BiC: key audiences, company’s personality and persona
Getting to know BiC
During the “Introduction to Advertising and Public Relation” course we had the opportunity to examine the way big companies operate, especially in the marketing field. Our team chose BiC, because of the well known products, as well as the values of the company and the fact that it is socially and environmentally aware.
BiC is a widely known company, best known for making disposable consumer products such as lighters, razors and stationary products. The company’s motto is to provide simple, inventive and reliable choices for everyone, everywhere and every time. BiC products are easy to use for everyday needs, they are made to cover the changing needs of the consumers and they offer quality and reliability.
Société BIC (BiC in short) was established in 1945 at Clichy, France. Initially it produced and sold ballpoint pens, and overtime it expanded its production to promotional products, lighters, razors, water sport products and mobile phones.
Since the creation of the company, BiC has been dedicated to making everyday products that are available and affordable for everyone but don’t lack in quality. That’s why the products are loved and preferred by millions, making the company 1st in lighters and among the first three in stationery and shavers worldwide. Every day almost 32 million BiC products are purchased around the world.
Due to the fact that BiC produces a variety of products the key audiences seem to differ. When it comes to the stationery, the target audiences are students who need pens, pencils and crayons for school and college, as well as people who have a more creative side and office workers. For the lighters the key audiences are smokers. For the razors the key audiences are men who shave their face, head and body and women who shave their body. The majority of BiC’s consumers are people under the age of 24.
According to psychologist Carl Jung, every person, regardless of culture and language, shares and understands some collective patterns of the unconscious, called archetypes. And just like humans, brands are individuals, that have their own personality. BiC is an example of the Jester and the Creator archetype. The Jester lives in the moment and enjoys life. A Jester brand tends to give the impression that they live on the wild side and use outrageous imagery to tease their costumers. The Jester has the ability to think outside the box, creating innovating ideas. The marketing might be unconventional, silly or over-the-top, with bright colors. The worst thing that can happen to a Jester is to get a lawsuit or be seen as boring.
The Creator brand archetype is authentic and has the desire to craft something meaningful and special. The Creator gets satisfaction from both the process and the outcome of creating something that didn’t previously exist. They can be difficult to appeal, but successful companies will develop a very loyal fan base. They love new ideas and make things happen. The Creator archetype is driven by the desire of producing and creating exceptional masterpieces, but is afraid of mediocrity. And this desire of perfection can lead to the downfall.
