An Introduction

The Company:

Reckitt Benckiser India Ltd (RBIL) is a fully owned subsidiary of Reckitt Benckiser Plc; this was formed in the year 1999 from the merger of Reckitt & Colman PLC and Benckiser N.V. The company is a multinational consumer goods company, headquartered in Slough, United Kingdom. Reckitt Benckiser is listed on the London Stock Exchange. A few well-known brands of RBIL are Dettol, Mortein, Harpic, Lizol, Colin etc.
 

The Product:

Albert Reckitt of Reckitt & Sons Ltd & Dr. W.C. Reynolds were the ones to develop Dettol Antiseptic Disinfectant Liquid in 1929.Dettol is the iconic brand from Reckitt-Benckiser. It was launched in India in 1933. Since its inception it has garnered the faith and trust of millions of Indians and till date stands as the last word in germ protection. Dettol antiseptic enjoys more than 80 per cent of the market share, today. It has multiple uses, such as - as a gentle antiseptic wound cleanser, disinfectant, after shave etc.

Traditionally Dettol has been the one product to reach out to in cases of cuts and bruises. Dettol, also ran a campaign with the goal to expand the usage of the brand into a multi-purpose antiseptic that can be used for a variety of functions -  washing laundry, mopping, shaving, first-aid and other general disinfectant purposes.

Hence, though the product started its journey as the first-aid brand in the country, over the years it has taken over the role of ‘protector from germs’ in all situations.

Definition Of Marketing.

The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines marketing as  - “ Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging  offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large”.

The definition basically  talks about meeting/ satisfying a consumer requirement profitably, by designing and delivering a tailored product/ service to the customer that creates value for them.

In this case, the existence/ creation of a consumer need for “germ protection” was satisfied by Dettol. Hence, this product identified the unstated requirement for “germ protection” of its consumers and innovated an all purpose product to cater to the same.Hence, In this market market the brand - as the leader -has the responsibility of driving the overall industry growth.  More about Dettol as a product and as a brand  would be published in the posts that follow.