Dettol

Brands Identity, Personality and Symbolism

The brand Dettol was launched in India in 1933 in the Antiseptic liquid form as a
treatment for cuts and wounds. For almost the first 50 ears! Dettol was present onl as an
antiseptic liquid. Althou"h it was bein" used in hospitals and nursin" homes for first aid and
disinfectant uses li#e cleanin" wards! washin" linen! etc. $onsumers were also usin" it for
bathin"! moppin"! sha%in" and other secondar purposes. &hile it started its 'ourne as the (cuts
and wounds) brand in the countr! o%er the ears it had ta#en o%er the role of protector from
germs in e%er situation. Dettol Antiseptic *iquid has some stron"! distinct associationsfirst
and foremost is its trademar# smell. $onsumers reco"ni+e the smell enou"h to refer to a
medicinall clean room as (Dettol li#e smell). In the boo#! Planning of Power Advertising,
Anand ,al%e mentions! -It is a safe bet that ou will be able to tell the smell of Dettol liquid on a
cut with the reassuring tingling sensation which tells ou it has be"un to wor#. The second
characteristic is its amber gold color. The third is the clouding effect that appears when it is
added to water. Dettol)s pac#a"in" is distinct in its %er own wa. The "reen . white colours are
associated with hospitals. All Dettol products ha%e a sword on the pac#! which is a smbol for
fi"htin" "erms and infection. /%er the ears! the cloudin" action and the sword ha%e become
snonmous with the brand and ha%e been creati%el used in Dettol ad%ertisin". $onsumers see
Dettol as an (e0pert)! as somethin" which is effecti%e and %ersatile and "uarantees protection
from "erms. It has been li#ened to a bod"uard who protects them from the unclean and
unh"ienic outside world. The brand)s %ersatilit stems from multiple uses of the antiseptic
liquid which offers protection in so man different forms. 1sa"e of the brand "i%es rise to man
emotions in the consumers) minds. From ma#in" them feel safe and secure about the wellbein"
of their famil to ma#in" the mother feel that she has done the best for her famil! the brand
e%o#es positi%e ima"eries and emotions. Thus! it is onl fittin" that the brand)s ta"line sas Be
100% Sure.
/%er the ears brand Dettol has been e0tended and has made its presence felt in a
number of product cate"ories. &hile Antiseptic *iquid was the cate"or where the brand was
born and where it continues to command a dominant mar#et share of 253! its re%enue "rowth is
si"nificantl dri%en b its presence in the other product cate"ories of toilet soaps4or bar soaps5!
*iquid hand wash! 6od wash! 7ha%in" $ream and 8lasters too. 9ach of these mar#ets are at
%arin" sta"es of e%olution! so while in one mar#et the brand as the leader had the
responsibilit of dri%in" o%erall mar#et "rowth! in other mar#ets! the brand strate" had been to
"arner share. Fundamental to all the cate"ories was e0istence:creation of a consumer need for
"erm protection satiated b Dettol)s trusted promise.

Strategic decisions taken to build the same brand
Dettol is the leader in the antiseptic mar#et with 25 per cent mar#et share. *iquid hand
wash created a new mar#et and lords o%er ;0 per cent of the mar#et in the cate"or! while the
%arious Dettol soaps account for 12 per cent of the health soap di%ision.
A. Market Penetration Strateg!
6. Brand building t"roug" #Dettol Bar Soap$!
The 6ar 7oap <ar#et in India is worth =s. ;550 $rores. &ith a 1003 penetration! the soap
mar#et has been %olumetricall sta"nant in the last few ears. ,owe%er! %alue &ise! the mar#et
has been gro&ing owin" primaril due to price increases and to some e0tent a mo%ement from
econom brands to brands that are midpriced or premium priced. The Indian bar soap mar#et
has a lar"e number of plaers that use different appeals to connect with their consumers. The
mar#et can be classified into about ten different appeals such as 6eaut! ,ealth! Fairness!
Freshness! ,erbal! etc. &hile the mar#et is dominated b beaut plaers 45>3 share5! health
platform constitutes appro0imatel >33 of the total mar#et.
Dettol 7oap was launched in India in the earl 20s. The launch was based on consumer
feedbac# on Dettol Antiseptic *iquid! where secondar usa"e of the product alwas came up.
7ince man consumers used Dettol in their bath water! the compan thou"ht of offerin" Dettol in

a more con%enient form of soap. Dettol /ri"inal was the launch soap! which initiall found
limited acceptance from consumers.
Its sales pic#ed up after a chan"ed positionin". 6 >000! it saw limited success but its
mar#et share had started sta"natin". =esearch on brand equit re%ealed that while Dettol)s equit
remained %er stron" on germ protection! the product)s rele%ance in the consumer)s choice for
a bathin" soap was "ettin" limited. It was also "athered in the consumer research that while
loalists lo%ed Dettol soap for its trademar# fra"rance! it was bein" re'ected b a bi" chun# of
consumers as a re"ular bathin" soap bar. The brand team felt a need to launch %ariants in Dettol
7oap "i%en that sensorial measures li#e fra"rance! moisturi+ed soft s#in! etc were #e dri%ers
when it came to consumers choosin" their soap brands. Dettol 7#incare soap was thus launched
in ?anuar >00@ A white colored soap! offerin" Dettol)s protection with moisturi+ers to nourish
the s#in. This was followed b the third %ariant A Dettol $ool in Februar >00;! which offered
trusted Dettol protection &it" ment"ol to help feel refreshed and re%itali+ed.
Dettols 'ommunication for Bar Soap categor!
Dettol /ri"inal soap was launched on the platform of (<ild and "entle s#in care) with the
sellin" proposition as A #(i%e our famil t"e lo%ing care of Dettol Soap$. ,owe%er! the brand
failed to ta#e off since a mild soap from the Dettol stable did not ma#e sense. 9%en after two
ears of launch! Dettol soap could not ma#e its presence felt. In mid 20s! an e0hausti%e
consumer research was underta#en with the ob'ecti%e of findin" reasons for dissatisfaction
amon" consumer and the result was the understandin" that a consumer need platform has to be
built for a special bathin" soap based on Dettol)s core stren"ths and not on the mild and "entle
s#incare platform. After indepth consumer research! it was seen that consumers were open to the
idea of usin" Dettol 7oap when the faced e0treme dirt conditions. ,ence! it was felt that Dettol
7oap needs to be positioned for occasions that are special! but not rare in e%erda life. These
could be based on e0posure to dirt and "erms! pollution! heat! sweat etc. Another challen"e was
to create a positioning that mana"ed a fine balance bet&een a cosmetic and t"erapeutic
medicated position. The final positionin" that was decided wasB -Dettol protection comes to ou
and our famil in the form of soap for those dail occasions when a speciall clean "ermicidal
bath is necessar. &,9C C/ /=DICA=D 6AT, &I** D/ A D9TT/* 7/A8 A T,9 1003
6AT,E. The ad%ertisin" was thus de%eloped alon" these lines and Dettol 7oap was relaunched.
The ad%ertisin" clic#ed with the consumer. Dettol soap sales reacted %er positi%el to this new
communication. Dettol sales "rew ear after ear! with communication bein" renewed
periodicall to #eep consumer interest in the brand promise ali%e.
/%er the ears! the communication was mo%ed alon" this "radient of educatin"
consumers! on how the pic# up "erms throu"hout the da and onl Dettol soap can "i%e the
required protection e%er da. =esearch showed that there was hu"e hand wash usa"e of the
brand and moreo%er the usa"e was hi"hl seasonal with hi"hest usa"e seen in pea# summer and
monsoon months when consumers felt %isibl dirt and hence associated the period with the

presence of "erms. The result was that while a hi"h number of consumers used Dettol soaps
durin" specific "erm situations! the mo%ed out of the brand to the re"ular soaps in the mar#et
once the felt need for "erm protection was o%er. <oreo%er! while consumers accepted that "erms
mi"ht be presented! the lin#a"e of "erms to the illnesses the cause was limited. In order to
address this! a ne& educati%e campaign! was launched in >00F with the ob'ecti%e of dri%in"
e%erda rele%ance of Dettol soap. As part of this campai"n! seasonal hoo#s were used to
establish "erm rele%ance summer! monsoon! and winter. $onsequences of "erm pic# up were
more e0plicitl %oiced. Dettol soap witnessed a sharp sur"e in sales with the new ad%ertisement
'. Brand building t"roug" #Dettol Antiseptic )i*uid$!
Dettol Antiseptic *iquid is a pro%en safe and effecti%e antiseptic that #ills %arious bacteria
and pro%ides protection a"ainst "erms which can cause infection and illness. It has more than
233 mar#et share. It can be used safel for "entle antiseptic wound cleansin" and disinfectin".
The brand is currentl runnin" a campaign Antiseptic *iquid. Dettol Antiseptic *iquid is a
product! which has man uses for protectin" our famil from "ermsB
G 1se with moppin" water to disinfect floors completel
G 1se in washin" laundr to disinfect our clothes
G For first aid and personal care uses! Dettol Antiseptic *iquid must alwas be used diluted with
water.
D. Brand building t"roug" #Dettol )i*uid +and &as"$!
Dettol introduced the *iquid ,and &ash in 199@. It was #nown that man consumers use
Dettol 7oap for cleanin" hands. Dettol *iquid 7oap "a%e the consumers a soap in a more
modern and con%enient format for hand wash.
In hand washin"! the need for "erm protection is top most on consumer)s mind. Due to its
earl and continued efforts in buildin" the se"ment and "i%en the stren"th of the parent brand
Dettol! this se"ment was historicall dominated b Dettol *iquid ,and wash. The si+e of the
liquid hand wash mar#et is relati%el small A=s. 59 $rores b end of >00F. Althou"h incidence
of hand wash in a da is quite hi"h! penetration of liquid hand wash is still low in India
4estimated as 103 of all 1rban ,ouse ,olds in >00F5! bar soaps bein" tpicall used for
washin" hands. The #e reasons for low penetration of the cate"or are (e0pensi%e:low %alue for
mone). Amon"st users! the moti%ators are protection from germs followed b con%enience
of use. Hi%en cate"or buildin" efforts! the penetration has been showin" a stead increase.
Dettol)s ma'or competitors in this se"ment are *ifebuo! 8almoli%e! 7a%lon! 7antoor! F9<! etc
The se"ment is broadl split in two formatsB
i5 Dispensin" FormatB 8ump 8ac#s
ii5 =efillin" FormatsB =efill si+es 4%arin" from >00ml to 5 litre5

The cate"or e%olution has been based on the increasin" penetration of the 8ump pac# o%er a
period of time. The dispensin" pac# dominated the mar#et with o%er ;03 contribution 4>0055.
'ommunications for )i*uid +and &as"!
Dettol hand wash communication has alwas focused on the core brand positioning of
#protection from germs$. /%er the ears! the messa"e of need for hand washin" and the ris# of
"erms has been hi"hli"hted in %arious dail "erm pic# up situations.
Consumer insights & perceptions used to create its values
Survey Result
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The abo%e "raph depicts the %arious reasons as to wh Dettol products are bein" bou"ht
b the consumers. The best wa to find the new uses for the product is to as# the consumers.
Dettol did 'ust that. It ran a series of promotions as#in" consumers to tell the compan! how the
used Dettol.
Dettol , ne& uses!
The brand as#ed the consumers to contact them and tell the compan on the multiple
uses of the product and thus "ained lot of insi"hts into the %arious uses of the brand. The brand
later came out with a series of campai"n hi"hli"htin" the %arious uses of this antiseptic. Dettol
now ta#en the platform of a multi,use antiseptic which can be used durin" bath! to clean
wounds! to sterili+e clothes! floor etc.

Althou"h homema#ers ha%e been usin" Dettol for all these! the compan has now ta#en
these uses as a part of the core product. The brand is trin" to brea# the ima"e of Dettol as an
antiseptic which is used for cleanin" wounds. Alon" with this initiati%e! the brand also reinforced
its commitment towards h"iene. The brand has selected "giene as t"e core brand %alue and
theme which it will fi"ht for.
In >002! the brand conducted a stud which showed that F23 of frequentl touched
surfaces in a household are hi"hl contaminated. The brand then conducted a series of awareness
campai"n to promote better h"iene usin" Dettol. 1sin" h"iene as the ma'or theme! Dettol is
trin" to increase the usa"e of the product amon" the households. 6ecause of the e0cellent brand
equit! Dettol is in a position to ride this wa%e.
Factors that shaped the brand during its life cycle
Despite its first mo%er ad%anta"e! it did not become a household name from the word "o.
To brea# into the consumer space! the compan launched an a""ressi%e ad%ertisin" campai"n in
19;0. 6 19F0! @.F million Dettol bottles were sold and! o%er the ne0t one decade! the brand had
penetrated into @03 of urban households in India.
A. Dettol Brand , 'ommunication!
Dettol)s communication in the initial ears was %ia medical detailin" material! print
ad%ertisement in popular press and medical 'ournals. This was followed b TI ad%ertisements
centered on first aid application for man ears. 1.A stud showed that while First Aid use in
the households had a near 1003 penetration! man homes were usin" it for secondar purposes.
In order to e0ploit this potential in >005! the messa"e strate" saw a shift to communicatin"
secondar usa"es li#e addin" Dettol to bathin" water! disinfectin" the floors! napp rinsin" etc.
In earl >002! the brand)s communication too# another step forward with its !apka "ettol #ya
#ya #arta $ai% campai"n A that showcased how brand users across the countr had formed their
Promotional cost effectiveness
Stages Of Product Life Cycle
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Sales Promotion Advertising and Publicity Personal Selling

own special bond with the brand A usin" it whene%er and where%er the felt a need for
disinfection. Antiseptic *iquid is a wellpenetrated mar#et! "i%en its use in first aid! and is sold in
o%er 1; lac outlets in the countr /%er the ears! the product has been e0tended for other
disinfection uses li#e addin" to bathin" water! disinfectin" bab nappies! addin" to water while
moppin" etc. and at present secondar usa"e contributes more %olumes of Dettol Antiseptic
liquid than the primar first aid usa"e.
B. -t"er Brand S"aping Acti%ities!
Apart from ad campai"ns and product schemes! the compan used to sponsor
programmes such as the Cational Curses <eet. J1ntil now it was more of a sin"le initiati%e that
we sponsored or wor#ed on! and then "ot out!J 7ethi sas! JIt was time we did thin"s differentl.
&e also loo# at it as a part of our corporate social responsibilit initiati%e.J
&ith an initial in%estment of =s 5 crore 4=s 50 million5 and a ear of wor#! =ec#itt
6enc#iser aims to tar"et those who are most %ulnerable to infections. Thus! new mothers will be
presented with a %accination chart with tips on how to #eep the newKborn and its surroundin"s
"ermKfree! alon" with a free bottle of Dettol antiseptic.
7chool students will be educated in the importance of washin" their hands before eatin".
The hospital pro"ramme will mean reachin" out to hospitals and nursin" homes where
pro"rammes will be conducted with nurses and staff to #eep the en%ironment "ermKfree. ,ealth
messa"es on firstKaid and immuni+ation will also be displaed.
The pro"ramme will mean "ettin" in touch with 1.> million new mothers! 300!000
students and >50 hospitals across the countr. &hile the new mothersL pro"ramme has alread
started in the si0 metros! the school and hospital initiati%es will #ic# off in a phased manner
throu"h the ear.
&ole of advertising in this brand building process
/%er the ears of the ori"inal Dettol Antiseptic *iquid! e%en as Dettol)s product bouquet
has "rown! the trusted protection has remained the same. &ith its distinct smell! color and stin"!
it e%o#es an emotional bond in millions of hearts A it)s Dettol! its wor#in"M Dettol ad%ertisin"
startin" in 19;0s has centered on educatin" consumers on the need for protection from "erms!
while offering solutions to manage t"e problem of germs. 7tartin" then and till now Dettol
ad%ertisin" has celebrated the role of a mother in protectin" her famil.
Dettol ad%ertisin" startin" in 19;0s has centered on educatin" consumers on the need for
protection from "erms! while offerin" solutions to mana"e the problem of "erms where%er and
whene%er the ma occur. 7tartin" then and till now Dettol ad%ertisin" has celebrated the role of
a mother in protectin" her famil. 6ecause .f s"e doesnt take care of t"em &"o &ill/
Dettol had to e0pand the usa"e beond cuts and bruises. ,ence =ec#itt and $oleman
unleashed a campai"n aimin" to e0pand the usa"e of the brand to an all purpose antiseptic that

can be used for sha%in"! rinsin" and as a "eneral disinfectant. Interestin"l this multiKusa"e of
Dettol Antiseptic *iquid pa%ed the wa for the ne0t "eneration of Dettol.
Dettol has launched Dettol Suraks"it Pari%ar! a nationwide campai"n! in association
with the Indian <edical Association 4I<A5. The ob'ecti%e of this campai"n is to "enerate
awareness that "ood h"iene practices are essential to reduce the ris# of infections! particularl
for those who are most %ulnerable to illness such as infants and children. The 8ro"ramme is
bein" underta#en at three different le%els A Cew <other 8ro"ramme! 7chool ,and wash
8ro"ramme and ,ospital 8ro"ramme. 7pread across Delhi! <umbai! Nol#ata! $hennai!
6an"alore and ,derabad! it tar"ets new <otherLs! school children and the "eneral public. Cew
<other 8ro"ramme not missed a sin"le da at school are "i%en 0Dettol 100% Attendance
A&ard0 to further encoura"e them to follow "ood h"iene.
$o' did this brand position itself in its competitive market(
Price Quantity Price Quantity Price Quantity
16 75g 16 75g 12 75g
26 125g 24.5 125g 17 125g
Price Quantity Price Quantity
55 250ml 55 250ml
Price Quantity Price Quantity Price Quantity
22 30g 24.5 30g 19.5 30g
37 70g 37.5 70g 36 70g
Dettol Old Spice Palmolive
Liquid Soap
Dettol Fem
Shaving Cream
Dettol Savlon Medimix
Soap
Dettol toilet soap was positioned as beaut soap initiall. This was not in line with its core
%alues. Dettol, the parent brand 4antiKseptic liquid5 was #nown for its abilit to heal cuts. The
e0tension)s -beautE positionin" was not in tune with the parent)s -"ermK#illE positionin". The
soap! therefore! had to be repositioned as-germ,kill$ soap 4-bath for "rim occasionsE5 and it
fared e0tremel! well after repositionin". ,ere! the soap had to be repositioned for ima"e
mismatch.
Thou"h the =s @00Kcrore Dettol continues to lead the antiseptic liquid hand wash mar#et
with o%er 503 share! ri%al ,industan 1nile%er)s 4,1*5 massKpriced soap brand *ifebuo has

be"un ta#in" awa share from Dettol in recent months! e%en thou"h mar"inall. ,1* has been
pushin" *ifebuo on the same h"iene and "erm protection platform that Dettol is snonmous
with.
Its ma'or competitors in the 6ar 7oap se"ment are *ifebuo! *u0! 7antoor! 7a%lon! Hodre'
Co 1! etc. The stron"hold and dominance of these brands and their distribution! %aries across
re"ions and urban and rural mar#ets. &hile some brands are stron" across the mar#et! others
ha%e their stron"holds in onl some of the re"ions in the countr. Dettol %ariants ha%e
contributed incrementall to Dettol soap sales and now ma#e up about >53 of total Dettol soap
sales. ,owe%er! "i%en its herita"e and ears of e0istence! Dettol /ri"inal 7oap continues to be
the lead %ariant! and top of mind when it came to Dettol 7oaps. To suit the needs of different
consumers! Dettol and its competitors are a%ailable in different pac# si+es and combopac#
offers. 8ricin" also plas a bi" role in this mar#et that can be se"mented as econom! midprice
and premium. 9ach plaer is present in different si+es! and hence tries to straddle different pic#
up prices. Dettol soap has a premium price %ersus ot"er ke plaers in the mar#et. This has
limited Dettol penetration in the lower end of the mar#et. To o%ercome pricin" barrier! small
pac# was launched in >00F! priced at =s. ;. This helped in "ainin" further share. ,ousehold
penetration and consumer preferences towards Dettol %ar across re"ions and seasons.
=ec#itt 6enc#iser decided to reposition Dettol O its hi"hest sellin" brand O from 1ust
premium to address t"e mass segment as well. Dettol liquid hand wash was rolled out in 135K
ml pac#s priced at =s 32 across all three %ariants O ori"inal! s#incare and sensiti%e. Dettol soap!
too! has been introduced in a smaller 7N1 of 35 "m priced at =s ;.
Neepin" in mind the climatic conditions pre%alent in India! Dettol Fresh 7oap had been
formulated usin" a perfect blend of in"redients to "i%e relief from heat and sweat so that one
stas fresh for lon" time. Dettol Fresh *iquid ,and wash "a%e a Fresh and clean feel durin"
hand wash. All this is while retainin" superior protection of Dettol whereb it pro%ided 10 times
better protection from "erms as compared to ordinar soaps.
)he future steps to consolidate the same brand


A. )ooking A"ead!
6rand Dettol)s "rowth trend had been stead o%er the ears. In the last few ears! there had
been acceleration in its "rowth! but the team felt that with the ri"ht strate"ies in place! it could
le%era"e the "rowth momentum it had built in recent past. It was loo#in" forward to finali+in"
%arious mar#etin" strate"ies and initiati%es to help it achie%e its ambitious ob'ecti%es.
/ne of the #e challen"es on use of Dettol has been low consumer awareness on "erm pic# up
situations. =eco"ni+in" the same! the team is e%aluatin" how h"iene awareness can be
increased further.
B. 2ora into 3e& Markets!
4"e Bod &as" Market
Dettol bod wash was launched in >005 for further penetration into related cate"ories and
pro"ression into the urban mar#et. The 6od &ash mar#et is a small but fast "rowin" cate"or.
Its cate"or si+e was =s. 1; $rores in >00F. For the last 3 ears! the $AH= has been near 303.
The mar#et is dominated b a few #e plaers namel! *u0 6od &ash! 8almoli%e and Do%e.
The current user profile of -6od &ashE is upper 79$s who reside mainl in <etros. The user
profile currentl also has a sli"ht female s#ew and the association of the product usa"e is with
feelin"s of indul"ence and (pamperin" oneself). The cate"or is considered (premium) due to its
hi"h priced products. Hi%en the si+e of the mar#et! the support behind the cate"or has been
o%erall at a rather low le%el. The o%erall penetration in India is a mea"re 13. ,owe%er! trends in

other semide%eloped mar#ets show that shower "els clearl the bodwash mar#et of the future.
In man de%eloped countries! use of soap is chan"ed to bod wash format 4almost to 5035.