Competition

COMPETITION 

It is not Dettol that introduced this product in the Indian market. Godrej Consumer Products Ltd , Himalaya, Paras Pharma etc had introduced this product in the Indian market even as early as 2003. GCPL's brand Protekt is exported to various countries while Himalaya's brand - Pure Hands is a herbal hand sanitiser. But these brands are not able to create a noise in the market so far when compared to Dettol and Lifebuoy.

Industry of a product involves the number of firms or players in the market. Companies compete on the basis of what the buyer wants. Competition can come from different categories depending upon the usage. The same usage brings out the non competition i.e.

• if it is a substitute, it's not a direct competition
• if it is a different category, it's not direct competition
• if it is a potential threat, it's not a direct threat

For any product, in our case- Dettol hand sanitiser, competition coming from Apollo hand sanitisers and Lifebuoy hand sanitisers pose to be from the same category thus the competition. But products like that of Zuci's are not competition due to a)different category and b)no pose as a potential threat to the product. This can be attributed to the brand value that Dettol has over the latter.

The tissue paper and wet wipes act as a substitute to the the product but due to their being a substitute, they are not a direct competition. Also, they contain moisture, which is absent in tissue papers. Some of them also contain vitamin e and essential oils in them, which are again absent from sanitisers. But ost importantly sanitisers are different as they come in different types of fragrances.

The major competitors of Dettol hand sanitisers are :-

•  Dermi- cool skin defense
• Godrej
• Lifebuoy
• Chandrika by Wipro
• Fem safe hands by Dabur
• Pure hands by Himalaya

Distribution process

DISTRIBUTION PROCESS

MANUFACTURER

After manufacturing company sends its products to SKUs and C&F agents all over India to distribute it to the distributor

SKUs AND C&F AGENTS

They act as moderators between distribution and manufacturing company. Company itself has establishes its warehouse where they keep their product and then sku distribute the product in the market. It also provides them about demand behaviour in the market

DISTRIBUTOR

It si most essential link between retailer and manufacturer. They enjoy higher level of expertise and have more knowledge than manufacturer. They also act as advisors and save cost of logistics. Dsitributor of dettol-P K agencies with a profit margin 3-5%. The distributor work according to the area chart plan decided by the company and distributor sales personnel

RETAILER

It is most important as its effectiveness is linked will only benefit others so as to survive in the competitive market. It is the final link where the companies effective marketing strategy will decide the demand and will make the public aware of its existing product as retailers are medium for product display. For dettol their share is 7-8%

SUGGESTIONS

• Exclusive outlet:An exclusive branded showroom concept with emergency first aid centre across tier 2 and 3 towns. Other Reckitt products can also find place. A kind of cause related marketing. It can also be a channel partner managed outlet.
• Tie ups:Tie up with others giving first aid facilities like amusement parks, in car first aid kits etc. Visibility will increase the mind share further.
• Specialty advertising can be the future: It means max coverage and low cost.

customer decision making process

CUSTOMER DECISION MAKING PROCESS

Today, the customer is awarer and better informed. The days of caveat emptor are long gone. Customer is the king now.This changes the definition of rational consumer in a manner that the consumer or the customer now does his research before buying the commodity.Buying becomes a process involving various decisions,namely-

• problem recognition
• information research
• evaluation of alternatives
• purchase decision 
• post purchase behaviour

It means that the customer defines his area of commodity purchase.He narrows down the product line and shortens his list for the best alternatives.He starts looking at his subjects differently, analysing at every step.

To comprehend the given paradigm we take a product, in our case the Dettol hand sanitiser.It begins with problem recognition,here-unavailability of rudimentary soap and water for sanitary purposes due to in-transit situations or simply because the elements are not present.Another problem could be dirty-water scenarios or This is followed by information research-finding out from different sources like Internet,advertisements,dealers,family etc. the various brands and types of sanitisers available in the market.Different brands are Dettol,apollo and Zuci.They come with different types like classic,strawberry etc.
This is followed by evaluation of alternatives-the brands that the customer shortlisted would now be evaluated for further consideration.Thus the customer weighs his options and finds out the benefits reaped out of all the sanitisers of different companies on the basis of different beliefs and attitudes.This leads to purchase decision-the thought process that arises from five subconscious decisions that are-brand,dealer,quantity,timing and payment method.
And finally the post purchase behaviour-this is where the buyer retrospects on his decision after buying the commodity.Thus the customer will analyse the benefits derived out of buying the Dettol product is more or less than the total cost including physical and mental expenditure.
After all of this the customer starts using his experience in future purchases and and this in turn leads to habit formation.
The customer decision making process involves careful deliberation of efforts as our choices are irrational.

CPV OR CVP...it matters or does it?

CUSTOMER VALUE AND BENEFITS

Customer value is what the customer pays and what he gets.But there are two different types of values-perceived and desired.

The question arise how does a supplier deliver customer value to the customer,
A-providing the best good or service at best cost
The dettol hand sanitizer provides the customer with the perfect satisfaction when it comes to value in exchange as the pricing of the commodity is Rs 57 (50 ml).the value in use

Today, the customer is awarer and better informed. The days of cavet emptor are long gone. Customer is the king,now.This changes the definition of rational consumer in a manner that he consumer or the customer now does his research before buying the commodity.Even though the monetary value can be equated with the customer value,the equation remains incomplete as the satisfaction derived from different commodities can be different despite same prices.
CPV i.e. customer perceived value is the difference between the benefits and the costs.Benefits consist of product benefit,service benefit,personnel benefit and image benefit. On the other hand,costs consist of monetary cost,time cost,energy cost and psychological cost.
For any consumer benefit must exceed the cost for the product to be valuable. Dettol hand sanitizer seems to be valuable if we consider both its benefits and costs--

BENEFITS:Product benefit-Due to its brand value the product has great RELIABILITY value
                    Image benefit-The name or the value of Dettol adds value to the benefits on an                                        exponential level


COSTS:Monetary cost-Instead of reducing the value of the product,the cost of Dettol hand sanitizer                     adds value by being priced at an affordable Rs.57
              Time cost-The time cost of this product is low as the accessibility to the commodity is easy                      for urban population who are more prone to using sanitizers
              Energy cost-Just like time cost energy cost is negligible as the people who would use the                         commodity would keep it in store.
              Psychological cost-The only additive to the cost side instead of the benefits side is the                             psychological cost.This is because it is the psychological conditioning of the mind that led                   to need of sanitizers in the first place.

Desired customer value is what a customer desires in his product and in Dettol hand sanitiser both the perceived and desired values are the same.I can say that citing the brand value of Dettol,it delivers what he customers expect and desire and has been doing so for a very long time.
Thus the customer value of Dettol can be said to be of high performance.

The customer value hierarchy consist of five levels, namely- core benefit, basic product, expected product, augmented product and potential product. These can be placed on our product with respect to the 3Cs marketing model. Our product, Dettol hand sanitiser, will have clean germ free hands as a core benefit coming under the customer part of the marketing model .The basic product, which is the sanitiser itself, would come under the company as well as the competition part of the model. Expected product means what the consumer expects out of the product therefore the expectations any consumer has from the sanitiser regarding any improvements or new product line or types or fragrance issues, all come under the customer part of the model. Augmented product deals with adding value to the given product thus this particular levels come under both competition and company. Finally, the potential product is the future expectations for the given product hence this comes under the competition part of the model.

Branding

Dettol's campaign is named "Dettol hai toh sahi hai". It is designed to turn consumers towards hygienic life. This campaign is aimed as a type of education for the audience. It is basically designed to show empathy towards the customers and that we really care for them. It also encourages repeat purchase of the Dettol product.

Their objectives are as follows:

• to place dettol as a complete health care product in the mind of the consumer
• to make the consumer think dettol as their personal doctor
• to turn the use into habit of the consumer

Our product Dettol hand sanitiser brands itself via innovative print ads, such as the following advertisement:

.

Objectivity of the advertisement

The objective of the ad is to illustrate the need for using the hand sanitizer and the possible benefits obtained through its use. The need for a germ fighter is brought out by showing the out stretched hand in different everyday contexts, But, the specific benefits of using a hand sanitizer, namely, it killing 99.99% of the germs or that it can be used anytime anywhere are not brought out in the hand.

The picture shown is a “fair and accurate representation” of the qualities of a hand sanitizer. There is no body copy or endorser who is talking about any benefits going beyond the core proposition of a hand sanitizer. In that respect, the print ad is very objective, as in it talks about (or shows pictorially), what the product can actually deliver.

Creativity shown in the Ad

Without using any body copy or text, the print ad manages to convey the association of dirty hands and the product. The image of the outstretched itself, appearing in multiple forms, each in different everyday context is unique itself. In would lead to high memorability of the ad and hence recall and association with dirty hands.

Scope for improvement in the advertisement

a) Positioning: This has already being talked about before. In summary, instead of a simple germ fighter, the product should be positioned on the relative advantages it offers over a soap. These include:
a. positioning of fighting 99.99% of germs
b. on being the anytime/anywhere answer to fighting germs

This is especially important for a country like India, where the concept of hand sanitizer is very novel. So, talking about a need which is distinct from the simple hygiene need being successfully fulfilled by soaps is required.

b) The TG appears to be the entire set of men being involved in outdoor activities. In a country where penetration and even awareness of such a product is less, greater trial can be achieved by specifically targeting early adopters who would be more likely to use the product. These could be:
i. Doctors, nurses
ii. Adventurers, Mountaineers etc

Usage Contexts and Attributes of the Product: Possible Advertising Themes

The product being advertised is an Instant Hand Sanitizer. A hand sanitizer’s value proposition is that it kills 99.99% of the most common germs that may cause illness. Its relative advantage compared to a normal soap is that it can be used anytime, anyplace, without water or towels. Its disadvantage is that though it is very effective at killing germs on the hands, but it is not effective at removing dirt. Conversely, soap and water are very effective at cleaning dirty or soiled hands, but are not good at killing germs.

So, a result, communication for an Instant Hand Sanitizer must concentrate on two points:

• 99.99 % Germ Killing Formulation
• No need of water/towels, making it anytime, anywhere

The Advertisement for Dettol Instant Hand Sanitizer

We spoke about two themes on which hand sanitizer advertising could be based on. These were:

a) Speaking about the 99.99% germs killing attribute
b) Speaking about the anytime/anywhere attribute

Message

The advertising of the Dettol Instant Hand Sanitizer does not focus directly on any of the above mentioned themes.

It shows a man’s hand and the various things it is put through in the course of a day. The ad tries to show this without showing any explicit user scenarios or using any text. The creative is about an outstretched hand, which through its various projections, each holding an object, represents a particular user activity.

These range from:

• Eating out
• Handling home appliances and gadgets like the remote
• Driving, filling up gas
• Using the phone
• Working, writing, using the computer

All these contexts are possible sources of germs. The bottle of the Dettol Instant Hand Sanitizer kept besides the outstretched hand is the supposedly the solution the outstretched hand is looking for as a solution for all the ills the hand has to go through in the course of the day. The campaign for Dettol Instant Hand Sanitizer illustrates the fact that germs are everywhere. As explained before, numerous occasions throughout the course of the day are all possible sources of germs.

The text in small font on the bottle itself, stating the product as the Dettol Instant Hand Sanitizer is the cue which helps relate the outstretched hand, affected by the germs causing environment and the bottle, which supposedly is the solution that the hand is looking for. Apart from that there is no body copy in the print ad which states the benefits of the product or its usage. What is highlighted though is the Dettol brand itself, which is easily noticed on the bottle. The strong brand of Dettol lends credibility to the product and gives an impetus to the target audience to look at the AD more carefully.

STP

Target audience

A product like Dettol hand sanitisers believes in mass marketing as this product is neither age restricted nor gender restricted.The Target Audience for usage of an Instant Hand Sanitizer must also be made aware of the need of using such a product. This need must be such where an ordinary soap and water combination would not do. This can be created by using a usage context where having hands germ free is important. Examples of the same could be:

a) Before handling/eating food
b) Before handling infants
c) In hospitals, for doctors and nurses, before and after handling patients

In these scenarios, a realization amongst the TG can easily made that a Hand Sanitizer would be a much more effective option compared to a soap, which does not kill all the germs.

The second theme could be focussing on the anytime/anywhere part as the usage of the product does not imply use of water or towels. Again scenarios where such a product can be useful must be shown to highlight the anytime/anywhere aspect of the product. These could be:

a) Use by people on the move like
a. Travellers
b. Adventurers, Mountaineers etc
c. Bikers
d. Sales people
b) Use of people outside home
a. Office goers
b. College students

The realization that this product should be used over more traditional products like soaps should be done for the TG. The penetration levels of the product are very low. So, creating awareness about the product and its relative advantages over soaps is very important.

Segmentation

One segmentation, which the ad talks about is Psychographic Segmentation based on type of activity. It talks about outdoor activities like driving, eating out and also things like working on the computer or making calls. These and also the shirt worn by the outstretched hand, which is a formal shirt, point to a target audience of office going men or men who are outside for some work or the other.
The relevance of the product is there for such a TG, based by them being involved in activities, in which an anytime/anywhere product for keeping hands germ free is needed. Though the fact that the product is anytime/anywhere is never mentioned is one of the shortcomings of the ad and would be taken up later.

Positioning

The implied positioning of the product is that of a solution to keeping hands germ free. It is a problem solver to the everyday scenarios which happen in the course of a man’s usual day in life and lead to germs.

Positioning: What it should have been

Positioning should have been on one of the relative advantages that Hand Sanitizers have over soaps.

a) Soaps also kill germs. So, the current positioning of just germ fighting directly competes against soaps, because many of them including Dettol Soap are positioned as Hygiene or germ fighting soaps. On the other hand, a positioning of fighting 99.99% of germs goes much beyond what hygiene or beauty soaps can offer.

b) Anytime, anywhere usage is something on which soaps can never match Hand Sanitizers, because they need the use of water. A positioning on being the anytime/anywhere answer to fighting germs would have created a unique image in the TG’s mind and increased adoption. The print ad in question is too vague to suggest any association with being anytime/anywhere. The only apparent association is of simple germ fighting for the outstretched dirty hand by the bottle of Hand Sanitizer.

Connection between message and target audience

As has already being explained, the print ad shows various scenarios in which a man’s hand is exposed to germs. These are typical to the TG of office going men or men who are involved in outdoor activities. Thus, they can relate and identify with the situations shown. The bottle kept alongside the hand having the Dettol brand is the solution to the everyday problem of keeping hands germ free.

Promotions

 PROMOTIONS AND IMC

Promotions of our product Dettol hand sanitiser involves a media plan and different above the line and below the line activities with respect to the IMC. It has a different communication style.

Communication style
The style of execution of this product is done through demonstration, health care programmes and free distribution of trial pack.

Integrated marketing communications

ATL activities:It means organising a health camp on health related issues and for health awareness with Dettol at popular multiplexes of the city. Following is the print advertisement for our product:

Some hand hygiene adverts incorporate the kind of imagery you’d expect to find in horror movies, and the effect is often made even creepier by an unsuspecting central character, as in this ad for Dettol Instant Hand Sanitizer. Fear can sometimes be an effective tool for getting an advertising message across, although relying too heavily on it as a strategy may put off some consumers. Still, the solution to this particular problem – that is, Dettol Instant Hand Sanitizer – is displayed prominently at the base of the ad. And the message that it “kills 99.99% of germs on hands, without the need for water” also emphasizes the fact that it’s useful for people on the go. A blunt advert, perhaps made even blunter by the plaster visible on the front hand, it was created by the Sydney branch of global marketing agency Euro RSCG and was first published in July 2008.

BTL activities: It involves performing campaigns in dispensaries, providing drops of hand sanitiser to the customers at food joints  and displaying advertisements on the wall of escalators at the malls. Dettol hand sanitisers are gifted for customers of BIG BAZAAR against bill on Wednesday.

Media plan
The media objectives of our product is to:

• reach mass media audience within a short time
• create loyal customers and reduce brand switching
• generate willingness for the non buyer to try it
• turn the uses into habit
• teach the mind of customers about the advantages of hygienic life

The choice of media:

• Television-The vehicle will be Star Plus, Colors etc. These channels are mostly watched by families sitting together.
• Radio-It is one of the easy means of communication. The vehicle will be Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM. Ad will be starting from morning 7 during the show along with Health tips of the day.
• Newspaper-Vehicle will be TOI because it has a very wide reach irrespective of the age group
• Magazine-Vehicle will  be GRUHSHOHIKA & GRUHINI AND HEALTH CARE because they are mostly read by household members especially by women.