There are 4 major findings which are observed when we analyse the Marketing situation faced by Brita at the end of 2006.
Firstly, the market for the Brita Pour-through system(PT), which is the core product that propelled Brita’s position in the market, has been stagnant since the introduction of alternative sources of filtered systems such as Faucet-mounted(FM) filter and the introduction of bottled water in to the market. With Brita reluctant to explore the alternative options quickly, other competitors such as PUR, have gained a firmer foot-hold in terms of market-share relative to Brita.
Secondly, the introduction of Faucet-mounted (FM) filter into the market by PUR in 1998 and its subsequent collaboration with Procter and Gamble (P&G) has meant that Brita no longer enjoys neither the first-mover advantage it had with Pour-through system (PT) nor the financial dominance over all its competitors that it once had. This has resulted in a catch-up process for Brita in the Faucet-mounted (FM) filter market.
Thirdly, the penetration of bottled water into the market has significantly hit Brita’s market-share as well as diminished its influence in public. Despite carrying out activities to educate the people about the ill-effects of bottled water, Brita has been unable to influence the public perception and has subsequently been side-lined in the market.
Fourth, the relative dominance of PUR in the Faucet-mounted (FM) filter market has had a major impact on the relative positioning of Brita in the specific market. PUR, with 65% market share has made it difficult for Brita to penetrate into the high potential market of Faucet-mounted filters.
Challenges faced by Brita at the end of 2006
There are several challenges that Brita must overcome in order to attain drastic improvement in the market share of its products.
Firstly, since the introduction of Faucet-mounted filter(FM) in 1998 and its subsequent