Interview: What the future holds for hygiene brands such as Reckitt in a post-pandemic world

The city is buzzing as HongKongers embrace the lifting of the mask wearing mandate both indoors and outdoors. The move was one embraced by locals, and was seen as an indication of a brighter economic future with the welcoming tourism dollars and stability of the virus.

As we enter a new era of Hong Kong, behaviour is likely to change, but one area that will remain top of mind for many is the level of hygiene the population has become accustomed to, said Boudewijn Feith (pictured), general manager of Reckitt Hong Kong and Taiwan, who also manages Dettol Hong Kong as part of Reckitt’s portfolio.

As such a high penetration of products such as laundry sanitisers and handwash, or even products that are premium will remain hot ticket items of the future, he explained. Specifically for the Dettol brand, Feith said the pandemic benefitted the brand due to its established top of mind recall and awareness around hygiene.

Under the advantage of the high hygiene awareness among HongKongers, Dettol Hong Kong added new variants of products to fit local market’s needs. Furthermore, new products such as no-touch automatic hand wash machines and anti-bacterial sprays were launched after the pandemic to ensure hygiene remans a big part of the city’s progress. He added:

What makes us a mega brand is our innovation and new products, rather than just the focus on cleaning.

"Seize the childhood and keep on to protect our future" campaign  

Back in October last year, Reckitt and Dettol also joined hands to launch a campaign in response to Global Handwashing Day. During the promotion period, Dettol donated disinfectant products to Reckitt’s network of Hong Kong charity partners. Meanwhile, consumers who purchased Dettol personal care products of a designated amount at PARKnSHOP stores in Hong Kong and Macau were entitled to a cash coupon for the next purchase.

According to Reckitt, more than 53,000 consumers participated in the campaign, helping over 10,000 families in need. The total donated product value reached over HK$2,000,000.

Furthermore, Dettol partnered with big event organisers in Hong Kong, such as Hong Kong Sevens, Hong Kong Cyclothon and Marathon to ensure participants and players were protected and big events are held successfully. Dettol set up over 130 sanitising dispensers across the stadium, with care packages of Dettol’s hygiene and disinfectant products given to the players.

Moreover to expand its touch points, the brand also tied up with SF Express, Deliveroo and Uber Taxi in a bid to counter harmful germs and remain top of mind in the market. 

“I think any brand or messaging becomes stronger if you can partner with the right kind of people and organisations, to spread the message together. Because then you have amplified the marketing budget, and you have amplified the work of staff and employees who put their weight behind it,” said Feith.

Read more: Hyatt Regency HK partners with Dettol HK to present white camelllia-themed staycation experience

Another area the company saw growth in during the past year was eCommerce. During the pandemic, many HongKongers were less willing to go out to shop and rather have their products delivered at home. Therefore, Reckitt partnered with HKTVmall to enhance its eCommerce business. Livestreams with offers pinned on top of the screen, interactive comment box, free delivery code were often held on HKTVmall app to drive sales. Consumer can also add to cart directly after they are interested in certain Dettol’s products.

According to Dettol, the livestream GMV contribution reached 13% on livestream day, and the GMV during live shows recorded over 160% increase comparing with normal days average.

What makes marketing great for Reckitt?  

Feith believed that in today’s world marketing is all about understanding consumers be it their hopes, fears and worries. After figuring those elements out, brands have to think of a solution to come up with products that can truly address those consumers’ needs.

“Once a brand has a great product, they have to think ways on how they are going to reach consumers to educate them and explain them the benefits of the product to ultimately trigger them to buy it,” Feith said.

With omnichannel a growing focus for marketers in Hong Kong, Feith said that Reckitt also banks big on the channel to reach all its potential consumers in order to keep on growing and winning.

“The retail landscape has changed a lot and HongKongers love shopping on new online stores and offline stores such as Don Don Donki, About Thai and 759 Store, therefore, Reckitt has to be everywhere the consumers are,” he explained.

Currently, while the worry of the pandemic may fade away, Feith said that HongKongers’ hygiene behaviour has already changed and using sanitisers and sprays becomes new habits of many HongKongers and they have become consumers' everyday products. As the world has entered a new segment, he is confident that Reckitt’s business can keep on going. 

Look forward to 2023, Feith said that Dettol Hong Kong will explore more and new strategic partnership, such as partnering with more big events, expediting innovations to capture marketing opportunities, creating values for its customers and sustaining hygiene awareness and behaviour. 

“COVID is here to stay but also economy is under pressure, meaning more people will have money worries or money problems. So, we have to make sure that we also keep reaching them and look out for the more needy in society,” said Feith.

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