Product marketing, unlike classic marketing, focuses exclusively on the process of marketing a specific product, promoting it and selling it to the right customer. It is like a link between the product itself and the market it is intended to reach. Planning to launch your product on the Polish market? See the six steps you need to take when doing product marketing in Poland – here’s a guide from a Polish comms agency.
Table of contents:
- Research the market and identify the target group for your product
- Determine your product’s position in the market
- Make sure the product meets the needs of the target group
- Determine the product price and distribution methods
- Determine your promotion strategy
- Be aware of nuances in communication to Poles
1. Research the market and identify the target group for your product
Is your product selling well in other markets, such as the UK or the US? If you expect similar success in Poland, forget everything you have known so far about your target group. There is a good chance that on the Polish market you will not only have to use a different marketing strategy, but also reach a slightly different type of customer.
In order to avoid throwing money down the drain on ineffective activities, product marketing in Poland should start with market research. Contrary to appearances, Poles are quite a diverse nation. Most seniors (the Baby Boomers generation) are conservatives for whom values such as religion and family are important. They choose to shop in traditional shops, few use the internet and their only source of knowledge is traditional media.
Generation X (i.e. those born between 1965 and 1980), on the other hand, are people who grew up in the face of massive economic and social change, as well as gigantic technological acceleration. Most of them are curious about the world and somewhat more open-minded than the older generation. In contrast, they are more willing to use the Internet (81% of them have a Facebook account), so many of them have social media accounts. However, they still reach out to the press, radio or television. We wrote more about how to communicate with them in a separate article.
Poland’s Millenials are currently the most numerous group feeding the workforce of Polish companies. Their youth has coincided with the dynamic development of computer technology and the internet. It is they who dominate most social media – they are the most numerous age group using Facebook or Instagram. Young Poles are optimistic, value ambition, hard work and development. As many as 70% of them declare that they regularly shop online. They are a more open group than older generations – not only to new products, but also in terms of their views on many social topics.
Generation Z, i.e. the youngest consumers (born after 1995), are the most socially active group of all and are interested in global change. As such, they are more likely to look at brands and expect them to take real action, for example to protect the environment or reduce their carbon footprint in the production and distribution of goods. Representatives of this generation do not know life without the internet or social media, so it is natural for them to shop online or interact directly with brands via Instagram.
2. Identify your product’s position in the market
In addition to understanding the Polish consumer market and choosing which target group you plan to target with your marketing activities, it is also necessary to analyse your competitors’ activities. Determining your product’s position in the market will be impossible without understanding who your competitors are, what their offerings look like, how they communicate with customers, to what extent they meet their expectations and what mistakes they may be making in their marketing.
What we can advise you from the perspective of a Polish advertising agency is not to underestimate Polish brands. Poles are very keen to buy Polish products, and such consumer patriotism is a factor that foreign brands entering the Polish market often overlook (or are not aware of). Yes – for many Poles, the mere fact that a brand comes from Poland is reason enough to choose its product over thousands of others. You have to reckon with that.
According to research, as many as 70% of Poles choose Polish brands for their products, and for 27% the country of origin is the most important purchasing factor (more important than the price or quality!). They associate local goods with better quality on the one hand, and on the other hand, customers feel that they are supporting indigenous businesses. Buying Polish products is seen as one of the manifestations of patriotism by 35% of Poles. This trend is particularly evident in the food industry. Interestingly, indigenous food brands are popular even when they are owned by global corporations. However, global brands dominate over Polish ones in several sectors, and Poles prefer to buy hygiene products, baby products, pet food, dietary supplements and consumer electronics from foreign brands.
3. Ensure that the product meets the needs of the target group
Have you analysed the competition and determined which group you want to target with your product marketing in Poland? Great! Now it’s time to investigate whether…. like each other with reciprocity. If your product does not meet the needs of your customers, they will have no reason to choose it over your competitors. At this stage, it’s worth defining your buyers’ personae. Understand their needs, challenges, obstacles and problems, and then consider how your product can at least minimally improve their lives. Every such point of contact will resonate with your audience – it is these that your marketing campaign should be based on.
It is good to ask yourself questions:
- What makes this product better than the competition?
- Why is this product ideal for this customer?
- What will the customer gain from the product that they won’t get from the competition?
- Why should customers trust my brand’s product and how can I increase that trust?
This last point is crucial, and if you don’t apply yourself properly to building brand trust, each of the previous steps will just be a waste of money. If you are marketing to Generation X, for example, you have to reckon with the fact that they are loyal to brands, so it may be hard to change their existing buying habits. In contrast, Polish Millenials and representatives of generation Z generally do not trust big brands at all and are much more critical of brands than older generations.
4. Determine the product price and distribution methods
Price is a key element of product marketing. The entire further strategy depends on it. It is important to consider whether the price will be based on the value of the product (the ideal solution when there is not much competition in this product category on the Polish market) or perhaps on the basis of an analysis of competitive prices (usually this solution works better in the case of strong competition, although this is not the rule).
The price of a product ranks second, after its quality, on the list of factors influencing purchasing decisions of Poles. As many as 73% of Polish consumers admit to be price-driven. The largest group are consumers described as prudent – 25% of Poles pay attention to the product’s price, but do not seek only the lowest one. Those who are only guided by price and obsessively look for promotions account for 6%. 17% of customers are so-called eco-conscious consumers – for them ecology comes first. Poles attach little importance to the appearance of a product’s packaging, but are now looking more closely at what it is made of and whether it is recyclable. This is a trend that applies to society as a whole.
At the stage of considering distribution methods, one trend is worth considering – the number of online shopping transactions is increasing year on year. This applies to almost all age groups. In 2021, more than 80% of Poles will admit to buying online at least once. Polish consumers mainly buy clothes, footwear and electronics online. The leaders here are young people aged up to 29. As many as 93% of them rely on e-commerce, with stationary purchases often being the last resort for them.
5. Establish a promotional strategy
What will be the objectives of your product marketing in the Polish market? These can vary – depending not only on the product itself, the brand image or the types of customers, but also on the company’s overall marketing objectives. Product marketing does not have to focus solely on selling a particular product. Different objectives can be successfully combined, e.g. increasing market share in the Polish market, capturing the customers of the competition, increasing brand recognition as a whole or consumer loyalty to the brand.
At this stage, you should also determine in which channels you will concert your promotional activities – both online and offline.
When it comes to online activities in the Polish market, they usually work well:
- Company website or online shop (key in driving traffic from advertising)
- Social media (specific platforms depend on the industry you are in)
- Social media advertising (Facebook and Instagram are usually the most effective)
- Advertising in the Google ecosystem (e.g. search engine advertising and YouTube)
- Content marketing (e.g. company blog, sponsored articles, case studies, video marketing)
- Influencer marketing (particularly valuable tool for female or difficult – niche – industries)
Successful offline promotion methods in Poland include:
- Event – product launch (consider inviting influencers and journalists to attend)
- Sales promotion (temporary reduction in product price, extra freebies, free samples)
- Outdoor advertising (billboards, outdoor advertising, e.g. at bus stops or by the roadside)
- Radio, press, television (excellent knowledge of the target audience is essential, as these methods may prove completely ineffective)
- Trade events (exhibiting at trade fairs, conferences, etc.)
6. Be aware of nuances in communication to Poles
What else is worth bearing in mind when planning product marketing in the Polish market? Here is our list of issues you should pay attention to:
Remember to comply with the law – the promotion of products in certain industries (such as financial products, banking, medicines, dietary supplements, alcohol) is strictly regulated by law in Poland. If you operate in one of these specific sectors, the support of an experienced Polish advertising agency may prove essential.
Watch out for RODO (data protection law) – this is a Polish legal regulation that prohibits unsolicited direct marketing. So you cannot, for example, legally send sales emails to people who have not given their consent (e.g. not signed up to a newsletter).
Avoid controversial and sensitive topics – these can include political, social, historical and religious topics in particular. Many Poles value tradition and identify strongly with their culture. It is better to avoid taboo topics in your communication (unless you want to do it intentionally, but then the help of a Polish advertising agency will come in handy).
If you keep these tips in mind, your product has a good chance of conquering the Polish market. However, if you feel you need the support of a Polish advertising agency in this process, please write to us. Let’s talk about your product