Soap Opera

In 1801, young Englishman William Proctor, who worked as a Trainee, learned to dip candles. His passion for his job pushed him to open his own store later in London. Unfortunately, his shop had been robbed, and he left with unbearable debt. However, his determination took him and his wife to the United States to rebuild their lives. They came to Cincinnati, a city the centre of trade and transportation. By the time they just began their journey, suddenly his wife became sick and died. His dreams shattered. Then he started a job as a banker. While working there he got to know that Cincinnati’s candles were shipped in from Philadelphia at a greater cost. He again decided to revamp his candle business to pay off his debt. Cincinnati was the right place for this product as it has a meat packing industry which produces animal fat, being the main ingredient for candles.

?Aristotle once said, “where one’s distinctive talents intersect the needs of the world, there lies your vocation”.?So as for Proctor.

?The candle business Proctor's life again started to bloom after his second marriage with Noria. Noria’s father introduced William Proctor to James Gamble, a Soap manufacturer. Both used the same ingredient for their business. They decided to start a joint venture starting P & G in 1837.

These tireless efforts flourished after the American war and demand for Soap and Candles skyrocketed creating a business of over $1mn in 1859. Both Proctor and Gamble had a true drive in their souls to create positivity within the desperate world cloaked in darkness and disease.

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?They launched their "Ivory Soap" with a purpose statement of?“improve the lives of the world’s consumers, now and for generations to come”.It is their purpose statement even today. The primary way, P&G fulfils this purpose is through?brands of superior quality and value.?P&G brands are a part of people’s lives.?They make everyday chores such as cleaning houses and bathrooms easier and even. This?Englishman and Irishman built a lasting business and extended its product lines to include toothpaste, coffee, tea, baking mixes, healthcare products etc. They launched their unique marketing Campaign by sponsoring a unique program in the name of "Soap Opera" which was one of the key success factors.

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They have never played around with their core values and purpose since then. Top to bottom and bottom to Top, all aligned with the company purpose which they feel proud of. The customers feel the experience that the company wants to create in their minds.

When you read through this story, you can find yourself somewhere or the other. You can see ups and downs in their lives, but their true determination and continuous efforts made their brand superior.

If you are excited to create a compelling purpose for your business, Use this checklist of Questions.

The Check List

1. What do you do differently for your customers.?ex.Improve the life of your consumers and their generations?

2. What are your customers get from your service? ex.Superior Value and Quality

3. Does the results /experience that you give unique compared to the competitors??If not, please review it back.

4. What is the benefit you get as a company? ex. Superior sales and profits to create value for the shareholders and community around us.

Are you ready to rewrite your Mission /Purpose Statement? Let’s reflect on the following three questions as well.

?Q 1.?What is the business that you are doing? Where do you want to go????Ex. We are in the business of improving the lives of consumers, now and for generations.

Q2. Does your Purpose statement Product oriented or market-oriented???Product-oriented: manufacturing household cleaning products. (Avoid) or?Market-oriented: “provide branded products and services of superior quality and value that improve the lives of the world’s consumers, now and for generations to come.”(BEST Way)

Q3. What is the need of the customer that we are going to address?????Ex. “We need to reduce the hassle of cleaning easy.”

?P & G Mission Statement

“We will provide branded products and services of superior quality and value that improve the lives of the world’s consumers, now and for generations to come. As a result, consumers will reward us with leadership sales, profit and value creation, allowing our people, our shareholders and the communities in which we live and work to prosper.”

?What about Yours?

?Once you wrote your purpose statement, start reflecting on the below questions as well.

1. ?What do you?do to bring out the best in everyone in your company.??ex. Share Stock options, Co- Setting Targets, Employee Motivation schemes etc.
2. How do you get everyone working together??ex.Creating a collaborative culture with continuous clear communications
3. Are these practices unique to you compared to your competitors’ practices? if not, pls review it back.

4. How have you become the best in your field??Ex. Maintaining consistency and always communicating the same purpose through all the channels.

Then document this action plan and start implementing it with your team.

You are just one step behind creating a World class brand.