M I T S L O A N C O U R S E W A R E > P. 1

Note on Defensive Marketing
Strategy
John R. Hauser

There are many interesting aspects of the case on the Brita Products
Company. Two of these issues are highlighted at the end of the case. First,
Brita learns that a retailer, Target Stores, has installed a display which compares alternative filtration products on their ability to remove contaminants from water. Brita does poorly on this comparison relative to PUR. Second, Brita learns that Procter & Gamble has just purchased a controlling share of PUR water filters, with the implication that PUR will now be marketed by a firm that is known for its marketing expertise and resources.
Responding to such threats, whether they be new competitive products, suddenly viable competitive products, or repositioned competitive products, is called defensive marketing strategy. Each year, over a thousand new products are launched in the consumer sector alone, and many times that number in the

M I T S L O A N C O U R S E W A R E > P. 2 industrial sector. Many of these new products are perceived to be significant threats to highly profitable businesses.
For example, Johnson & Johnson’s Tylenol brand of analgesics once dominated the over-the-counter market for pain relief.1 Tylenol had gained this position through a long series of marketing actions that established it as effective with low side effects. Tylenol, based on acetaminophen, was clearly perceived as much gentler than other products such as Bayer and Anacin, which were based on aspirin (possibly with caffeine), and Excedrin, which combined aspirin, acetaminophen, and caffeine. However, in May of 1984, the ingredient ibuprofen became available to all manufacturers for over-the-counter use. Tylenol faced threats by new analgesic products such as Advil (American Home
Products) and Nuprin (Bristol-Myers).