Reckitt gets brand muscle to explore new frontiers
Reckitt Benckiser India's engagement with new, niche and far-from-mature FMCG categories seems to be on the rise.

Reckitt Benckiser India's engagement with new, niche and far-from-mature FMCG categories seems to be on the rise.
The company's focus on new launches in niche categories in the past one year or so - Veet, Vanish, Finish and Easy-Off Bang - has just got a shot in the arm with global acquisition of Boots Healthcare International by its Anglo-Dutch parent.
The acquisition has brought three new brands into its stable - Strepsils, Clearasil and Sweetex. However, the company's brand portfolio suddenly looks crowded.
Reckitt Benckiser had acquired Boots Healthcare International (BHI) at an estimated £1.93bn in cash late last year, making its one of the most talked out buyouts in the healthcare segment. In India, however, it's only now that Boots brands, marketed through Boots Pirmal joint venture, have come into the Reckitt Benckiser fold.
While analysts say Reckitt is filling fresh niches in the market, the company's MD, Chander Sethi, doesn't agree. He calls it a strategy of spotting need gaps, filling them with relevant products and communicating well with consumers.
“We have entered categories which others have ignored. We believe they have great prospects which has already begun showing,” he told ET. “It's not without reason that we are the leading household products company in the world.” This will form the basis for the company's rapid growth in India in the coming days, Mr Sethi added.
The moot question remains how much of marketing support can Reckitt give to the acquired brands from the Boots stable. During the last two years, the company has added four new brands - Veet, Vanish, Finish and Easy-Off Bang - and has committed substantial marketing spends on them.
The company's advertising spend as a percentage of sales is in double digits which makes it third largest ad spender in the FMCG space.
Three more brands in the portfolio means marketing resources will either be spread thin or more funds may need to be earmarked for the acquired brands. Boots brands are small, but have huge growth potential.
Even as Reckitt expects to cross Rs 1,000 crore in revenues, analysts said, it will have to prioritise its brand building efforts and decide which of these brands are to be treated as power brands, much like HLL, and exactly which ones needs to play in the niche market.
“With the addition of too many small brands in a short duration and high entry costs, the choice will have to be made ultimately,” said Sukanya Kripalu, a Mumbai-based strategic marketing consultant.
Take for instance, Clearasil. According to Kripalu, Reckitt will have to first decide whether to focus the brand merely as an anti-pimple product, albeit with virtually no real competition, or reposition it in a highly competitive skin care segment.
“Clearasil has equity in the consumer mind and the company will have to build that quickly to get the younger generation hooked. It can't wait for mothers to pass that brand as a legacy to their daughters since the generation of mother itself is changing,” said Kripalu.
Nevertheless, erstwhile Boots brands will buttress Reckitt's OTC portfolio. With sore throat lozenge brand Strepsils and artificial sweetner brand Sweetex, the company will make a big bang entry into rapidly growing non-therapeutic healthcare space.
Reckitt Benckiser already has strong OTC brands such as Disprin, Colsprin, Fybogel and Gelora in India. Anti-acne cream Clearasil will strengthen its skin care segment, which has an epilatory cream brand in Veet.
“This is in line with our global strategy to span household and OTC segments and the new brands we are getting will strengthen our OTC portfolio,” said Mr Sethi.
Reckitt Benckiser India is one of the fastest growing FMCG companies in India. The company has successfully leveraged its flagship brand Dettol.
Dettol Handwash Soap commands a over 50% share in its segment. Amongst new launches, Veet epilatory cream and surface-care Easy-Off Bang have logged a share of 15% and 20%, respectively.
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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur
The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more
With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.
The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.
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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out
The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'
Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."
The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."
COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.
Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.
He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.
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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board
e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.
According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.
As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.
A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.
Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.
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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall
The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall
Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.
“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.
“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.
"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."
"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."
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KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias
Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments
KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.
Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy
Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.
Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."
Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."
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