Duracell: Beating the bargain blues

This case study describes how Duracell, the battery brand, launched a new 'simply' product exclusively in poundstores in Ireland in order to compete with cheap zinc batteries.

Duracell: Beating the bargain blues

Campaign Background & Summary

Before - a leading, premium brand:

Duracell was market leader: 42% value share in Ireland, 52% UK, sold at price of +30% (Ireland), +34% (UK) vs the total market.

Undermined by cheap "zinc" rivals, from trusted brands:

"Poundstores" – bargain retailers – created a new ultra-low price segment, by reintroducing 1970's battery technology – 'Zinc'. These cost from 10p/€0.13, vs. Duracell's 84p/€0.96, and had brand names including 'Kodak', 'Panasonic', 'Sony'. Some stores sold 10 Kodak for the price of 1 Duracell! In 3 years, bargain stores went from 0% to 39%...

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