McElroys P&G Brand Management Memo

This memo, written by a guy named Neil McElroy, a P&G manager, is part to defend the hiring
of two new people, describes a brand management team consisting of a brand man, an
assistant brand man, and several field check-up men. The following excerpt describes the
duties and responsibilities of the brand man.
Whats the big deal you ask? Nothing much except that it was the first instance of an organized
attempt at designing a Brand Management Team in an organization. So what, you scoff.
This happened in the year 1931. Yes, much before even your dad was born. Thats P&G - the
Cincinnati colossus that has monopolized innovation and best practices over many many years!
Here is the story.
Neil McElroy, working on P&Gs Camay was frustrated by being in the shadow of Ivory, put
forth the idea of developing a brand management team. He argued that there were not enough
people caring about Camay. The marketing effort was diffused and uncoordinated and lacked a
budget commitment. The solution, creating a brand management team responsible for the
marketing programme and its coordination with sales and manufacturing, is considered a key
event in the history of branding!
And here is the memo he wrote.
Brand Man
1. Study carefully shipments of his brands by units.
2. Where brand development is heavy and where it is progressive, examine carefully the
combination of effort that seems to be clicking and try to appeal this same treatment to other
territories that are comparable.
3. Where brand development is light:
a. Study past advertising and promotional history of the brand: study the territory personality at
first handboth dealers and consumersin order to find out the trouble.
b. After uncovering our weakness, develop a plan that can be applied to this local sore spot. It is
necessary, of course not simply to work out the plan but also to be sure that the amount of money
proposed can be expected to produce results at a reasonable cost per case.
c. Outline this plan in detail to the Division Manager under whose jurisdiction the weak territory
is, obtain his authority and support for the corrective action.
d. Prepare sales helps and all other necessary material for carrying out the plan. Pass is on the
districts. Work with salesmen while they are getting started. Follow through to the very finish to
be sure that there is no letdown in sales operation of the plan.
e. Keep whatever records are necessary, and make whatever field studies are necessary to
determine whether the plan has produced the expected results.

4. Take full responsibility, not simply for criticizing individual pieces of printed word copy, but
also for the general printed word plans for his brands.
5. Take full responsibility for all other advertising expenditures on his brands (authors note instore displays and promotions).
6. Experiment with and recommend wrapper (authors note packaging) revisions.
7. See each District Manager a number of times a year to discuss with him any possible faults in
our promotion plans for that territory.