What’s common between a boatman who started a boat ambulance service in Srinagar for Covid patients and a retired elderly man who spent his entire pension money to donate ventilators to a local hospital in Maharashtra? Both are among the 100 unsung men and women, whose faces and description of selfless acts, will replace Dettol’s logo on 4 million packs of its liquid handwash as part of Reckitt India’s innovative new campaign.
Dilen Gandhi, Regional Marketing Director, South Asia –Health & Nutrition, Reckitt said, “For the first time in our history, we are replacing the iconic Dettol logo with stories of Covid protectors. These are ordinary people who went out of their way to contribute to the fight against the pandemic."
Reckitt India has curated 100 such stories from across the country of a diverse set of people who have helped numerous people. “The idea was to find stories that resonate with various cohorts in the country. We believe our packs will carry a message of hope and optimism across the country,” said Gandhi.
The packs will be the primary media vehicle of the new #DettolSalutes campaign with social media being used to amplify these stories. Around 4,500 influencers, mostly non celebrity voices, have been roped in to spread the stories.
The packs will be available across 500,000 stores as well as e-commerce platforms later this months.
Awash with Innovation
To boost engagement and get more stories of helpful acts during the pandemic, Reckitt India is also launching a website – www.dettolsalutes.com . On this consumers can share their stories and nominate their heroes and create customized virtual packs that can be shared on social media channels. “We are expecting thousands of more such inspiring stories to emerge during the course of this campaign,” Gandhi added, describing it as a true "people's campaign".
"Co-opting the consumer to become part of the brand story is a great step and it's actually the pinnacle of branding, says Giraj Sharma, founder of brand consultancy firm, Behind the Moon.
In the past, packs have been used disruptively by companies – think Paperboat, with its nostalgic tales and more recently Licious with its employee stories and Yoga Bar – to catch the eye of the consumer. But the level of complexity in Dettol’s campaign is significantly higher. For one, there are 100 different stories, and the effort is that retailers get a fair representation of different packs so that a consumer buying twice won’t get the same pack again. Besides as Gandhi points out it took the company just four weeks to put it together – from idea to execution – and it was all done in-house with the help of partners.
Packing a Punch
“The pack is the most important media asset and sometimes the most neglected one. If leveraged properly, the pack can do far more than giving product information. It is our exclusive real estate and is durable, reminding the consumer of the message. I believe consumers will keep these packs as souvenirs,” he said.