Dettol soap

Reckitts after 1918 diversified out of its pre-war range of starch, grate polish and so on, into goods more suitable for servantless households. This includes the disinfectant Dettol.

The company employed medical representatives to popularize Dettol among doctor. Dettol trade name has been used since before 1936 as an antiseptic used after surgery. In 1936, a foreword to a more extended study of antiseptics included Sir Comyns Berkeley’s reaffirmation of the superior efficacy of Dettol for use in obstetrics.

The brand has travelled from the battle field to households as an effective germicide. Dettol soap is a successful brand extension. There is not much expenditure on its advertising. It gets spillover benefit from advertisements of its parent – Dettol antiseptic liquid.

Dettol is a powerful brand in the Indian context. Till mid-1980s Dettol was an antiseptic liquid, but in later years the brand was extended to create soap. Dettol soap was launched in 1981 in India by Reckitt and Coleman India Ltd and positioned as a ’love and care soap’. It was initial poor response.

Dettol soap, re-launched in 1984, has made headway in the crowd premium toilet soap market by adopted a strategy of creating and dominating a specific usage occasion.
Dettol soap

Business history of Benckiser NV

Johann A. Benckiser founded a business in the Germany in 1823 with limited resources the company’s core business was derived from industrial chemicals.

Benckiser diversified into consumer goods launched Calgon Water Softener and made a name for itself globally as the Calgon maker.

In 1966 Benckiser developed and launched Calgonit Automatic Dishwashing Detergent and Quanto Fabric Softener.

Benckiser continued its expansion into consumer goods via acquisitions and divestitures. In 1985 Benckiser acquired St. Marc S.A France.

Later in 1990 Benckiser acquired Beecham Household Products in the United States and Canada.

In 2000, Reckitt & Coleman plc (UK) merged with Benckiser NV (Dutch) to form Reckitt Benckiser. Reckitt Benckiser, headquartered in Slough is now the world’s biggest maker of household cleaners.

In 2000 Reckitt Benckiser had around 20,000 employees, produced net revenues of just over ₤3 billion and had operating profit of ₤357 million.

Ten years later, with only an extra 5000 employees, revenue had more than doubled to nearly ₤8 billion and profits had risen by more than five times to nearly ₤2 billion.
Business history of Benckiser NV