Question: >Primarily, I'm looking nationally and regionally for trends in market >share, media expenditure, brand awareness, etc. among the competing >brands. In 1986, the major brands were considered to be Tide, ABC, >Arctic Power and Sunlight. I'm also looking for trends through 1995 in >the use of "cold water" when doing laundry.
>Not a particulary exciting topic, but for me, applying the fundamentals >is what's important here. If there is a "generic", one-stop source for >this type of info anywhere, I'd be delighted. Otherwise, if you could >steer me in my search, I would be most grateful. I have recently >attempted to contact two of the companies (Proctor & Gamble, Tide and >Colgate-Palmolive, Arctic Power) for relevant "proprietary" info.
>Tom Thoner

You'll get as "sad" as the rest of us soon and find this market really exciting! You get wash balls, you get dinky reusable boxes even multi million launches which give people rashes or are alleged to make holes in clothes.

Anyhow,

• 1) Marketing magazines have industry profiles.
  
  • 2) They usually have a top advertiser's issue with media spends.
    
    
  • 3) Find out the direct marketing, sales promotion and advertising agencies - there are directories for this. They could have made case histories of their client to get new clients and might be helpful.
    
  • 4) If there is an Canadian advertising effectiveness award, they might have case histories in this market.
    
  • 5) Governments get edgy about monopolies, duopolies and oligopolies, (sounds like a song!) they have probably investigated the industry and have published a report.
    
  • 6) Is there a cold water brand whose share you can track?

    Also a pro's secret: you can get a better grasp of markets than Marketing Directors stuck in their offices by hanging around supermarkets.

    You can see where shelves are being cleared, the ranges, what is at eye level

    - the best sellers or most profitable, what supermarkets put on the right

    - they want you to pick it as they make more on it, most people are right handed etc.

    Also what people say, look at pick up and put back.