Innovation is an important element brand custodians have to bear in mind if their brands would stand the test of time, stay relevant and enjoy patronage and loyalty for generations.
This is a strategy Reckitt Benckiser Nigeria Limited, the producer of Dettol Soap and market leader in health, hygiene and home care products segment, has adopted to achieve five decades of patronage and customer loyalty for the Dettol brand.
Following their innovative strategy, Reckitt Benckiser launched a new Dettol variant called Dettol Re-energise, the new soap has the combination of a reviving pleasant citrus fragrance and the trusted Dettol germ protection function.
Rahul Murgai, managing director, Reckitt Benckiser Nigeria Limited, speaking at the trade launch of the new Dettol Re-energise in Lagos, described the addition to its soap category as another ‘‘great innovation’’ from the company. He pointed out that the latest variant also underscored the acceptability of the brand Dettol as a household name in the health and hygiene segment.
He said: ‘‘Dettol is a loved brand in Nigeria, it is associated with the larger than life purpose of creating awareness around good health and hygiene practices, and Dettol has been doing that effectively over the years.’’
Murgai added that in line with the vision of the company to maintain its market leadership as the producer of a range of global brands, Reckitt Benckiser had continued to innovate, noting that being innovative had helped it to build the Dettol franchise across markets including Nigeria.
‘‘We started our journey in 2009 when we launched the campaign ‘Good Health in Our Hands’ and thereafter there have been series of programmes. We have gone to schools where we have reached nearly three million students and have taught them good hand washing practices; we have reached new mothers and we have engaged with them to spread the message of health and hygiene,” he said.
The marketing director for West Africa, Reckitt Benckiser, Silivrili Oghuzan, corroborated that innovation was one of the pillars that accounted for the success of the Dettol brand in its last 50 years of existence in Nigeria.
He said: “Dettol has been around for 50 years; it has been passed on from generations to generations to provide a healthy and hygienic environment, the brand has been so successful that the name of the brand has become the generic name for health and hygiene. One of the most important factors that made the brand successful is it brings innovative solutions.”
Speaking at a trade launch in Lagos, the company’s marketing manager (Personal Care), Ahmed Shah, disclosed that the Dettol brand had recorded tremendous growth since its introduction to the Nigerian market 50 years ago. He said: “In the last five years, the brand has achieved 216 percent growth in its market share and is now present in 63 million households in Nigeria, which means one out of every three households in Nigeria uses Dettol.”
On the philosophy behind the new variant, he explained that Dettol Re-energise was a product of innovation and intensive research into consumers’ want and preference, saying “our research has shown that consumers want a soap that has pleasant fragrance and ability to refresh them. This is why we have introduced a Dettol Soap variant with a pleasant long lasting orange fragrance that refreshes and also gives them protection against germs.”
He further revealed that Dettol was able to triple its market share because it has adopted the right market strategy of building consumers’ trust and confidence in the brand. “Dettol has the biggest consumer direct contact programme in Nigeria because we know it is important to build consumer trust in the Dettol brand. We have reached out to 5.8 million mothers in 44 cities in Nigeria, that is, close to six million mothers in five years, sample them and thought them good hygiene practices and educate them on what good hygiene does for them, their babies and their families”, he noted.
Shah added that “apart from reaching mothers, we have also reached 3.5 million school children in three years by visiting 7,000 schools. We teach them how to wash their hands and other good hygiene practices like washing their hands properly after using the toilet. This is important because research has shown that people that engage in good hygiene practices are 70 percent less likely to fall sick.”
He disclosed that the Dettol brand has recorded tremendous growth since its introduction to the Nigerian market 50 years ago. He said, “In the last five years, the brand has achieved 216 percent growth in its market share and is now present in 63 million households in Nigeria, which means one out of every three households in Nigeria uses Dettol.”
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