9 May, 2015

Mr. Md. Iftekharul Amin

Assistant Professor
Institute of Business Administration
University of Dhaka
Subject: Letter of Transmittal for Marketing Management course (M 302) Case Study
Sir,
With due respect, we present to you our Case Study titled Pureit: A Case Study in Social Media
Marketing as per the course requirement.
The main purpose of this study is to perform an in-depth examination of the marketing strategy
undertaken by Pureit Bangladesh from 2014 onwards, especially in regards to its social media
activities.
The case study was a wonderful learning experience for us and we sincerely thank you for giving
us the opportunity to do so. We are eagerly waiting for your feedback on the overall study and
hope that it merits your approval.
Thanking you.
Sincerely,
________________________
Novo Manzoor (ZR - 18)
____________________
Samina Sarwat (RH - 25)
____________________
Taskin Sadman (ZR - 49)
_______________________________
Mahroos Murtaza Choudhury (ZR - 59)
Group 12
Section A
Institute of Business Administration
University of Dhaka

Pureit: A Case Study in Social Media Marketing

Background
In the developing world, a major cause for many diseases is the inaccessibility to pure drinking
water or the poor quality of available drinking water. Millions of people lack safe water and waterrelated diseases are responsible for many deaths in Bangladesh alone. Drinking unsafe water can
cause fatal waterborne diseases like diarrhea, cholera, jaundice and typhoid.
Boiling water to purify is energy-intensive, inefficient and as alarming as it may sound, ineffective;
especially when it comes to removing hard metals. With the passage of time, the water around us
becomes more polluted and harder to purify.
To address these challenges, Unilever introduced its own line of water purifier Pureit in
September 2010.

Industry at a Glance
Before the entry of Pureit, the local market was filled with water purifiers that all looked similar,
had confusing names and communicated technical jargon that users werent familiar with. Several
brands, such as Miyako, Nova and Noka fell into this category. Also there were offerings that did
not directly compete with Pureit but still aimed for the same customer capital. The primary name
brand competition that Pureit faced were from:
o
o
o
o

Eureka Forbes Limited (Aquaguard)

Philips
Whirlpool
Osmosia Water

Most of these brands were foreign and didnt do anything to set themselves apart. They had little
marketing activity such as occasional TV ads by Aquaguard and some others involving foreign
actors/actresses and poorly dubbed Bangla dialogue. Before Pureit, no other brand in the sector
had embarked on a major integrated marketing campaign.

Company Overview
Unilever Bangladesh Limited, formerly Lever Brothers Bangladesh Limited, is a consumer goods
company operating in Bangladesh. The company is a joint venture between the multinational giant
Unilever and the Government of Bangladesh. Unilever holds roughly 60% of the shares while the
Government of Bangladesh holds close to 40%. The company has been highly successful in the
Bangladeshi region since before the independence of Bangladesh. It is estimated that Unilever
products are used by over 90% of the households in Bangladesh.

Pureit: A Case Study in Social Media Marketing

Unilever is primarily an FMCG (Fast moving consumer goods) company. Its range includes
products like soap, shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant etc. Thus, it can be said that a water purifier is
a considerable departure from the companys traditional portfolio of products. Despite that,
Unilever managed to produce Pureit as a product deserving of the Unilever name, with the same
assurance of quality.

Enter Pureit
Pureit entered the Bangladeshi market in 2010, with the first product, which was the Pureit
Classic. Pureit classic promises to deliver water as safe as boiled water. The way it does it is by
its unique Germkill Action which is a four step process. It is a manual device therefore water
needs to be poured.
This product received a good amount of marketing effort, mostly focused on print media and
television. Coupled with the brand value of Unilever, the combination led to it becoming a
successful product.
In late 2014, Pureit released the Pureit Ultima. Its an RO device which means it uses Reverse
Osmosis technology that can even remove arsenic. It is electrical and in-line so users don't have to
pour water.
Long before the launch, during the planning stage, Pureit envisioned yet another campaign mostly
based on ATL activities. But soon, a few concerns emerged.

The Challenges
Pureit had to face two new challenges before the 2014 launch of Pureit Ultima

The new product was different to most of the other water purifiers in the market. Thus, a
lot of communication with customers was necessary.

Pureit needed a new channel of communication to create word-of-mouth and generate

interest in the new product to an extent which traditional marketing activities could not
deliver.

Pureit: A Case Study in Social Media Marketing

Pureits Response
Pureit had the option of coasting forward using its existent brand value and the name value of its
parent company. However, it decided to be proactive, overtaking the marketing activities of all its
competing brands. This was done by implementing an approach that supported a single, clear
message, a focused approach that made full use of a platform that none of its competitors attempted
to tread.
Pureit became the first water purifier brand in the country to actively conduct proper social media
marketing.

A New Medium
Pureit had decided to engage the social media landscape. In the Bangladesh cyberspace, the only
social network with widespread influence is Facebook. By 2014 estimates, of the 158.5 million
people in Bangladesh, roughly 7.3 million used Facebook, which translates into 4% of the total
population. Thus, it was an easy decision to focus Pureits social media marketing campaigns on
the Facebook platform.
Pureit had launched its Facebook page in 2011. But there was very limited activity and customer
interaction in the page. From the late 2013 to early 2014, the page became very active and
engaging. The page featured regular posts about Pureits product range, facts about water and the
necessity of pure water and other relevant content.
The page also contained a very useful utility in the form of the Store Locator. This app helped
interested people to find stores where Pureit was being sold.
Since the day Pureit Bangladesh opened its own Facebook page, the primary form of engagement
that they received was from interested buyers and existing users. Pureit regularly kept their page
updated with necessary information about their product, exciting offers and also responded to any
queries that users posted.
Apart from helping interested buyers in finding store locations, the page had other interactive
elements. It also had interactive ways to teach users how to install the device and even change
parts. It can be said that Pureit took all possible steps to ensure a social media presence that
facilitated
1. A two-way communication between Pureit and all its customers and potential customers.
2. Created buzz about Pureit among potential customer bases.
The launch of the Pureit Facebook page was a great success. This can be seen in the following
simple fact: followers of this page, as of now, number over 64,000.
3

Pureit: A Case Study in Social Media Marketing

Therefore, a year later, when the time came for a totally new campaign, the decision to choose the
main platform to support and carry it forward was a no-brainer.

Considerations for a New Campaign

From the experience of operating the Pureit Facebook page for a year, a few insights emerged.

Many new customers required after-sales assistance with their Pureit products, mostly due
to the products being different to the other offerings in the market.
A good number of potential buyers had considerable interest in a hands-on demonstration
of the Pureit products before making their decision to purchase.

Pureit developed one of the best after-sales service in the sector. They had a dedicated helpline
and had trained representatives that were sent to the users home to fix the device whenever
required.
When the time arrived to launch a new marketing campaign for Pureit, the brand used the insights
gleaned from its social media operations. Pureit wanted to carve out a brand identity based on their
defining trait, the strong after-sales service.
On the eve of World Water Day in March 23, 2015, Pureit launched the Pureit Service Camp.

The Pureit Service Camp

The Pureit Service Camp campaign was Pureits largest marketing campaign as of date. The
campaign involved setting up a total of 7 service camps in 3 districts from 22nd-28th of March.
They were in Dhaka, Chittagong and Narayanganj. The following offers were there for people to
availo
o
o
o

Free servicing of any Pureit product

Spare parts and new units at discount price
Upgrade offer (return Pureit Classic and get Pureit Ultima at discount)
Buy back offer (return any old filter to get Pureit Classic at discount)

Pureit employed ATL marketing strategy by setting up billboards and print media ads, but the
engagement they got over social media topped it all. The communication started from March 1st
with a simple post asking Is Boiling Water Safe Enough? After that, Pureit started posting about
their service camp informing locations and all their offers. Over 100 people on average enquired
about the campaign every day since the communication started.

Pureit: A Case Study in Social Media Marketing

Aftermath of the Campaign

With a combination of online and offline communication, the Pureit Service Camp campaign
became a great success. A total of over 13,000 people came to the service camps. Many loyal
customers managed to avail servicing for their products.
The service camps managed to be a success from a sales perspective as well. Over 500 units were
sold, including the Pureit Ultima which was introduced in the Bangladesh market only a few
months before the start of the campaign. Many more people availed upgrade offer to get the new
product in return for Pureit Classic and the buy-back offer to get Pureit Classic at discount as well.

Conclusion
The social media marketing activities of Pureit, along with its later marketing campaign, paint an
impressive picture. These operations proved once again that there is a large opportunity to
implement innovative marketing approaches in our country. These activities have helped Pureit
become the premier water purifier brand in Bangladesh.