I believe there is wisdom in Tambrands becoming part of Procter & Gamble. Tambrands only has one product and that is the tampon and it is the best selling tampon in the world and has 44 percent of the global market (Cateora). Of that 44 percent of the global market, 90 percent of the sales are in North America and Europe (Cateora). Since Tambrands only has one product, it is very hard for them in the current market to expand globally. They needed the reach and Proctor & Gamble had with their present feminine care product line. With multiple products to help compliment each other, Tampax will be more successful in the global market. Proctor & Gamble should continue with Tambrands’s original goal adapted to the new educational program because the clusters where about the numbers of women relating to what they know about tampons. Cluster 1 were women that already know about tampons and were primarily the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. Cluster 2 was France, Israel, and South Africa and only 50 percent of the women used tampons. Cluster 3 was Brazil, China, and Russia and they did not use tampons because of a virginity issue (Cateora). Using the combined approach with the cluster grouping and Proctor & Gamble’s educational plans based on culture and knowledge would be the ideal method. The educational programs uses the breakdown of the cluster groups, based on what women know about tampons and relating it to usage and virginity. What the women learn is relating to their culture. Using the education programs, the women were able to access the information online and going to the public health centers that Proctor & Gamble teamed up with. Out of the three clusters, cluster 3 will be the hardest to overcome. Cluster 3 contained Brazil, China, and Russia and they did not have education on tampons and had issues with virginity. They believed that tampons couldn’t be used on a maiden because she will lose her virginity and virginity is important in order to get married. This created an issue of tampons having a bad image. The best way to approach this issue is to have education groups and to speak how tampons are actually used. It would need to be someone with authority and a trustworthy person, like a religious leader, because of the negative views of tampons and virginity. Cluster 2, which has 50 percent of women using tampons from France, Israel, and South Africa. More women are willing to use tampons but issues still remain that tampons are unnatural and obstruct the natural flow of the cycle (Cateora). The best approach for this issue will be on education, but not on how a tampon is used. This education will be about the tampon itself and how it is made and how it works to show that it does not obstruct the natural flow of the cycle. Cluster 1 has women of the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. This cluster knows about tampons and that is the biggest issue. Since they know everything about tampons, a good approach would be for them to educate other women on the usage of tampons. It will be difficult to apply the approach in the same way. Education is still an important factor that aspect can be applied the same way, but each culture is different. It is important to study the culture of the women in order to make sure which marketing approach will be the best. The company should not reopen the Brazilian market with the same “Mexican” model. Even though they are both Latin cultures, they still need a model tailored specifically to them. Words can have a different meaning and the beliefs could be different. The model can be applied as a general idea, but can be changed depending on the different culture, beliefs, and demographics. If the comment is broken down and looked at, it can be applicable. Not necessarily using a Western feminine product, but the learning that comes from it. When someone is being educated on a subject, they start to understand and appreciate that knowledge. This is a hygiene product, which would lead to better health and potentially a longer life. The individual will then start to take better care of themselves and can start achieving goals, such as higher education. Education is limited in some of these cultures and that is why Proctor & Gamble started having educational programs. Reference:

Cateora, P. R., & Graham, J. L. (2007). Tambrands––Overcoming culture resistance. In International Marketing (13th ed., p. 656). New York: McGraw-Hill.