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Rediff.com Business Will the new Dettol strategy w ork?

Will the new Dettol strategy work?

April 11, 2006 14:27 IST Share this Ask Users Write a Comment Print this article

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If smells bring back memories, chances are that a whiff of Dettol antiseptic liquid will remind most of us of s craped knees
and shins, the tas te of tears , hot bath water and, of course, the sting when the liquid touched the wound. Launched in 1933 in India [ Images ], Dettol liquid continues to be a firs t-aid staple in most homes . It was voted as the third most-trus ted brand in an AC Nielsen ORG Marg survey las t year. Brand extensions such as Dettol liquid hand wash and Dettol soap have als o managed to find a place in people's bathrooms. Reckitt Benckiser's flags hip brand, Dettol makes for one-third of the company's Rs 1,000-crore (Rs 10 billion) turnover. Dettol is the leader in the antis eptic market with 85 per cent market s hare. Liquid hand wash created a new market and lords over 60 per cent of the market in the category, while the various Dettol s oaps account for 18 per cent of the health soap divis ion. Others s uch as body was h and s having cream make for a minuscule part of the turnover. The brand's foray into talcum and floor cleaners a few years ago, though, didn't work out. Now Reckitt Benckiser has bigger plans for Dettol. With the launch of its "Dettol Surakshit Parivar" initiative on March 21, Reckitt Benckiser will target new mothers , schools and hos pitals in six metros - Delhi [ Images ], Mumbai [ Images ], Kolkata [ Images ], Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. Clarifies Chander Mohan Sethi, regional director, south Asia, and managing director, Reckitt Benckis er (India), "This is in continuation to several other initiatives of reaching out to people." Apart from ad campaigns and product schemes, the company us ed to sponsor programmes such as the National Nurses Meet. "Until now it was more of a s ingle initiative that we s ponsored or worked on, and then got out," Sethi says , "It was time we did things differently. We also look at it as a part of our corporate social respons ibility initiative." Equity tracking is a continuous proces s at Reckitt Benckis er. "Dettol is believed in by everybody, even doctors . That is the core deliverable that we wanted to emphasis e," s ays Sethi. With an initial inves tment of Rs 5 crore (Rs 50 million) and a year of work, Reckitt Benckiser aims to target those who are most vulnerable to infections. Thus, new mothers will be presented with a vaccination chart with tips on how to keep the new-born and its surroundings germ-free, along with a free bottle of Dettol antiseptic. School students will be educated in the importance of washing their hands before eating. The hospital programme will mean reaching out to hospitals and nursing homes where programmes will be conducted with nurses and staff to keep the environment germ-free. Health messages on first-aid and immunis ation will als o be displayed. The programme will mean getting in touch with 1.2 million new mothers, 300,000 students and 250 hos pitals across the country. While the new mothers' programme has already started in the six metros , the school and hospital initiatives will kick off in a phased manner through the year (Q2-Q3). People from agencies s pecialising in dealing with people from the medical field and school children will reach out to the target groups. "At the same time, our brand team will train thes e people about the brand, too," adds Sethi. Constant checks by the company and the agencies ensure the plan moves smoothly. But if the project is a part of Reckitt's CSR initiatives, why target the metros? Surely cleanlines s and hygiene need a boos t more in rural India and s mall towns? "This is just the start of the journey," explains Sethi patiently. "I believe that whatever we do, we s hould do it well. Later stages will involve smaller towns and, ultimately, rural India. And even with metros, we are not targetting the rich and wealthy." "I wish they mean what they s ay," counters Anand Halve of brand consultancy Chlorophyll. "Where brand building is concerned, it aims to make the product a definitive brand in the category." Halve says the programme might work in the same way as Colgate's initiative of free dental check-ups in school did. Arvind Singhal , managing director, Technopak Advisors, says such an initiative is a subtle way of nurturing the brand. "More and more companies are looking at doing contemporary things . They want to be s een as doing the right things." Will the exercis e also mean a surge in sales for the company? "I would love it if my sales doubled," laughs Sethi, adding, "But on a more serious note, I am merely looking at establishing the importance of hygienic living." Do you want to discuss stock tips? Do you know a hot one? Join the Stock Market Investments Discussion Group Prerna Raturi Source:

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Total 2 messages Is India still depend on Bar Soaps for hand wash? by Guest (View MyPage) on Jul 16, 2009 04:50 PM Ins pite of Dettol and Lifebuoy's (which I think are the major brands for liquid hand wash) strong market and brand image and success in their liquid hand s oap category, I'm not s ure how strong the overall liquid hand wash market in India. Can any one s uggest me about the current s cenario of the liquid vis -a-vis bar hand s oap market in India? I know people are s hifting towards natural ingredient bas ed s oaps, hygienic is sues, skin care - but still no idea of the preference in liquid vs bar soaps for washing hands. Pages | 1

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Is dettol builing brand image or doesit really have social responsibility by (View MyPage) on Mar 13, 2007 10:20 AM The new campaign of the dettol initiative of march 21.... i think whether dettol or rather Reckitt Benckiser is building the corporate image or does the s ocial res ponsibilties are high in the raise..... whatever....dettol has its own image and place amongst people which will not be replaced by the upcomig brandsin the market..

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