University Of Balamand

Spring 2013-14
MRKT220
Instructor: Dr. Rima Saad
Karam Naddour


Bic Organization
Bic Timeline:
1945: Marcel Bich (1914-1994) and his partner Edouard Buffard
(1908-1996) manufacture fountain pen and mechanical pencil parts in
Clichy (France).
1950: Marcel Bich launches BIC Cristal ballpoint pen in France. BIC
is a shortened version of his own name.
1954: BIC's entry into the Italian market.
1956: BIC's entry into the Brazilian market.
1957: BIC's entry into United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South
Africa by acquiring Biro Swan (UK).
1958: BIC's entry into the U.S. market by acquiring Waterman Pen.
1959: BIC's entry into the Scandinavian market.
1960: BIC's expansion in Africa and the Middle East began in the early
60's.
1965: BIC's entry into the Japanese market and the Mexican market.
1969: Creation of BIC Graphic (imprinted products).
1972: BIC's entry into the Paris Stock Exchange.
1973: Launching of the BIC lighter.
1975: Launching of the BIC shaver.
1979: BIC enters coloring and drawing market by acquiring Cont
(France).
1979: BIC enters water sport market by acquiring Tabur marine, which
becomes BIC Sport in 1985.
1992: BIC enters correction market by acquiring Wite-Out Products
Inc. (USA).
1995: BIC's expansion into the Central and Eastern European market.
1997: BIC's expansion into the Asian market.
1997: BIC's entry into the luxury fountain pen market by acquiring
Sheaffer Pen Corporation(USA).
1997: BIC's entry into the European correction market with
acquisition of Tipp-Ex GmbH (Germany).
2004: BIC acquired Stypen SA (France) and thus entered the market of
school fountain pens since then sold under the BIC brand.
2006: BIC's entry into the adhesive label market with acquisition of
Pimaco Autoadesivos Ltda (Brazil).
2006: BIC opens a subsidiary in Turkey.
2007: BIC Graphic's expansion into the promotional bag market with
acquisition of Atchison Products, Inc. (USA).
2008: Launching of the BIC phone in France.
2009: BIC's expansion into the European promotional product market
with acquisition of Antalis Promotional Products (Europe).
2009: Partnership with Cello Pens (India).
2009: BIC opens a subsidiary in Hungary.
2009: BIC USA acquires Norwood Promotional Products, the 2nd
largest supplier of non-apparel promotional products in the USA.
2011: BIC Canada acquires Angstrom Power Incorporated, a company
specializing in the development of portable fuel cells.
2012: Launching of BIC Education in France, a digital educational
solution for primary school teachers and their students.

Marketing Strategy
BIC is a courageous huge company that accumulated 69 years of experience and
specialized in 3 main domains: stationary, lighters and shavers. BIC is working in 160
countries with a crew of 9370 employees. BIC sells its products on every continental
and had breaking the record in its sails.
In the stationary domain BIC ranks first in Europe, Africa and Latin America. Second
in the USA and Australia and first globally. BIC sells 25 million stationary products
daily.
In the lighters domain, it ranks first globally and sells 6 million lighters daily.
In the shavers domain BIC ranks second in the USA, Latin America and Europe and it
sells 10 million shavers daily.
Pens and other stationary items make about 40% of the company's sales, lighters
about 30% and shavers around 20% with the remainder spread across other
products.
The Main competitors in each domain
Paper producing : Gillette, Pilot, Newell, Reynolds, Schwan
This activity know high growing in countries in development, this growth is less in de
veloped countries. In this sector, Bic is one of the leader but without a real dominant
position
Lighters: Swedich match, Tocka, Chinese lighters.
Leader on this market all around the world, Bic must be precautious on this activity b
ecause of new regulations and new restrictions on tobacco.
Shavers : Gillette, Warner Lambert Shick, Wilkinson, jetables
Challenger on this market, Bic is specialised on disposable shavers, as contrary of the
leader Gillette.


BIC's SWOT Analysis:
Strengths:
BIC concentrates on selling high quality products at the lowest cost possible .
BIC got many products in its 3 lines of production to satisfy all kinds of customers
and their needs.
Productive working environment for employees and working teams.
Building factories in many regions of the world to reduce distribution costs.
Weaknesses:
Competing with companies that are more dedicated on one market while BIC is
involved in 3 markets.
One corporate structure while competing in 3 markets, possible lack of flexibility.
BIC prefers to use its own cash in expanding and producing and not to take loans
from banks which might reduce its investment ability.
Opportunities :
Outsourcing for even cheaper higher quality products.
Producing new products that can fit the companies market portfolio.
E-commerce to use the internet as an effective way for selling.
Entering the Chinese market which will cause a huge rising in sails and even to make
outsourcing.
Threats:
Strong, more dedicated competitors on one product line .
The rising prices which will to higher production costs and higher prices.
Environmental concerns about disposable products.


Objectives
Everybody needs pens. For a company like Bic, the targeted market for their pens is
literally everyone, at least everyone who needs to write something down every now
and again.
BIC did a great job not to target a specific segment but to make their product fits
everybody's wants and needs, BIC pen can be used by students, employees,
teachers, singers, cookers, accountants and everyone in a society, for BIC was first
concerned about the quality and price that satisfies everybody.
4P's:
Product: A ballpoint pen (also biro, and ball pen) is a writing instrument which
dispenses a viscous ink from an internal reservoir through the rolling action of a
metal ball at its point. This "ball point" may vary in diameter, and may be made of
brass, steel, or tungsten carbide.
Price: 15 cents
Place: book shops, internet, supermarkets.
promotion: according to the great reputation that big holds in the consumers minds,
there is no need to remind them about the 2 main prospects of BIC ballpoint
advantages (price, quality).
The idea of this promotion is to put the BIC as a whole corporation in the minds of
consumers in a way that shows them that their needs are the goal that the company
thrives to accomplish and that those needs will only be fulfilled with BIC.
This advertisement can be placed as billboards on highways or on busy streets and
even like posters to be hanged in book shops for consumers to see.
The targeted audience for the promotion is anyone who needs to write from school
kids and university students to employees and non-working people. The promotion
does not have a restricted audience and could reach out to all kinds of people.