BIC_Brand Analysis

BIC Shavers
Brand Analysis
Student Name: Eitai Ben-Natan
Student Number: S216999
Module: Design and Brand Management
Course: M.Des Design, Strategy and Leadership
Faculty: School of Applied Science

BIC Shavers – Brand Analysis Page 2
Table of Contents
Introduction .......................................................................................................................................................4
BIC - Company Overview....................................................................................................................................4
Background ....................................................................................................................................................4
Company Vision..............................................................................................................................................5
Product Range................................................................................................................................................5
Financial Performance....................................................................................................................................6
Overview of the UK Hair Removal Market .........................................................................................................7
Market Drivers ...............................................................................................................................................7
Channels to market ........................................................................................................................................8
Segment Performance....................................................................................................................................8
BIC Shaver Brand Analysis..................................................................................................................................9
Brand Personality ...........................................................................................................................................9
Competitive Analysis....................................................................................................................................11
Promotion Channel Analysis.........................................................................................................................14
Brand Activity Gaps & Solutions.......................................................................................................................21
Brand Activity SWOT Analysis.......................................................................................................................21
Suggested Solutions .....................................................................................................................................23
Conclusion........................................................................................................................................................24
References .......................................................................................................................................................25
List of Figures
Figure 1 – BIC Product Launches Timeline..........................................................................................................4
Figure 2 – BIC - Geographical Sales Breakdown 2013.........................................................................................6
Figure 3 – BIC Sales Performance (2004-2013)...................................................................................................6
Figure 4 – BIC Shavers Sales Performance (2009-2013) .....................................................................................6
Figure 6 – Men Hair Removal Areas - June 2014................................................................................................7
Figure 7 – BIC Razor Persona............................................................................................................................10
Figure 8 – Attitudes towards and usage of brands in the men’s shaving sector, August 2014.........................11
Figure 9 – Attitudes, by men’s shaving brand, August 2014.............................................................................12
Figure 10 – Men’s shaving brand personality – macro image, August 2014 ....................................................13
Figure 11 – Satisfaction with various men’s shaving brands, August 2014.......................................................13
Figure 12 – UK main monitored media advertising spends on men’s and women’s shaving and hair removal
products, by media type, 2012-14....................................................................................................................14
Figure 13 – Human Curling Commercial & BIC RoboRazor TV Commercial ......................................................15

Figure 14 – Promotional Sites (BIC Soleil, Gillette & Wilkinson).......................................................................16
Figure 15 – Interaction with brands and products on social or media networks, February 2014 ....................17
Figure 16 – Interactions with brands and products on social networks, by tablet and smartphone ownership,
February 2014 ..................................................................................................................................................18
Figure 17 – Facebook Ad Platform Interest Base Stats Dec 2014 (UK) .............................................................19
Figure 18 – Gillette iPhone Application............................................................................................................20
Figure 19 – BIC Razors SWOT Analysis..............................................................................................................21
Figure 20 – Brand/Competitors/Consumer - Venn Diagram ............................................................................22
List of Tables
Table 1 – BIC - Product Range Stats 2013...........................................................................................................5
Table 2 – Trends in the age structure of the UK male population, 2009-19.......................................................8
Table 3 – UK retail value sales of men’s and women’s shaving and hair removal products, by outlet type,
2012-14..............................................................................................................................................................8
Table 4 – UK retail value sales of men’s and women’s shaving products and depilatories, by segment, 2012-
14 .......................................................................................................................................................................8
Table 5 – BIC Shaver Brand Analysis using Kapferer Brand Identity Prism Model..............................................9
Table 6 – Networks on which consumers carried out activities, February 2014 ..............................................17
Table 7 – BIC Razors Facebook & Twitter Accounts (Dec 2014) .......................................................................18
Table 8 – Gillette and Wilkinson, Facebook & Twitter Accounts (Dec 2014)....................................................19
Table 9 – Gillette & Wilkinson UK YouTube Channels Stats (Dec 2014) ...........................................................19

Introduction
The following report is a brand analysis of BIC razor for men, focusing on BIC activities in the UK market.
The report consists of four parts:
 Company Overview – in this part I will provide a background information about BIC, its vision,
product range and financial performance.
 UKs Hair Removal Market Overview – in this part I will provide an overview of the UKs hair removal
market looking into: market drivers, channels to market and segment performance.
 Brand Analysis – in this part I will cover BIC shavers for men brand personality, how the brand is
compared to competing brands in the same segment and BIC shavers current promotional activities.
 Brand Activity Gaps & Solutions – in the final part of the report I will highlight gaps in BICs brand
activities in the BIC shavers’ products for men, and offer solutions to bridge those gaps.
BIC - Company Overview
Background
Société BIC (BIC in short) was established in 1945 at Clichy, France. Initially it produced and sold ballpoint
pens, and overtime it expanded its product portfolio to include: promotional products, lighters, razors, water
sports products and mobile phones.
1940 2015
1950
BIC Cristal
1953
BIC Corp
1969
BIC Promotional Products
1973
BIC Lighters
1975
BIC Disposable Razors
1979
BIC Sports
2008
BIC Phone
1945
BIC
Established
Figure 1 – BIC Product Launches Timeline
Source: http://www.bicworld.com/en/bic-group/history/
BIC is currently operating in more than 160 countries, with 9,373 employees and 26 manufacturing facilities
worldwide (BIC Editorial Team, 2014b).

BIC’s operational structure is as follows (Business Case Studies LLP[1], n.d.):
 Three category managers (office supply, shavers and lighters) – responsible for the marketing,
development and manufacturing of each product category across the globe.
 Four continental managers (Latin America, Europe, Middle East/Africa/Asia, and North
America/Oceanic) – manage product distribution per continent and overlooking respective country
managers’ activities.
Company Vision
Every BIC product follows the company’s vision of creating simple, inventive and reliable products for
everyone, everywhere. All BIC products are manufactured in-house in various factories based in different
continents.
As BIC operates in a matrix format with two reporting lines: product and geographical area, it enables BIC
the following (Huang & Ohanian, 2006):
 Create market-specific product portfolios
 Quick production and distribution of products locally
BIC also puts great emphasis on its environmental credos through the development of a comprehensive
sustainability report (BIC Sustainable Development Barometer), environmental impact analysis reports and
ongoing product development through the use of sustainable supply chain (material, responsible
purchasing/suppliers, social audit program for its employees, and local community business initiatives) (BIC
Editorial Team, 2014a; Desbois, 2014).
Product Range
According to BIC’s 2013 annual financial reports it sold 46M products a day globally, through 3.2M various
point of sales such as: retail shops, stationary stores, tobacco shops, etc.
BIC product range falls into four main categories: stationary, lighters, shavers and promotional products.
Product Stationary Lighters Shavers1
Promotional Other
Daily Sales 25M 6M 10M 5M NA
Net Sales 33% 29% 20% 14% 4%
World Market
Position (Sales)
1st
– Europe,
Africa, L.
America
2nd
– N.
America,
Oceania
1st
– worldwide 2nd
–
worldwide
2nd
– Europe
4th
– N.
America
NA
Table 1 – BIC - Product Range Stats 2013
Source: BIC Editorial Team, 2014b
1
Relates to the sales of non-refillable shaver market

Financial Performance
BIC net sales in 2013 stood at 1,887.8M EUR and the geographical sales breakdown is as follows:
Figure 2 – BIC - Geographical Sales Breakdown 2013
Despite a slight dip in global net sales across all product categories in 2013 compared to 2012 (see Figure 3),
BIC net sales in the shavers category increased by 4mn EUR globally (see Figure 4)
Figure 3 – BIC Sales Performance (2004-2013)
Figure 4 – BIC Shavers Sales Performance (2009-2013)
BIC shavers category had solid performance at times of economic uncertainty as people were looking for
ways to reduce their overall spending, especially in the consumption of FCMG products (groceries and other
consumables) (Zagrebnov, 2011).

Overview of the UK Hair Removal Market
Market Drivers
Two main drivers that will impact the UK male shaving and hair removal market in the next 5 years (Libby,
2014):
Social norms –
 Young adults (16-24) -
o 50% feel more pressured to shave and groom themselves.
o 64% in that age group remove hair from the chins and jawlines.
o Thanks to the media attention given to the UK swimming team at the 2012 London
Olympics, that drew focus on hair-free bodies, 54% of young adults remove hair from their
pubic region, chest and underarm.
 Adults (25-34) -
o 64% of men in that age group remove hair from their jawline.
o 42% feel that growing beards are now in fashion, suggesting the men in this age group are
following fashion for facial hair.
Figure 5 – Men Hair Removal Areas - June 2014
Source: 2000 internet users 16+, Mintel estimates (Libby, 2014)
Aging population – which will challenge the hair removal market, as hair grows slowly as you get old and
according to the Office of National Statistics, it is projected that 21% of the UK male population by 2019, will
be in the over 50 years age bracket, an increase by 18% compared to other age-groups.
55%
29%
13% 12%
9%
6% 5% 4%
2%
30%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Head Pubic
Region
Chest Underarm Back Bottom Arms Legs Feet No Hair
Removed
Past 12
Months
Hair Removal Areas (Men)

Age
Group
2009 2014 2019 (Proj) % change
2009-
2014
% change
2014-
2019
000s % 000s % 000s %
0-4 1,934 3.1 2,109 3.3 2,145 3.2 +9 +1.7
5-9 1,742 2.8 1,940 3 2,112 3.2 +11.4 +8.9
10-14 1,850 3 1,749 2.7 1,944 2.9 -5.5 +11.2
15-19 2,035 3.3 1,890 2.9 1,785 2.7 -7.1 -5.6
20-24 2,175 3.5 2,226 3.5 2,066 3.1 +2.3 -7.2
25-34 4,047 6.5 4,589 7.1 4,881 7.3 +13.4 +6.4
35-44 4,466 7.2 4,077 6.3 4,155 6.2 -8.7 +1.9
45-54 4,117 6.7 4,468 7 4,371 6.6 +8.5 -2.2
55-64 3,585 5.8 3,555 5.5 3,905 5.9 -0.8 +9.8
65+ 4,420 7.2 5,130 8 5,671 8.5 +16.1 +10.5
Total 30,372 49.2 31,734 49.4 33,034 49.5 +4.5 +4.1
Table 2 – Trends in the age structure of the UK male population, 2009-19
Source: Mintel estimates (Libby, 2014)
Channels to market
In 2013, majority of shaving and hair removal products in the UK were sold through either grocery stores
(47%) as part of a weekly shopping, or at chemist & drugstore (39%). Discounter shops has benefitted in this
market thanks to the recent economic climate (6%) (Libby, 2014)
2012 2013 2014 (est) % change
£m % share £m % share £m % share 2012-13
Grocery multiples 289 47 288 47 293 47 -0.3
Chemists & drugstores 239 39 237 39 240 38 -0.8
Discounters & convenience stores 34 6 34 6 36 6 0.0
Others* 52 8 52 9 55 9 0.0
Total 614 100 611 100 624 100 -0.5
Table 3 – UK retail value sales of men’s and women’s shaving and hair removal products, by outlet type, 2012-14
Source: Mintel estimates (Libby, 2014)
Segment Performance
In 2013 the sales of razor and blades in the UK totaled at £366m and amounted to 60% share of sales in UKs
shaving and hair removal market, and despite a slight drop in sales of razors and blades between 2012 and
2013, the segment is projected to increase from 2014 onwards. (Libby, 2014)
2012 2013 2014 (est) % change
£m % share £m % share £m % share 2012-13
Razors & Blades 368 60 366 60 379 61 -0.6
Electric 119 19 118 19 121 19 -0.7
Shaving Preparations 77 13 77 13 75 12 +0.5
Depilatories 50 8 49 8 49 8 -1.2
Total 614 100 611 100 624 100 -0.5
Table 4 – UK retail value sales of men’s and women’s shaving products and depilatories, by segment, 2012-14
Source: Based on IRI/Mintel (Libby, 2014)

BIC Shaver Brand Analysis
Brand Personality
Brand identity is the outward expression of the brand including its name, trademark, communications and
visual appearance; therefore it is a fundamental means of consumer recognition and symbolizes the brand’s
differentiation from competitors (Kapferer, 2012)
As the market for shavers and hair removal products is quite crowded, and BIC faces direct competition with
the likes of Gillette and Wilkinson in the UK market, it is important to understand how BIC stands out from
its competitors in the same segment.
Physics Personality
BIC razors are physical products with simple and
unified structure that hasn’t changed much since
the creation of the BIC-1 classic in 1975. The lack of
variety and product differentiation highlights the
robustness, longevity and consistency of the brand
throughout the years.
During the 80’s BIC used tennis legend, John
McEnroe, as its brand personality together with
tongue-in-cheek humor throughout BIC campaigns.
This symbolizes a more down-to-earth approach to
BIC product range, highlighting substance over
form, and aimed at people who don’t take
themselves too seriously.
Relationship Culture
BIC doesn’t engage with its clients directly but
through sales agents such as: grocery shops,
drugstores etc., and therefore they put emphasis
on product robustness and consistency with
gradual changes not to alienate their existing client
based who are accustomed to certain performance
from their product range.
BIC moto is “honor the past, invent the future” by
focusing on creating simple, inventive and reliable
products for everyone, everywhere. These set of
values do come across in all of BIC product range.
By honoring the past they show their appreciation
to their existing loyal-based clients by introducing
gradual technological innovations in its product
range and at cost-value.
Reflection Self-Image
BIC razors products for men aim at all age groups
for people who require a cost-effective products for
grooming without the brand hype.
BIC razors users see themselves as the typical
“joes”, who just want to go with their grooming
activities without the fuss of brand hype. They
prefer functionality and cost-effectiveness over
imagery and brand association.
Table 5 – BIC Shaver Brand Analysis using Kapferer Brand Identity Prism Model.

Here’s a suggested brand persona of the typical customer of BIC razor blades:
John
Office Manager at an IT company
Personal Profile
John is 35 years old, married with 2 children (boy and girl). He lives in
Northampton at a semi-detached house about 20 min ride by car to city
centre, depending on traffic.
John moved with his family from Birmingham to Northampton 5 years ago,
because of his job. He works as an office manager at an IT company
working the typical office hours 9-17 with the occasional overtime.
John got an undergraduate business degree from Birmingham University,
and is considering doing an MBA in a year or two, not sure where.
In his pastime he likes to watch football and rugby with his mates at the
pub, or tending to his garden or some other odd DIY work around the
house.
Shaving Ritual
John daily grooming is fairly basic, he shaves every two days right after his
morning shower, and he doesn’t fuss about the grooming ritual... “I simply
apply shaving gel on my face, shave, put on an after-shave and go on with
my life…”.
Why Using BIC
John is using BIC razor blade 3 sensitive for quite some time, as a matter of
fact he’s been using BIC products for quite a while now, he’s not entirely
sure why maybe he simply got used to it, but he definitely won’t go for
other brand alternative which are much too expensive. He buys his BIC
razors at Tesco for £7.99 (pack of 12) compared to Gillette which cost
nearly twice, and electric shavers don’t work for him as he still needs to go
over the shaved areas with razors, so that’s a total waste of his time.
John Goals
 Fuss-free shaving
 Not breaking the bank with
buying unnecessary toiletry
products
Brand Objective
 To continue and provide John
with good value for his money.
 Ensuring the BIC products are
priced to the same level in
different selling point, to make
John shopping choices easy.
Figure 6 – BIC Razor Persona
By applying both Kapferer brand identity analysis together with a typical persona profile of a BIC razor user,
the image of BIC brand personality from it razor product range for men is that of: a robust, good quality,
great-value, down-to-earth, not patronising and trustworthy brand/product.
In the following sections I will analyse BIC razors brand position compared to its competitors in the UK
market, and how does the brand come across through various communication channels.

Competitive Analysis
BICs main competitors in the UK market in the Razors & Blades segment are: Gillette and Wilkinson.
In terms of sale volumes Gillette is leading with a 47%2
market share, followed by Wilkinson (18%) and BIC
(11%) (Libby, 2014).
In terms of competitive brand positioning, Gillette is also the most dominant brand based on product
differentiation and trust3
, suggesting that Gillette is the first brand come to mind when thinking on razors for
men.
Figure 7 – Attitudes towards and usage of brands in the men’s shaving sector, August 2014
Source: GMI/Mintel (Libby, 2014) - Bubble size represents usage (% ever used)
2
Market share percentage only refers to razors for men, and exclude shaving accessories such as: cream, gel, balm etc.
3
There’s no mention as to why Wilkinson doesn’t show-up in the Mintel brand positioning graph (Figure 7)
BIC on the other hand, stands high in terms of trust but is unlikely to stand-out as a brand in the razors
category due to lack of differentiation, which fits neatly with BIC company vision of producing simple,
inventive and reliable products for everyone, everywhere (Libby, 2014)

Figure 8 – Attitudes, by men’s shaving brand, August 2014
Source: GMI/Mintel (Libby, 2014) - male internet users aged 16+
The chart above plots various brands with regard to ‘razor for men’ products, and their association with
three key performance attributes: Innovation, Value and Social Responsibility.
BIC lies comfortably in the “offers good value” bit of the graph, as it offers cheaper disposal razors, as
oppose to Gillett which scores high on innovation and as a result consumers are willing to pay a bit more to
be associated with a cutting-edge brand.
It’s also notable that BIC scored relatively-low in the “social responsibility” value, despite the fact that BIC
won numerous awards in that category (BIC Editorial Team, 2014a), which might suggests two things:
 Environmental features aren’t that important to men when buying shaving goods – or –
 BIC environmental credentials aren’t communicated properly to its target audience
Studies show that associating environmental attributes with brand can contribute toward brand
differentiation (Gallarotti, 1995), which will be viable as long as the environmental advantages can be
communicated to the public (Azzone & Bertele, 1994), this might be an opportunity for BIC to standout
from its competitors.

Figure 9 – Men’s shaving brand personality – macro image, August 2014
The above chart plots ‘razor for men’ brand in terms of brand imagery. BIC is in a cross section boring, tired
and accessible brand imagery, this again is an indicator of BIC unglamorous brand image compared to other
brands. BICs brand imagery seems to appeal more to men above the age of 45 who are less sensitive to
brand association with regard to shaving products, compared to the younger-fashion aware generation.
Figure 10 – Satisfaction with various men’s shaving brands, August 2014

In terms of perceived product satisfaction based on brand, BIC’s value-oriented proposition impacts the
brand overall positivity, and as the product doesn’t go beyond users expectation as majority of users gave it
an average score in satisfaction.
Comparing BIC’s perceived user satisfaction to that of Gillette, it’s quite evident that BIC serves it purpose
but with the risk of being completely ignored by a younger generation of users who are more inclined to
buy products from brands perceived to be younger and more fashionable.
This image also impact the likelihood of BIC razors being recommended to other users (63%), however saying
that as BIC as a value-oriented product lack of recommendation for the product doesn’t make much impact
upon its actual usage (Libby, 2014).
Promotion Channel Analysis
In 2013, a total of £31.5mn were spend on advertising for hair removal products in the UK, out of which
£12.8mn were related to the promotion of manual razors.
The most dominant form of promotion channel was TV (76%) followed by press (23%) where online
promotion was negligible (<1%).
2012 2013 Jan-Jul 2014 % change
2012-13£m % share £m % share £m % share
TV 22.2 73 23.9 76 15.4 81 +7.8
Press 6.7 22 7.1 23 3.4 18 +6.5
Radio 0.3 1 0.3 1 0.2 1 -13.5
Internet 1.2 4 0.1 0 0.1 0 -89.4
Other 0.1 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 -66.0
Total 30.5 100 31.5 100 19.0 100 +3.1
Figure 11 – UK main monitored media advertising spends on men’s and women’s shaving and hair removal products, by media type,
2012-14
Source: Nielsen Media Research/Mintel (Libby, 2014)
TV Promotion
From 1979-1986 former tennis player champion, John McEnroe, was the official brand sponsor personality
of BIC razors for men. At the time all the BIC commercials featuring John McEnroe had tongue-in-cheek vibe
to them giving ‘BIC razor for men’ a more approachable, down-to-earth and affable feel without the glamor
and high-market feel that was associated with competing brands (Gillette, Braun, Wilkinson).
Since the mid-90’s BIC moved away from using a brand personality in their commercials and kept the overall
fun and down-to-earth feel in its commercials (see Figure 12 below), this is an interesting approach as the
likes of Gillette kept using celebrity brand personalities such as Roger Federer, Lionel Messi, Tiger Woods
and Thierry Henry to maintain their status with their target audience through the imagery of a successful
cutting-edge brand.

Figure 12 – Human Curling Commercial & BIC RoboRazor TV Commercial
Source: YouTube.com (Turan, 2011) & (BIC YouTube Channel, 2011)
In 2010 the BIC in the US, also promoted the “BIC 4 Good” challenge, that ask men to shave their head for
the DoSomething.org charity that empowers youth to do something good in their local communities (PR
Newswire, 2010), this approach was in line with other brands charity activities where both Gillette and
Wilkinson associated themselves with the Movember charity event, however in the UK BIC shavers for men
isn’t associated with any charity cause, which is again a missed opportunity for them to engage with their
target audience in the UK.

Online Media
Promotional Site
Surprisingly enough BIC hasn’t got a dedicated promotional branded site in the UK or worldwide, for its
Razor for men product range, unlike BIC Soleil site for women (www.feelthesoleil.co.uk) that promotes BIC
shaving products for women or other competing brands in the same product category segment like Gillette
(www.gillette.com) and Wilkinson (www.wilkinsonsword.co.uk).
Figure 13 – Promotional Sites (BIC Soleil, Gillette & Wilkinson)
This is a major gap in BIC approach to reach-out to its male target audience and engage with them, although
BIC products are quite popular with the over 50 age range (Libby, 2014), it potentially overlook the younger
generation segment that look for value in money when they purchase shaving goods. Also looking at BICs TV
and video commercials it’s quite clear that they’re trying to appeal to a younger population segment with
their fun-to-watch campaigns but there’s no way for that segment to engage directly with BIC products
through a dedicated site.
Social Media
In the UK the social media landscape has grown greatly in terms of user volumes in the past 7 years. Nearly
25% of the social media users in the UK market use this channel to ask and gather information on various
products they interested in (Gee, 2014).

Figure 14 – Interaction with brands and products on social or media networks, February 2014
Source: GMI/Mintel (Gee, 2014), 1,691 internet users aged 16+ who are social network or media network users
In terms of brand engagement through social media in the UK, 87% of social media users asked brands for
help prior to purchasing a product and 88% asked for help as part of post-sale support.
Purchased a
product I was
previously
unaware of,
after my
friends or
family posted
about it on
social network
Purchased a
product I was
previously
unaware of,
after a brand
or retailer
posted about it
on social
network
Used social
networks to
ask people for
information,
opinions or
reviews on
specific
products I am
interested in
Asked people
to recommend
specific
products to me
when I am not
sure what I
need (e.g.
looking for TV,
but not sure
which model
or brand)
Asked brands
or retailers for
information or
help with
products I
want before
making a
purchase
Used social
networks to
ask brands or
retailers for
help with a
product or
purchase after
I made it
Sample size 324 322 479 388 306 280
% % % % % %
Social Networks4
89 86 90 88 87 88
Media Networks5
22 22 17 15 15 16
Facebook 79 70 75 75 67 61
Twitter 19 20 23 20 24 30
Google+ 10 9 9 9 10 11
YouTube 15 16 12 12 12 12
LinkedIn 6 6 4 5 5 4
Path 2 1 1 1 1 0
MySpace 3 2 3 3 3 3
Blogspot/Wordpress 2 2 2 1 1 2
Tumblr 5 4 2 2 2 3
Instagram 6 3 3 3 4 3
Pinterest 1 2 1 1 1 1
Do not know 4 7 4 5 8 6
Table 6 – Networks on which consumers carried out activities, February 2014
4
Social networks is a net of Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, MySpace, Path
5
Media networks is a net of YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, Blogspot/Wordpress

In terms of users based on gender and age-group, it’s seems that men in the age groups of 16-24 & 25-34 are
more willing to engage with brands over social media compared to other user bases. The level of
engagement is dropping sharply from user-base older than 45.
Figure 15 – Interactions with brands and products on social networks, by tablet and smartphone ownership, February 2014
BIC razors for men does have presence in both Facebook and Twitter, but with very few followers and
overall activity. There’s also no dedicated UK group for BIC in any of the social media platforms.
Facebook/Twitter
Group
Web Address Followers/Tweets
(Worldwide)
BIC Razors “Groom
Thyself” (2012)
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bic-Razors-Groom-
Thyself/195735807221029?ref=br_tf
43 page likes
#BIC Shavers https://twitter.com/bicshavers 32 Followers
0 Tweets
#BIC Razors https://twitter.com/bicsmanguide 44 Followers
7 Tweets
Table 7 – BIC Razors Facebook & Twitter Accounts (Dec 2014)
Looking at the little amount of content in both Facebook and Twitter accounts, it’s not clear what is BIC
strategy behind their social media presence, the #BICRazors twitter account does provide some shaving tips
for men using BIC products but nothing else in terms of brand engagement.
Looking at competing brands in the social media space, they seems to be much more focused to the point
that both Gillette and Wilkinson got dedicated UK social pages on Facebook.

Brand Facebook/Twitter
Group
Web Address Followers/Tweets
Gillette GilletteUK https://www.facebook.com/GilletteUK/likes 359.3K page likes
#Gillette6
https://twitter.com/Gillette 64.8K Followers
10.4K Tweets
Wilkinson Wilkinson Sword
Men UK
https://www.facebook.com/WilkinsonSwordMenUK 119.4K page likes
#WSword7
https://twitter.com/WSword 781 Followers
53 Tweets
Table 8 – Gillette and Wilkinson, Facebook & Twitter Accounts (Dec 2014)
Interesting fact is that through Facebook’s advertising platform (Atlas) it seems that in the UK about 265K
Facebook users did show interest in pages mentioning BIC razors products.
Figure 16 – Facebook Ad Platform Interest Base Stats Dec 2014 (UK)
So taking into account BIC current social network activity, overall interest of Facebook users in BIC Razors
related pages in the UK, and the success other competing brands have in the social media space, it points to
huge potential for BIC to engage its audience through social media and increase its brand image with its
target audience.
YouTube Channel
BIC razors does have a dedicated YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/BicShavers) with 385
global subscribers and total views of 163,128. The channel currently shows a total of 55 videos depicting
some BIC commercials and user-generated content from “BIC 4 Good” charity event that took place in the
US between 2010-2012.
Comparing BIC YouTube global numbers, to that of Gillette and Wilkinsons’ UK YouTube channels, it’s quite
clear that BIC doesn’t manage to attract much viewership to the channel.
Brand YouTube Channel Followers/Tweets
Gillette https://www.youtube.com/user/GilletteVideosUK 1,670 Subscribers
14mn Views
Wilkinson https://www.youtube.com/user/WilkinsonSwordUK 1,271 Subscribers
5.7mn Views
Table 9 – Gillette & Wilkinson UK YouTube Channels Stats (Dec 2014)
Looking at the content of BIC shavers YouTube channel, again it’s not quite clear what they’re trying to
achieve with this channel, and the fact that BIC hasn’t got a dedicated promotional web-site for YouTube
viewers to go to after they view the video content, further limits BIC way to engage with their viewers.
6
There’s no dedicated UK Twitter page for Gillette
7
There’s no dedicated UK Twitter page for Wilkinson Swords

Mobile Apps
In 2009 Gillette launched its uArt mobile app for iPhone, that enable users to take a picture of
themselves/friend and style their facial hair and publish the results in Gillette’s social media accounts on
twitter, Facebook and Google+ (Tsirulnik, 2009). Neither BIC nor Wilkinson got a dedicated mobile app, from
BICs point of view this is another missed opportunity to engage with their target audiences.
Figure 17 – Gillette iPhone Application
Source: (AotW, 2009)

Brand Activity Gaps & Solutions
Brand Activity SWOT Analysis
Strength Weakness
Operation (BIC General)
- Global reach – 160 countries
- Cost-effective production at scale
- Speed & efficiency in rolling-out new
products
Market (BIC Razors)
- Increase in sales of razors and shavers
between 2012-20138
Brand Image (BIC General)
- Well known international brand, especially
through other product (stationary and
lighters)
- Great value for money
- Robust, simple, functional
Brand Vision (BIC General)
- Products are in line with the BIC brand
vision of creating simple, inventive and
reliable products for everyone, everywhere
Brand Loyalty (BIC Razors)
- Popular with 45+ age segment (UK)
Promotion Channel (BIC Razors)
- Lack of dedicated web-site for BIC razor for
men
- Weak social media presence
- Unfocused online brand activities
- No mobile apps
- Not all promotional videos are showing in
BICs dedicated YouTube channel
- Inability for consumer to engage with BIC
directly for more info/post-sales support
through social media.
Threats Opportunities
Competition (BIC Razors)
- Gillette top brand in terms of trust and
product differentiation – considered to be
cutting-edge (UK)
- Competing brands are more fashionable
and up-market.
Brand Image (BIC Razors)
- Boring, for old people, not relevant to
younger audience.
Market Segments (BIC Razors)
- Not relevant to younger audience
Promotion Channel (BIC Razors)
Gillette and Wilkinson got dedicated
Facebook pages.
Environment (BIC general)
- Products are environmentally friendly
- Continuous development of social activities
in local markets (esp. developing markets)
- Can be a point of differentiation from other
competing brands
Market General (BIC Razors) –
- Engage with younger audience
Market Driver (BIC Razors) –
- Growth of use in razors in the UK
- Aging Population 21% UK population will be
over 50 by 2019
Brand Image (BIC Razors)
- Communicating brand value for younger
audiences who look for cheap yet high
quality razors
Figure 18 – BIC Razors SWOT Analysis
8
It’s not clear from BIC financial report, if the growth in sales between 2012-2013 was across all geographical markets.
- Excellent social media and online activity by
BIC competitors, to the point that both

Looking at the ‘Weakness’, ‘Threats’ and ‘Opportunities’ parts of the SWOT analysis, BIC got two major gaps
in:
- It’s online presence where BIC competitors are ahead of the game with promotional site, active
social media and a foothold in mobile app (Gillette), BIC got a lot of catching-up to do.
- Not attractive enough for younger audiences as BIC hasn’t got the cutting-edge fashionable image
competing brands has.
Figure 19 – Brand/Competitors/Consumer - Venn Diagram
Source: Adapted from (Robertson, 2013)
Tying the SWOT analysis table with the Venn diagram that highlights BIC vs Competitors top features against
consumer wants (based on: brand imagery descriptive words as shown in Figure 7, Figure 8 and Figure 9),
there’s greats opportunity for BIC to promote it’s ethical, value for money and accessibility to young
audiences as a point of differentiation.

Suggested Solutions
Based on the UKs hair removal market drivers and performance, together with BIC shavers for men brand
analysis in the UK, I would suggest BIC the following solutions to bridge the gap between its main
competitors in the UK market:
Solution Description
Online Brand Activity Website
- Create a dedicated web-site for BIC UK shavers for men
- The site will be the main focal point of the brand and product promotion
of the BIC shavers product range for men
- The site will consist of the following sections:
o About Us section (BIC as company, BIC Vision)
o Why BIC Shavers? (BIC Brand, Brand Activity, Charity Activities in
UK, BIC Ethics)
o Products Menu (Product Types, Video Demos, Shaving &
Grooming Tips For Men Blog)
o Where to buy? (together with direct links to Tesco’s, Sainsbury’s,
Boots link pages for BIC products)
o Promotional Vouchers throughout the site (for POS sales)
o Promotional Material (UK Ads, Social Media Feeds)
o Contact us page (with links to social media accounts for
brand/user engagement)
Social Media
- Improving social media presence in all fronts (Facebook, Twitter,
Google+, Pinterest and YouTube)
- Dedicated UK accounts in social media.
- Linking and cross-linking between social media accounts and BIC UK
shaver for men new dedicated web-site.
Mobile Apps
- Producing mobile apps for all smartphone platforms (iOS, Android, BB
and Windows Mobile)
- Mobile Apps games
o Shave/un-shave a celebrity game – whereby you upload an
image of a celebrity (trademark-permitted), add/remove facial
hair to your liking and publish the results in social media
o Shave a balloon – virtually apply a cream and try to shave
floating balloons of various shapes/colors and points, trying not
to blow them up, within certain time limit, and increased level of
difficulty.
- Mobile App loyalty points –
o Get points for shopping for BIC shaver products by: scanning QR
code on the receipts from the POS or typing the receipt details
to the app or to BIC shaver for men dedicated site.
o The points can later be redeemed for discounts in various
grocery shops for BIC shaver and stationary products.
o You get extra points for being active in social media feed on BIC
accounts (picture/video/tweets etc.), for recommending the
product to family/friends etc.
Integrated Campaigns “the only difference is in your pocket” campaign –
- This is a suggested online/TV/Print campaign to target young audience

Solution Description
- The idea is to poke-fun at high-end shaving brands saying that BIC
shavers offer the same level of functionality/performance as other
brands but without the steep price tag, and by purchasing BIC shavers
you save money.
“Bring Your BIC back” campaign –
- This is a suggested online/TV/print campaign targeting a wider audience
(male/female) all age groups.
- The idea behind the campaign is to highlight BICs environmental credos
not just for its shaver’s products but for BICs stationary products as well.
- The campaign will encourage BIC consumers to return used products:
shavers, pens, paper etc. to various POS (supermarkets, drug stores,
office supply shops etc.) in exchange for a discount voucher.
- The location of the POSs’ will be advertised in both BIC social media
accounts and dedicated web-site
- The main aim of the campaign is to show BIC consumers to full life-cycle
of BIC products, assuring that BIC is committed to the environment and
to minimize environmental impact deriving from its products.
- This could be an excellent point of differentiation of BIC from other
competing brands in the toiletries and office supply segments.
Charity Activities “BIC 4 Good” UK –
- Adopting the BIC 4 good charity cause that ran for 3 years in the US and
adapt it to the UK market
- BIC can tie-in with existing charity causes that work with local
communities in the UK, to foster leadership and local work with youth in
the UK (like: www.changemakers.org.uk, www.uprising.org.uk)
- This way BIC can stand out from the likes of Gillette and Wilkinson who
are associated with Movember, and carve their own niche charity
activity in the UK around the shavers’ product range.
Conclusion
The current brand analysis of BIC shavers for men highlights the fact that BIC is way behind in terms of online
presence and brand engagement with potential consumers. In today’s world of online presence, social media
and interconnectivity, it is expected from all major brands to provide meaningful ways for its target audience
to interact both with the brand and associated products, and in that respect BIC got a lot of catching-up to
do.
The solution section highlights various ways through which BIC can bridge the gap between itself and
competing brands in the UK over the same product segment.

References
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[Online]
Available at: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/go-bald-for-good-bic-4-good-collects-head-
shaves-to-support-dosomethingorg-one-lucky-person-to-win-4k-90935794.html
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[Accessed 13 12 2014].
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