7 O’s of lifebuoy soap product

Marketing tries to meet and satisfy customer needs and wants. Consumer

behavior studies how individuals and groups select, buy, use and dispose

goods, services, ideas and experiences to satisfy needs.

 Customers (Earlier on) could be understood through daily experience

of selling to them.

 Today, direct control with customers is limited.

 Hence, marketing manager’s may rely on 7 O’s Framework

A framework is developed to understand consumer behavior by addressing

various issues involved in a consumer behavior. This frame work is popularly

known as 7o’s framework and is used for basic understanding of consumer

behavior.

1.Occupants – Who is the Consumer?: This questions makes it easier to know

about the consumer’s overall profile in relation to geographic, psychographic,

demographic and factors.

 The geographic factors state the particular area to which the consumer

belongs

- Rural mostly but cater urban as well

 Psychographic factors lead to the understanding of the consumer’s

lifestyle often reflected in their interest, activities and opinions of the

consumer.

- Lifebuoy soap is being segmented based on social class( middle lower,

upper lowers, middle classes and upper classes). It cater to different

classes with different sizes of it. As people belonging to lower-lower

class do not make a more profitable segment so they are not being

considered much.

- Life style outdoor oriented , sport oriented

 Demographic factors enable the understanding of consumer’s age,

income, sex, education, and occupation.

- No specific age limit

- Both Male and female

- The main participants of these product are home makers or women’s

and kids

2. Object of purchase (What does the Consumer Buy?): It determines the

product proposition which the consumer purchases, i.e. the brand, product or
product form. Further, it will also identify the specification, color, size, type,

variant, etc. that the customer seeks to buy.

 Brand name LIFEBUOY SOAP is a very strong brand of UNILEVER

Actual product

- In all varieties of soap, lifebuoys logo is of red color and lifebuoy is

written in white color in its logo.

- Lifebuoy total pack is of red color in which soap bar color is red with

package size120 gm and 80gm

- Lifebuoy nature pack is of green color in which soap bar is also green

color with package size120 gm and 90 gm

- Lifebuoy care pack is of blue color in which soap bar color is white with

package size 120 gm and 90gm

- Lifebuoy active fresh pack is of yellow color and soap bar color is

1yellow with package size 90 gm

Augmented product

- Lifebuoy body wash care

- Lifebuoy body wash total

- Lifebuoy hand wash care, classic, fresh and nature

the minds of the consumer.

 Lifebuoy soaps classic hard red brick shape has been replaced with anew

signature lifebuoy shape. The new shape makes the bar easier to grip and

use.

3. Objective (Why is Consumer Buying?): this answers the reason ‘why’ of

buying and explains what benefits the consumer expects the product or

service to serve. This also explains what benefits the consumer is seeking? It

gives reason for the purchase of the product by the customer, in terms of the

needs satisfied or benefits expected from the product.

 Affordable and accessible hygiene and health solution

 Lifebuoy satisfies safety needs( as it removes germs from hands and

saves us from spreading the number of diseases) and the social

needs( as one cannot go to work having dirty hands or lack of overall

personal hygiene, so one use soap to wash his hands and clean them.

 Complete protection

 Inexpensive product
4. Occasion (When do they buy? / how often do they buy and use): this

explains the buying frequency (how often) and the occasion on which the

customer tend to buy the product or services for the desired benefit.

 Customers buy and use lifebuoy repetitively because it is common

Washing with soaps before breakfast, lunch and dinner, after going to

toilet and whilst having a bath or shower.

 Health condition( like a period of corona virus and any other disease

related to bacteria and germ )

 Gifts for adult and children

5. Outlet (Where do they Buy?): It identifies the types and the nature of

outlet from where the customers makes a choice. The type of outlet can be it a

retail shop, wholesaler’s shop, grocery store, online platform i.e. app or

website, departmental store or any other location from where the customer

makes the buying decision.

 Lifebuoy soap is available at almost every departmental and general

store . the distribution is very good and it occupies a prominent shelf

space at store.

 Unilever is focusing on the indirect marketing channels where they sell

lifebuoy soap through distributor to wholesaler’s, forwarded to retailers

incentives to promote its product.

6. Operations (How do they Buy?): It determines the background

information which the consumer collects from various sources, before making

the purchase.

Social missions like:

 hand washing behavior change programs

 skill development and partnership

 advocacy

 Lifebuoy employees goes to the rural area and there they educate

the rural people about the effects of hygiene on the health.

 Provide family and personal hygiene through public education

program

 Global Hand washing Day let the Lifebuoy built the internal

relationship with the potential customers and restore its brand

name and creditability as “high class”

7. Organization (Who is Involved?): It determines the management of the

sources of information which influence the buying decision of the consumer.

 Individuals, entire family, clinics ,pharmacies

 Executive director, home and personal care

 Executive director, supply chain

 Organizations: UNICEF ,health centers

Thus, marketers try to understand consumer psychology with respect to their

purchase decisions and identify the factors influencing consumer behavior.