu.edu/bsi/detail?vid=3&hid=105&sid=a749afe1-
6b67-4879-b11c-
ec9408cdfc54%40sessionmgr110&bdata=JnNpdGU9YnNpLWxpdmU%3d#db=bth
&AN=36349353
• Story, L. (2008). Can Burt’s bees turn clorox green. The New York Times, Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/business/06bees.html
• Quimby, R. (2009). The Burt's Bees Story. Retrieved from
http://www.burtsbees.com/c/story/history/burt-s-story.html
• Wathieu, L. and Winig, L.. (2007) Burt’s Bees: Leaving the Hive. Harvard Business
Review.
• (2009, July). Burt's bees. Retrieved from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burt%27s_Bees
• Video: Introducing Natural Acne Solutions(TM) By Burt's Bees(R). (15 October). PR
Newswire. Retrieved October 27, 2009, fromABI/INFORM Dateline. (Document
ID: 1879502951).