Kingsford Case Study

1. Kingsford’s products represent one of the largest product groups within Clorox’s portfolio, and Kingsford’s success in the market directly affects Clorox’s profits. In order to develop a new marketing strategy, it’s vital to consider the products strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. First, Kingsford’s greatest strength is it’s a leading product in the charcoal industry, and it has maintained a healthy, positive relationship with charcoal consumers. In fact, Kingsford had a 59.5 percent market share compared to 6.4 percent of Royal Oak and 32.7 percent of the private brands. In fact, Kingsford is considered superior in product quality compared to Royal Oak and private labels, and 60 percent of surveyed consumers indicated Kingsford was better quality.
One of Kingsford’s greatest weaknesses was decreasing advertising over the years and not raising prices to stay competitive with Royal Oak and other private brands, which narrowed the price gap between competitors and lead to decreased brand awareness. Kingsford is also seen as a seasonal product with nearly 60 percent of purchases happening between May and September, which is limiting for sales volume throughout the year. The grilling industry is also heavily dependent on good weather, and bad weather can directly affect its’ sales. Kingsford is particularly vulnerable because it is heavily reliant on displays and promotional items to remind people it’s a beautiful day to grill. “Our job is to make Kingsford visible and let the weather do the work,” says Allison Warren, brand manager who recalls a quote from a sales team member. Kingsford is also heavily reliant on retailers for promotions and in-store displays, and isn’t spending enough on media advertising to maintain brand awareness. In terms of opportunities, Kingsford is seen as the leader in the charcoal category, and it has already established valuable brand equity in the charcoal market. If it re-establishes an advertising campaign, it