PRODUCT CONCEPT

The product is anything that can be offered to a market to satisfy a want or a need, including physical goods, services, experiences, events, persons, places, properties, organizations, information and ideas.

PRODUCT LEVELS: Customer Value Hierarchy

In planning its market offering, the marketer needs to address five product levels. Each level adds more customer value, and the five constitute a customer-value hierarchy. The customer value hierarchy is closely linked to Kenichi Ohmae model as mentioned below:

1. Customer [Core Benefit, Expected Value]
2. Company [Basic Product, Potential Competition]
3. Competition[Basic Product, Augmented Product, Potential Product] 

   

   Product Levels

   
   

The above mentioned diagram in terms of Dove Deep Pure face wash can be explained as follows;

CUSTOMER

Core benefit

For a customer, according to marketing definitions the core benefit is essential. The customer is the one who makes payment in exchange for value provided by the product. The customer has the concept of core benefit which will be delivered to the consumer at the time of product consumption.

Dove Deep Pure provides the benefit of cleansing, moisturizing, scrubbing and smooth skin for the price of Rs. 90 for 50g as cost to the customer.

Expected Product

It refers to the product expected by the customer through promotional campaigns for the same it comes across. For Dove Deep Pure face wash the expected product for the customer would be a beauty face wash with cleansing features which will leave a smooth and dirt free skin after wash.

COMPANY

Basic product

The basic product offering by the company to the customer. Customer value is provided by the company to a customer through product offered.

Dove Deep Pure face wash is the basic beauty product here.

Potential competition

For a company the potential competition is the competition it will face in enhancement of the product in the maturity stage.

Dove Deep Pure is currently in its maturity stage and requires enhancements to sustain market share.

COMPETITION

Basic Product

In competition terms, basic product refers to the products with similar offereing by different brands.

In case of Dove Deep Pure face wash, the basic product competitors would be other beauty brands such as Olay, Lakme, Ponds etc.

Augmented Product

It is the product offered with some enhancements which exceeds the customer requirement.

Dove Deep Pure face wash is a beauty face wash for clean, moisturized and smooth skin. However, it has the added advantage that it can prevent pimples and cleans pores as well. Thus, it is an augmented product.
Other potential augmented products are Anti-acne face wash by Olay, Anti- tan face wash by Lotus which are again beauty brand for women.

Potential Product

In terms of competition the potential product will be the similar beauty face wash products offered by brands targeting working upper middle class women. The other competitors could be acne face wash, sun block face wash, anti-aging face wash which are gaining popularity.

In the case of Dove Deep Pure face wash the potential products include :
Himalaya Neem face wash, Olay anti aging face wash, Garnier neem and tea tree oil face wash etc. Also keeping in mind the popularity of soap due to previous habits and comparatively less cost compared to a face wash, it can be considered as a potential threat in competition.