L’eggs Products, Inc.

L’eggs Products, Inc., hired me to write copy for a recruiting brochure to attract talented new staff members to the marketing team.

Recruiting Brochure

Come Share the Success.

“It takes plenty of marketing savvy to put a pair of pantyhose into a plastic egg at the grocery store and end up the industry’s number-one selling brand in only five years. L’eggs did just that and our marketing efforts have kept us the undisputed industry leader ever since.”

Steve Lineberger, Product Manager
MBA, Wake Forest University, 1981

“Marketing at L’eggs is carried out by the traditional, classical method, with the product manager coordinating and directing virtually every aspect of the marketing mix for a particular brand. It’s a disciplined approach to packaged goods marketing that has produced very successful results.”

Charlotte Ringling Farrior, Assistant Product Manager
MBA, Wharton, 1983

“I was looking for a company where I could make an impact fairly quickly, but I wasn’t willing to sacrifice marketing sophistication or program budgets to get it. Since I’ve been at L’eggs, I’ve gotten many times the exposure I’d have expected to get at other packaged goods companies where I interviewed, and in everything I’ve been asked to do, I’ve had the resources I needed to do the job well.”

Chris Whitaker, Marketing Assistant
MBA, Indiana University, 1984

“When you work in marketing at L’eggs, you get involved in all areas of brand management, and you get involved early. We provide you with meaningful responsibilities as soon as you can handle them, and the company is growing fast enough so that there’s generally a position available when you’re ready to move up.”

Ted Cooper, Director of New Products
MBA, Northwestern University, 1979

“Put a pair of pantyhose into a plastic egg…”

In 1969, a management team at Hanes Corporation—a leading hosiery manufacturer based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina—set out to find a better way to market women’s hosiery. At the time, most hosiery makers—including Hanes—were pressing their product into shape, packaging it folded in flat boxes or stretched over cardboard, and distributing it almost exclusively through department stores. Stockings were “in,” and pantyhose were a relatively novel variation of the basic product.

In the spirit of true innovation, the Hanes team began its task with a complete re-examination of virtually every aspect of traditional hosiery marketing techniques. Early research uncovered promising new distribution channels in grocery and drug stores. Technological breakthroughs in the late ‘60s fostered a new, one-size-fits-all pantyhose garment that did not need to be pressed into shape. Testing confirmed that consumers loved it.

The now-familiar L’eggs plastic egg was a stroke of packaging genius inspired by the new product’s descriptive name. The team formulated a plan of distributing the product on consignment—an arrangement which would allow the company complete control from manufacture to point of purchase while keeping retailers’ costs and responsibilities to a minimum.

An aggressive advertising and promotion program introduced the new product, with a $13.5 million budget that exceeded the total promotion and advertising spending of all other hosiery manufacturers combined. When L’eggs entered test marketing, actual sales outstripped sales forecasts by a phenomenal 400 percent.

In five short years, L’eggs became the nation’s best-selling hosiery brand. In the process, L’eggs revolutionized an industry.

“A traditional, classical approach…”

L’eggs built its initial success marketing one basic product—its Regular pantyhose. Marketing strategies based on consumer research have kept L’eggs on the leading edge of the industry ever since.

In 1976, L’eggs introduced SHEER ENERGY support pantyhose to the marketplace, the first of many successful product introductions aimed at specialized segments within the women’s hosiery market. Control Top pantyhose, SHEER ELEGANCE pantyhose, Summer L’eggs, Winter L’eggs, Knee Huggers, ACTIVE SUPPORT pantyhose, the SHEER ELEGANCE Color Collection, SHEER ELEGANCE Silky Support and Just My Size pantyhose—each exemplifies L’eggs’ continuing commitment to respond quickly and effectively to consumer needs and preferences as they emerge.

Guiding the innovation is the Marketing Department. The L’eggs core marketing staff is a close-knit group of professionals who work in teams as product managers, assistant product managers and marketing assistants. Within the department, the Marketing Research Group provides specialized support through detailed consumer, product and sales research. Also within the Marketing Department, the Promotion Group helps the marketing staff develop and execute promotional plans.

The development of new yarns, manufacturing processes and garment designs have earned the L’eggs Product Development Department a reputation as a major innovator in the industry. The department’s function is an integral part of L’eggs marketing success.

The Purchasing Department staff is comprised of experts in a number of fields such as printing, display development and manufacture. Their experience serves as a valuable resource to the marketing staff.

The Sales Department handles national accounts and consults with marketing staff on consumer and trade promotions, sales materials and test markets. The department also serves as liaison between product management and the L’eggs distribution division.

“A company where I could make an impact…”

L’eggs’ traditional brand management structure places the product manager in complete control of the marketing mix. As part of the brand management team, marketing assistants and assistant product managers also participate in all phases of marketing their particular brand.

While the corporate atmosphere at L’eggs is fairly informal, the approach to business is strictly professional. Employees are proud to be a part of L’eggs’ success, and at the same time, recognize the need to work diligently to maintain the company’s proactive marketing stance.

Careful, detailed plans guide all phases of company operations. In fact, many industry analysts attribute L’eggs phenomenal success to the company’s thorough planning process.

Working in such an atmosphere produces more than its share of personal satisfaction. After hours, employees typically find even more to enjoy in Winston-Salem, a city of 150,000 that is internationally recognized as a cultural and artistic center for the state and region.

In recent years, the Places Rated Almanac has ranked the Winston-Salem metropolitan area number one for quality of life among comparable locations. The temperate climate, the nearby mountains and seashore, and the easy access to major metropolitan areas are among the many reasons.

“Meaningful responsibilities as soon as you can handle them…”

Regardless of the level at which they join the L’eggs marketing team, new staff members typically find themselves “in the thick of things” within days of their arrival on the job. The pace is exciting, the work challenging. Innovative thinking is actively encouraged. Superior performance is recognized and rewarded.

In 1979, the Hanes Group of companies—including L’eggs—was acquired by Chicago-based Sara Lee Corporation, an $8 billion international company whose businesses manufacture and market such brand names as Hillshire Farm, Kahn’s, Kitchens of Sara Lee, Shasta Beverages, Bali, Aris-Isotoner, Hanes Hosiery, Hanes Knitwear, Electrolux and Fuller Brush. The “Sara Lee connection” provides unlimited opportunities for advancement within the corporation’s many diverse operating units.

If you’re looking for a pleasant working environment in which to apply your marketing knowledge and skills, a dynamic setting where you’ll learn by doing, a successful company offering opportunity for growth and advancement, we invite you to consider L’eggs.

For more information contact:

Employment Manager
L’eggs Products, Inc.