Bata promotion strategies in Singapore
BATA - PROMOTION
Introduction
Most students in Singapore grew up wearing canvas Bata shoes to school which were whitened with shoe polish, hung out to dry over the weekend and dabbed with liquid correction fluid to cover stains as the next school week progressed.1 Bata school shoes were worn daily and wore down quickly. There is a popular saying that Bata stands for “Buy and throw away”.2
Over time, these school going students grew up (most of the authors of this project would bear testament) and most shunned buying and wearing Bata shoes as the notion of “buy and throw away” stuck, creating an image in the consumer’s mind that Bata shoes are not durable and of poor quality.
Bata’s image as an unfashionable, non-trendy shoe brand is further consolidated as its shops are mostly located in the heartland areas within Housing Development Board (“HDB”) estates;3 although this is inevitable since Bata in Singapore seeks to cater to the mass-market consumers.4 In the Singapore context, one should note that mass-market consumers refer to the middle class, which consists of the largest group (more than 45%) of the country’s population.5
Promotion in the marketing mix
Promotion is one of the 4Ps of the marketing mix.6 Promotion relates to raising brand awareness of Bata that can be done by the following methods such as advertising, public relations, personal sales, direct marketing and sales promotion.7 Promotion” is not a main “P” in Bata’s marketing mix as in spite of its brand image; Bata does not advertise its brand strongly in the media or public advertising campaigns in Singapore.8 It is rare to see a Bata advertisement on television, in newspapers or on the radio.
The promotion strategy of Bata involves communicating with its customers, consistently selling affordable shoes and concentrating on increasing the number of outlets in the heartland areas of Singapore so as to ensure its dominance in the mass consumer market.9 Bata also seeks to rely on its long
Introduction
Most students in Singapore grew up wearing canvas Bata shoes to school which were whitened with shoe polish, hung out to dry over the weekend and dabbed with liquid correction fluid to cover stains as the next school week progressed.1 Bata school shoes were worn daily and wore down quickly. There is a popular saying that Bata stands for “Buy and throw away”.2
Over time, these school going students grew up (most of the authors of this project would bear testament) and most shunned buying and wearing Bata shoes as the notion of “buy and throw away” stuck, creating an image in the consumer’s mind that Bata shoes are not durable and of poor quality.
Bata’s image as an unfashionable, non-trendy shoe brand is further consolidated as its shops are mostly located in the heartland areas within Housing Development Board (“HDB”) estates;3 although this is inevitable since Bata in Singapore seeks to cater to the mass-market consumers.4 In the Singapore context, one should note that mass-market consumers refer to the middle class, which consists of the largest group (more than 45%) of the country’s population.5
Promotion in the marketing mix
Promotion is one of the 4Ps of the marketing mix.6 Promotion relates to raising brand awareness of Bata that can be done by the following methods such as advertising, public relations, personal sales, direct marketing and sales promotion.7 Promotion” is not a main “P” in Bata’s marketing mix as in spite of its brand image; Bata does not advertise its brand strongly in the media or public advertising campaigns in Singapore.8 It is rare to see a Bata advertisement on television, in newspapers or on the radio.
The promotion strategy of Bata involves communicating with its customers, consistently selling affordable shoes and concentrating on increasing the number of outlets in the heartland areas of Singapore so as to ensure its dominance in the mass consumer market.9 Bata also seeks to rely on its long