Henko Stain Champion ke saath safai ka nazariya badlo

Henko Stain Champion

Category- Detergent
Company- Henkel India Ltd.

Campaign- “Safai ka nazariya badlo”

Here comes another sub-category “germ killer” in the detergent category. Henkel India Ltd. is here on the battleground of detergents with its new campaign for Henko Stain Champion.

First we will try to analyse the detergent market.

Classification of detergent category-

Classification is generally done on the basis of three characteristics

I) Based on product type

1. Detergent powder
2. Detergent cake

II) Based on the prices

1. Concentrated (for e.g. Surf Excel, Ariel etc.)
2. Premium (for e.g. Tide, Henko etc.)
3. Mid-priced (for e.g. Rin, Tide Naturals)
4. Popular (for e.g. Nirma, Wheel etc.)

III) Based on the functionality

1. Stain Remover
2. Whitener
3. Germ Killer

The overall detergent market is of around Rs. 13000 Crores. It’s generally seen that the stain remover brands are premium brands due to their concentrate nature. Both stain removers as well as whiteners contribute same to the detergent category, stain removers through value & whiteners through volume. But thanks to the recent price war in the detergent category these boundaries between prices are becoming faint. Hence players are now left with the functionality to differentiate their products in the crowded detergent market.

After playing around different positioning like whitener, stain remover, detergent with fragrance, colour preservers etc. I thought there is no gap left for the new entrant or to reposition the current product. But then Henko came up with the new positioning “germ killer”, creating a new sub-category. Also in the detergent category Henkel’s value share is only 6.9%, to increase this share Henkel has to do two things, one to retain existing customers & second to acquire new customers. Now by giving extra benefit of germ killing Henkel is taking care of existing customers, by increasing their switching cost. But to acquire new customers it has to communicate this positioning very clearly.

Now we will see, is this positioning justified or not?

The target group for the detergent category is primarily the housemaker. This group is found to be very loyal to the brands they are using & particularly the brands in the category of soaps & detergents. Over that Henko is in premium category targeting upper class hence promotions & discounts won’t work for it. And these are the stimulators to come up with this type of innovative positioning. Also in these days when people are more concerned about their health & newer bacterial & viral diseases are attacking the human beings, Henkel’s positioning as a “germ killer” is justified.

Now we will analyse the effectiveness of the communication of effective positioning.

Henkel has roped in actor Irfan Khan to advocate its product. It has launched three editions of the ad in fictitious supermarkets in Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata. In the ads, as a woman reaches out for her usual detergent in a supermarket, Khan quizzes her about the product's efficacy. While the detergent might make clothes look clean, does it make them germ-free, he asks. He points her to Henko as the one which does so. Also he differentiates Henko on the basis of value it delivers at the same price.

First of all I was a bit sceptical when I heard that Irfan Khan is the new brand ambassador for Henko, considering Henko’s target group. But then when I saw the actual TV commercial I was convinced about the choice of Irfan khan. To communicate the message “safai ka nazariya badlo” very firmly, I don’t think anyone could be better than Irfan Khan. The commercial very clearly communicates the message that germ killing is one of the important values, which has to be delivered to get the full price from customers. The time will tell how much it is successful, to generate the lead for Henko & to increase the market share of the Henkel India Ltd.

According to me this type of innovative positioning deserves the great buzz in the market which can be achieved through the right combination of TVC, print, online media & brand activation. TVC will help to create awareness, print & online media can be used to create the property in line with the brand proposition. Brand activation will help the brand to engage the target group with this unique brand proposition.