Why it can be profitable for one brand to promote an entire product category

All companies operate in certain lines of business, representing specific categories of products or services. Categories can be broader (for example, food, gadgets) and more narrow (for example, red caviar, smartphones). Companies and brands are always interested in ensuring that their category is in demand among consumers, especially if it competes with other categories (they are called alternative). A simple example — to quench thirst, a person can drink a glass of mineral water, or eat ice cream. If in the minds of a large number of consumers the first option is more acceptable and popular than the second, all producers and sellers of mineral water will win, and vice versa.

Therefore, sooner or later, many manufacturers come to the need to promote their category, and this should be done with the help of PR tools, and not just direct advertising.After all, only after explaining the features and advantages of the product and creating a positive and relevant image of it, you can convince the audience to switch to it instead of substitute products.

But in the case of implementation of category promotion programs, there is a certain conflict of interests - why should one brand promote the entire category, from which its competitors will also benefit?Publicity Creating specialists advise taking into account two key factors.The first is how big and well-known your brand is, and the second is the degree of appeal of the category itself.

If the brand is well-known and the market share is significant, the promotion of the entire category will undoubtedly bring it more benefit than other less well-known brands competing in the category.In other words, it is the leading brand that will "collect the cream" from such promotion.

If the category is not yet sufficiently "hyped", then even a lesser-known brand, leading the process of promoting the category, will receive a significant benefit.After all, while competitors, even bigger than it, will be "silent", this brand can achieve an effect when consumers will associate the category mainly with it.This is a rather original way to bypass even stronger and more experienced competitors in the image and information field.

The main thing is to develop and implement a competent PR campaign, in which the category will be promoted in close connection with your brand.It should be understood that such programs are usually long-term — at least from one to 2-3 years.

In the practice of Publicity Creating, there were successful examples when, as a result of the implemented promotion program, the entire product category was associated with one of its representatives, which allowed to obtain the maximum marketing result on the market.