If you're not holed up in a remote compound in the forests of Montana, you've probably seen or heard someone talk about Old Spice's new popular viral marketing campaign. That's great news for parent company Procter & Gamble
At the Jefferies Global Consumer Conference, Procter & Gamble discussed its plans for continuing expansion across its product lines. Leading the charge was international expansion. Some 60% of P&G's sales are international already, but there are still fantastic opportunities for expansion. For example, the company has seen great success in Russia with its Naturella product. Sales of that product in Russia have increased 2.5 times over the past three years while after tax margins increased 900 basis points and the company took segment share from competitors.
That kind of sales growth in BRIC-level emerging markets is heartening. Across geographies, P&G competes with other giants such as Unilever
While larger retailers like Wal-Mart
That's a tricky maneuver for any company. P&G risks diluting its brands or having consumers move downstream to its cheaper products, especially in hugely profitable segments such as its detergents, where value-focused competitors such as Church & Dwight
For more information on P&G's tightrope act of moving into value while protecting its margins, click on the slideshow below: