Dettol is officially the fastest growing global brand in our Top 50 most chosen brands. But was this a brand in the right place at the right time?
Consistency is key
COVID-19 has certainly accelerated Dettol's growth, which saw six years of CRP gains in 2020 alone. However, what is most impressive about this brand is its long-term growth. Dettol is one of only three brands to have grown its CRPs in every edition of Brand Footprint.
Its growth has been both consistent and strong. Double-digit growth happened in four of the previous eight years (pre-COVID) and outperforming the Top 50 became the norm.
From British multinational manufacturer Reckitt, Dettol has risen more than 30 places since the inaugural ranking. It is now the 16th most chosen FMCG brand globally and the sixth most chosen Health and Beauty brand.
In that time, it has moved from being chosen 440 million times across the globe in 2011 to 1.37 billion times in 2020. This extraordinary growth means the brand was selected an additional one billion times last year compared to 10 years ago.
The key to this growth in CRP is brand penetration. It has gained 11.5 penetration points since 2012, moving from 14.5% global penetration to 25.9% - now the 10th highest global penetration. And the 5.3 penetration-point increase in 2020 was not just the biggest global gain this year, but the biggest we have seen in the history of Brand Footprint. This equates to 69 million more Dettol shoppers than in 2019.
Such impressive performance is down to consistency across markets. In 2019, Dettol achieved 1% penetration or higher in 24 markets, and the brand grew the number of shoppers in 23 of these.
Future opportunities for growth
Dettol has even more room for growth in the future. For example, in the Chinese Mainland, less than one in five households bought the brand in 2020, meaning it has plenty of new buyers to target in the years to come. And even in the brand’s biggest CRP market – India – there are still many shoppers to attract.
Dettol is also one of only a handful of brands that plays across sectors. In Asia, shoppers know Dettol as a Hand Soap brand, whilst in Europe, its range of Homecare products are better known.
With the current level at less than 20% of shoppers in most markets, another significant opportunity for the brand is encouraging cross-shopping between the two sectors. This will happen naturally as the brand drives penetration, which should, in turn, deliver a double bonus for the brand in terms of CRP growth.
In specific markets, the level of cross-shop is low by design. For example, in India, Reckitt has the brand Lizol (known elsewhere as Lysol), which has a strong foothold in the Homecare sector. Trying to drive Dettol's Homecare range in this market would be both counter-intuitive and potentially damaging for the portfolio.
Dettol Antiseptic Liquid was originally used in hospitals as an antiseptic for new mothers and patients coming out of surgery. This medical heritage still rings true today and is central to what makes our brand unique. We continue to be trusted by millions of parents around the world for protecting their families from germs and illness.
Stretching brand equity depends both on the versatility and belief in the brand promise. Germ protection is a benefit that is relevant across multiple segments, including Personal care, Surface disinfection, Home care and overall healthcare. Given it is one of the most trusted brands to deliver the benefit of germ protection, Dettol can effectively transcend multiple segments. Our aim will be to continue redefining germ protection in the existing categories with some major new innovations, as well as expand the benefit into adjacencies where the germ benefit is very relevant.
COVID-19 has created the need for germ protection like never before, which aligns with our brand purpose to “protect life by reducing the burden of illness.” Seeing this, many new competitors have jumped into the germ protection fray—with varying levels of expertise. In personal care alone, there was nearly a 400% increase in brands offering germ protection benefits in 2020. In this environment, it is important for a market leading brand like Dettol to continue taking germ protection to the next level and this remains our focus. At the same time, we are looking to expand into multiple new countries, new benefit segments and new spaces including B2B.
It has been an unflinching focus on what Dettol does best – ensuring the highest standard of germ protection. This focus has created a very clear purpose and a consistent brand footprint across the world.
In a more stable external environment, the innovation funnel needs to focus on creating a very strong delivery in the medium term, anchored by “category shaping” ideas for the long term. In the short term, the focus has to be on building hygiene habits, reinforcing brand equity and executing with excellence in store. The future has been accelerated by COVID-19, but a good bank of ideas has allowed Dettol to extend into multiple segments across many countries.
We have undertaken multiple studies to understand the long-term impact of COVID-19 on consumer behaviour. Through all of them, we found that the hygiene habits of washing hands and disinfecting homes will remain at elevated levels post-pandemic – with the trend easing gradually as levels of concern decrease.
The first task was to make sure there was ramped up supply and it took many months to be able to truly cater to it. At the same time, it was important to recognise that preventative hygiene habits like hand washing were the true defence against COVID-19 (in the absence of a vaccine).
Dettol partnered with many national governments and reputed NGOs to spread the message of the importance of hygiene habits in tackling the spread of the virus. One of the standout examples was the Dettol Hand Wash Challenge, which received over 125 billion views on social media.
Dettol also expanded its presence in multiple new countries with the intent to increase access to quality disinfecting products and launched underpenetrated segments like disinfectant sprays, Laundry sanitizers, Wipes and Surface triggers. As a responsible disinfection market leader, Reckitt also instituted an RB fight for access fund – mobilising and contributing 40 million GBP in the collective fight against the spread of COVID 19.
Marketers tend to have a simplistic view of brand growth with two levers – Penetration and Consumption. Whilst these metrics are imperative for growth, there is a clear role that brand purpose plays in driving long-term performance and – in turn – long-term penetration gains. When the clarity of purpose is reinforced by clear consumer understanding, brands tend to grow and grow consistently.
I continue to be amazed by the level of consumer sophistication and involvement in many of the personal and home care categories. For example, in personal care, a 13-step skincare regime is commonplace in countries like Korea and Japan, whilst the level of sophistication expected from homecare products and appliances has skyrocketed on account of very knowledgeable consumers. Increased access to information, verified ratings and reviews, higher ingredient transparency and decreased barriers to entry have all contributed to this.
