Reckitt Benckiser, the producer of Dettol
Soap and market leader in the health, hygiene and home care products segment
has reinforced its market share with the launch of a new soap brand, Dettol
Re-energize into the Nigerian market.
The Managing Director, Reckitt Benckiser
Nigeria Limited, Mr. Rahul Murgai, speaking at the trade launch of the new soap
in Lagos, said the variant was unique for its reviving citrus fragrance and the
trusted Dettol germ protection that offer consumers long lasting freshness and
protection. Continue..
He described the addition to its soap
category as another ‘‘great innovation’’ from the company while pointing 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 love 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 has continued to innovate, noting that being
innovative has 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, Mr. 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”.
Unveiling the new soap, Chairman, Lagos
State chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Francis Faduyile,
announced the endorsement of Dettol Re-energize for its
freshness, long-lasting pleasant fragrance and the trusted Dettol germ
protection property.
He said Dettol was a heritage brand which
the association was proud to associate with. “Dettol is a great brand that is
endorsed by the Nigeria Medical Association. It is only Dettol that has such
endorsement and the NMA will continue to associate with Dettol”, he
stated.
The company’s Marketing Manager (Personal
Care), Mr. Ahmed Shah, 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 per cent 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-energize 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 per cent less likely to fall sick.”
