ASSAM INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT

A MARKETING REPORT OF A PRODUCT HIGHLITING

THE BRAND, MARKET SCENARIO, COMPETETION AND
MARKETING STRATEGY

SUBMITTED BY –
URSHILA BHUYAN
R/NO – 70/D/2009
PGDBM FIRST TRIMESTER

BRAND TAKEN – DETTOL

PRODUCT – DETTOL ANTISEPTIC LIQUID
COMPANY – RECKITT & BENCKISER
 ASSAM INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT

CONTENTS –

i) OBJECTIVE ………………………………................01

ii) BRAND PROFILE …………………………………..02

iii) ANALYSIS OF CONSUMER

QUESTIONNAIRE……………………………………07

iv) ANALYSIS OF RETAILER

QUESTIONNAIRE……………………………….....11

v) ANALYSIS OF DISTRIBUTOR
QUESTIONNAIRE…………………………………..13

vi) S.W.O.T ANALYSIS ………………………………..14

vii) CONCLUSION ……………………………………….15

viii) BIBLIOGRAPHY …………………………………….16

ix) ANNEXURE
A) CONSUMERS QUESTIONNAIRE
B) RETAILERS QUESTIONNAIRE
C) DISTRIBUTORS QUESTIONNAIRE
 ASSAM INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT

■ OBJECTIVE –

To prepare a marketing analysis of a product and prepare a report

highlighting the product, brand, industry, market competition,
marketing strategy. The product that I have taken is DETTOL
ANTISEPTIC liquid solution.

■ METHODOLOGY –

Sources of data –
1. CONSUMER.
2. RETAILER.
3. DISTRIBUTER.
4. INTERNET.
5. DISCUSSION WITH THE SALES PERSON.

METHOD –
Followed the Questionnaire Method.

■ SAMPLE SIZE –

1. CONSUMER SAMPLE SIZE – 26

2. RETAILER SAMPLE SIZE – 8
3. DISTRIBUTOR SAMPLE SIZE – 4
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BRAND PROFILE

■ INDUSTRY –

Dettol is an ionic brand from Reckitt Benckiser India Ltd. It

is Rs.300 crore brand of Reckitt Benckiser formerly Reckitt &
Coleman. It has been consistently noted as one of the “Most
Trusted Brands” of India. The brand has celebrated platinum
jubilee in 2008. Launched in 1936 as an antiseptic lotion, the
brand became a generic name for antiseptic lotion similar to
Xerox in Photocopiers.

The world’s leading brand of Antiseptics and trusted

champion of family health, Dettol is the Gold Standard Of
Effective germ kill recommended by medical experts and health
care professionals for its proven ability to protect families from
germs. The brand remains up-to-date through the launch of new
products relevant to changing life styles such as hand sanitizer,
liquid hand wash, shower gel, all purpose cleaners and
antibacterial wipes.

Some of the brands and products launched by Reckitt

Benckiser in the Indian markets include Harpic, Cherry Blossom,
Mortein, Robin Blue, Disprin and Lizol.

■ VISION –

‘Reckitt Benckiser is about passionately delivering better

solutions in household cleaning and health & personal care to
customers and consumers, wherever they may be, for the ultimate
purpose of creating shareholder value.’

This vision defines both their purpose and their values as a

Company and encompasses their commitment to product quality
and safety, customer service, innovation, global reach and
corporate social responsibility.
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■ STRATEGIES AND OBJECTIVES –

Reckitt Benckiser objective is to generate above industry average

profitable growth by:

• Focusing on building the power brands in high growth

categories
• Geographic expansion of the portfolio
• Continuous innovation
• Higher investment in brand building
• Margin expansion and cash conversion to fund reinvestment in
core brands and to grow returns to shareholders.
• Selective add-on acquisitions

■ GROWTH OF DETTOL BRAND –

Dettol had to expand the usage beyond cuts and bruises.

Hence Reckitt and Coleman unleashed a campaign aiming to
expand the usage of the brand to an all purpose antiseptic that can
be used for shaving, rinsing, and as a general disinfectant.
Interestingly this multi-usage of Dettol Antiseptic Liquid paved
the way for the next generation of Dettol. Since the antiseptic
lotion market was stagnant Reckitt wanted to leverage the brand
to other categories. Dettol saw over these years plenty of brand
extensions. The first launch was the soap in 1990's. The initial
launch was unsuccessful because the brand moved from core
value of protection to love and care. Since the brand faltered in its
positioning, failure was imminent.
The soap was again re launched with positioning as “100 %
protection" and now have a reasonable market share.

The next extension was in the form of liquid soap. The

liquid soap category is only 12 crore worth but the hand wash
category is expected to grow to 100 crore.The brand also tried to
extend to talc, band aid, and shaving gel but failed miserably in
those categories.
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Even as the brand is extending, Reckitt failed to strengthen

the mother brand and faced competition in that category from
Savlon.

Now Dettol is trying to make a foothold in the soap market

with the launch of Dettol with moisturizer and glycerine variants.
It has also launched a body wash recently.

This brand is a classic case for brand extension failures.

They can see a brand struggling to find its place in the market.
Some time success can be very disturbing. Xerox wanted to
extend to computers but failed miserably. Similarly Dettol wants
to do some thing with the brand because it was successful. Now
after all these failures, still Dettol is trying with variants
forgetting the core brand. When an antiseptic brand tries to
extend to a segment which is essentially cosmetic, it cannot
compete with the major players on the cosmetic platform, what at
best can happen is that the brand can exist as a niche brand
extending its core value and creating a niche.

■ PRESENT MARKET SCENARIO –

Dettol is the leader in the market with 85% market share.

Liquid hand wash created a new market covering 60% of the
market, while the various Dettol soaps accounted for 18% of the
health care division and the remaining accounted for Dettol
Antiseptic solution. Dettol’s share increased from 6.6% in June
2008 to 7.7% in June 2009, placing it ahead of Wipro’s beauty
soap Santoor as the country’s third largest soap brand by value.

According to the Regional Director of India, the company

expects that the sales of Dettol which is the top selling antiseptic
brand in the country to cross Rs.1,000- crore mark by the end of
2009. Its inclining towards Rs. 1,000- crore turnover. The
company operates on a calendar year basis and had closed 2008
with revenue earnings around Rs.1,800 crore. The company is
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growing at the rate of around 18-19 % per annum. It is also

mulling to add several new products in its portfolio to achieve the
target. According to the industry experts, if the company is able
to achieve Rs.1,000-crore sales, it would become the second
company after Hindustan Unilever Ltd.(HUL) to achieve the
milestone.

■ COMPETITOR FOR DETTOL –

From its launch to 1980's the brand had a dream run with
virtually no competitors. Having no competition is a problem, the
growth will be stagnant. Later on savlon introduced antiseptic
liquid , which didn’t succeed like Dettol. Savlon introduced at
first positioned as a 100% germ aid solution. It is commonly used
for and protection as the core treatment of mild scarring, value,
some mild burns, cuts and bruises as well as skin healing
treatment for spots. The present market share( in percent) is given
below –

DETTOL SAVLON OTHERS

85% 10% 5%

■ MARKETING STRATEGY –

With an initial investment 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
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environment germ-free. Health messages on first-aid and

immunisation will also be displayed.

■ PORTFOLIO OF DETTOL-ANTISEPTIC LIQUID –

Dettol Antiseptic Liquid is a proven safe and effective

antiseptic that kills various bacteria and provides protection
against germs which can cause infection and illness. It has more
than 83% market share. It can be used safely for gentle antiseptic
wound cleansing and disinfecting. It is available in a wide range
of sizes from 50 ml to 500 ml. The brand is currently running a
campaign highlighting the efficiency and the multi-uses of the
product.
 ASSAM INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT

ANALYSIS OF CONSUMER QUESTIONNAIRE

SIMPLE TABULATION –

● Table for brand awareness –

YES NO
100 0
(100%) (0%)

COLUMN DIAGRAM SHOWING BRAND AWARNESS

120%

100%
PERCENTAGE

80%

60% Series1

40%

20%

0%
YES NO
ATTRIBUTE

From the above Column Diagram it can be inferred that all

the consumers are aware of the brand Dettol.

● Table for user and non-user of Dettol Antiseptic Solution –

BRAND DETTOL SAVLON OTHERS

NAME
FREQUENCY 20 06 0
( 77% ) ( 23% ) ( 0% )
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BAR DIAGRAM SHOWING THE NUMBER OF USER

AND NON-USER OF DETTOL ANTISEPTIC
SOLUTION

OTHERS
BRAND NAME

SAVLON

DETTOL

0 5 10 15 20 25
FREQUENCY

The above Bar Diagram depicts that 20 ( 77% ) uses Dettol

Antiseptic while the rest are non-users.

● Table shows how many consumers think that Dettol Antiseptic

is a successful and unsuccessful product –

SUCCESSFUL UNSUCCESSFUL
24 ( 93% ) 2 (7% )

COLUMN DIAGRAM SHOWING CONSUMER'S VIEW

REGARDING DETTOL ANTISEPTIC

30

25
FREQUENCY

20

15 Series1

10

0
SUCCESSFUL UNSUCCESSFUL
ATTRIBUTE
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From the above Column Diagram it can be inferred that

Dettol Antiseptic solution is a successful product as it covers 93%
of the total.

● Table showing where Dettol Antiseptic solution stands in

satisfying consumers needs –

YES NO
18 ( 90% ) 2 (10% )

COLUMN DIAGRAM SHOWING WHETHER DETTOL

ANTISEPTIC IS CAPABLE OF SATISFYING
CONSUMER'S NEED

100%

80%
PERCENTAGE

60%
Series1
40%

20%

0%
YES NO
ATTRIBUTE

From the above Column Diagram it can be inferred that

Dettol Antiseptic has been capable of satisfying consumer’s need.

● Table showing how many consumers are ready for repurchase

(loyalty) of the Dettol Antiseptic solution –
 ASSAM INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT

YES NO
19 ( 95% ) 1 ( 5% )

COLUMN DIAGRAM SHOWING CUSTOMERS

LOYALTY TOWARDS DETTOL ANTISEPTIC

100%

80%
PERCENTAGE

60%
Series1
40%

20%

0%
YES NO
ATTRIBUTES

From the above Column Diagram it can be inferred that the

consumers are satisfied with the Dettol antiseptic and hence they
would go for re-purchase depicting their loyalty.
 ASSAM INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT

ANALYSIS OF RETAILERS QUESTIONNAIRE

SIMPLE TABULATION –

● Table showing the number of the retailers selling Dettol and

Savlon products –

BRAND DETTOL SAVLON NONE OF

NAME THE TWO
FREQUENCY 6 ( 75 % ) 5 ( 63% ) 2 ( 25% )

COLUMN DIAGRAM SHOWING THE NO. OF

RETAILERS SELLING DETTOL PRODUCTS WITH
RESPECT TO SAVLON

10
NO. OF RETAILERS

8
6 Series1
4 Series2
2
0
DETTOL SAVLON NONE OF BOTH OF
THE TWO THEM
PRODUCT NAME

From the above Column Diagram it can be seen that out of

8 retailers 6 of them sells both Dettol and Savlon, but Savlon
being sold only in 5 of them.
 ASSAM INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT

On interacting with the retailers it was found that most of

the customers prefer Dettol Antiseptics compared to Savlon.
There were certain customers who purchased Dettol on regular
basis ie., monthly. Because most of the consumers used Dettol
solution even for washing their clothes. Whereas there were
certain customers whose purchases were irregular in nature. This
is because they used Dettol only for first aid purpose.

Dettol Antiseptic is sold in almost all Medical shops, but

there were certain departmental stores which did not keep stocks
of it. On asking them they replied that it was the job of the
Medical Stores to keep the stock of Dettol Antiseptics.
 ASSAM INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT

ANALYSIS OF DISTRIBUTORS QUESTIONNAIRE

The Distributors gets the Dettol products from the

company itself. For acquiring the products, the distributor needs
to register by paying amount for the stocks. The old distributors
get the stock of goods on credit and have to pay the amount to the
company as per Company Credit Policy. The distributor keeps
the product as stocks and delivers to the retailers whenever
demanded. The company also has in place a RDF (rural
development force) which is covering the rural areas and
exploring new markets for potential market penetration.

The profit margin of these distributors is very less compared

to that of the retailers. So these distributors try to distribute the
product as many as possible. For distribution they have their own
marketing executives or sales person. Sometimes the retailers
directly purchase the product from the distributor or sometimes
the distributor sends the product to the retailers by bearing the
cost of transportation all by themselves.

During my survey I have found that in Guwahati there are

around 3 to 4 distributors. These distributors distribute the
product to around 500 retailers. These retailers include both
Departmental Stores and Medical Stores like the Pharmacies.
 ASSAM INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT

S.W.O.T ANALYSIS

■ STRENGTH –

• High quality at affordable price.

• Excellent for treating skin irritations, cuts/bruises and
seasonal applications.
• Brand comes from a reputable (old) company.

■ WEAKNESS –

• Burning sensation of the Antiseptic liquid.

• Non availability of it in Grocery Store.

■ OPPORTUNITY –

• Good time to capture the market share of Antiseptic

liquid.

■ THREAT –

• Irritating smell due to which Savlon becomes more

preferable.
 ASSAM INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT

RECOMMENDATION/ CONCLUSION

● The burning sensation of the Dettol Antiseptic needs to be

reduced.

● Regarding the distribution, it is found that the Dettol

Antiseptic solution is sometimes not found in the grocery
stores. It is only available in the medical shops. Thus a major
super market is not stocking the product. As a result due to its
non availability it may hamper its sale in the near future.

● The odour of the Dettol Antiseptic is not good compared

to Savlon. Thus the odour needs to be revised.

● The glass bottle of the Dettol Antiseptic needs to be

replaced by plastic bottles, so that it will be easier to carry
from place to place.
 ASSAM INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT

BIBLIOGRAPHY

While preparing the report I took the help of the internet.

The names of the websites that I have visited are given below –

i) www.scribd.com.
ii) www.amcy5.com.
iii) www.wikipedia.co.in.
iv) www.reckittbenckiser.co.in
v) www.google.com

Apart from visiting the websites I have also interacted with

the consumers, retailers, distributors and the sales person for
the completion of my project.
 ASSAM INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT

ANNEXURE
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ASSAM INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT

QUESTIONNAIRE ON DETTOL
( CONSUMER SURVEY )

Dear respondent,
I am a PGDBM student of Assam Institute Of Management. I will be
grateful if you could share some of your valuable time which will be of
great help to me in my marketing project. I assure you that the information
furnished by you shall be used only for academic purposes and shall be
kept strictly confidential.

RESEARCH INFORMATION –

1. Are you aware of the brand Dettol ?

□ YES □ NO

2. Which antiseptic liquid you generally use ?

□ DETTOL □ SAVLON □ OTHERS(specify)

3. Do you think Dettol Antiseptic Liquid is –

□ SUCCESSFUL PRODUCT □ UNSUCCESSFUL PRODUCT

4. Does your product satisfy your need ?

□ YES □ NO

5. If you go for repurchase of your product, will you prefer going

for the same product?

□ YES □ NO

6. Suggestion / Complain -
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DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE –

Name –

Address –

Date –
Signature –
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ASSAM INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT

QUESTIONNAIRE ON DETTOL
(RETAILER SURVEY)

Dear respondent,
I am a PGDBM student of Assam Institute of Management. I will be
grateful if you could share some of your valuable time which will be of
great help to me. I assure you that the information furnished by you shall
be used only for academic purposes and shall be kept strictly confidential.
RESEARCH INFORMATION –

1. Do you sell Dettol products?

□ YES □ NO

2. Do you sell SAVLON products?

□ YES □ NO

3. Which antiseptic liquid is most preferred by the consumers?

□ DETTOL □ SAVLON

4. What was the last month sale of –

■ DETTOL ANTISEPTIC LIQUID –

▪ 500 ml –
▪ 200 ml –
▪ 100 ml –
▪ 50 ml –
■ SAVLON ANTISEPTIC LIQUID –

5. Suggestion / Complain -

GENERAL INFORMATION –

1. Name of the retailer –

2. Address –
 ASSAM INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT

ASSAM INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT

QUESTIONNAIRE ON DETTOL
(DISTRIBUTER SURVEY)

Dear respondent,
I am a PGDBM student of Assam Institute Of Management. I will be
grateful if you could share some of your valuable time which will be of
great help to me. I assure you that the information furnished by you shall
be used only for academic purposes and shall be kept strictly confidential.
RESEARCH INFORMATION –

1. To how many retailers do you distribute Dettol Products?

□ LESS THAN 50 □ LESS THAN 100

□ LESS THAN 150 □ MORE THAN 150

2. Did you face any returns outward from the retailers in case of
Dettol Antiseptic Liquid?

□ YES □ NO

3. If yes, then how many?

□ LESS THAN 50 □ MORE THAN 50

4. Is there any marketing strategy being followed for the sale of

Dettol Antiseptic Liquid Solution?

□ YES □ NO

GENERAL INFORMATION –

1. Name of the Distributor –

2. Address –