Abstract

The case “Procter & Gamble’s ‘Double Down’ Strategy during COVID-19 Pandemic” discusses the strategy adopted by US-based multinational Consumer goods company to increase its brand visibility during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the outbreak of corona virus in the US, the government imposed lockdown. Expecting an unspecified period of lockdown, people began to stockpile essential items. As a result retailers struggled to maintain adequate stocks of popular items. Business houses began to cut down on media expenditure in anticipation of recession. But amid all uncertainty, P&G decided to double down its investment on marketing initiative to increase its brand visibility. Despite such unfavorable market conditions and economic slowdown, will P&G be successful with its advertizing strategy?

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Understand issues and challenges in understanding consumer behavior –the rationale behind panic buying.
• Analyze the changing behavior patterns of consumers during crisis.
• Evaluate the company’s business strategy to remain competitive during the pandemic phase.
• Evaluate the company’s media strategy to double down on media spends during the pandemic.
• Explore the issue and challenges that the company was likely to face with regard to its strategy during times of an economic slowdown.

Keywords

Business Strategy; FMCG Products, COVID-19 Pandemic; Consumer Buying behavior; Panic buying; Stockpiling; Advertising & Promotion; Brand visibility.