Consumers in the North prefer pink colored soaps, which have floral profiles.

Here
the fragrance preference is for more sophisticated profiles reflecting theirlifestyles.
Freshness soaps with lime and citrus notes are also popularpreferences
as the climate in the North is very hot and citrus/lime scentedsoaps are seen to be
refreshing. 10 | P a g e
Comparative study of Savlon soap with Dettol and Lifebuoy soapIndira Institute of
Business Management The East is not a big soap market; hence no particular
preference skews. Consumers in the West exhibit preferences for strong,
impactful fragrancesand somewhat harsher profiles compared to the North.
Preferences are morefor the pink soaps with floral fragrances, primarily rose, which
are positionedon the beauty platform. In the South, the skew is towards
specific soap segments like theHerbal/Ayurvedic profiles and also the Sandal
profiles. Consumers here do notexhibit high brand loyalty and are ready to
experiment and try out new brands.Hence, most fast moving consumer goods
companies tend to launch their newbrands in these markets, which they call test
launch markets.

The failure of Savlon is a classic example of struggling in the dearth of proper

marketing. Even after being proven to be a better product than Dettol, Savlon could
not tap its market. The major reasons were apparent:
Communicating the side notes: Dettol had gained the mindshare of the
consumers by the time Savlon entered the market. It became a challenge for Savlon
to gain the trust of the target group, who were loyal customers of Dettol. Savlon
was clinically proven to be a better antiseptic than Dettol. Yet, instead of focusing
on the reason of existence of the brand, Savlon was communicated as a non
smelling non stingy antiseptic. Communicating just the side notes did not fit in well
in the minds of the consumers.
Reading the consumers: For the consumers, Dettol was just another name for an
impeccable antiseptic, burning sensation after applying it only meant that it was
killing the germs and strong smell indicated that the antiseptic was effective
enough to heal the wounds. A trust was built in the minds of the consumers for
Dettol. Savlon failed to read this insight and tried to pitch against the basic
characteristics formed in the favour of Dettol.
Concentrated efforts: To fight against the presence of Savlon eating into the
market share of Dettol, Reckitt Benckiser launched its Dettol Plasters. In the midst
of the existing struggle of Savlon, J&J started protecting its Band-Aid by launching its
numerous variants. Due to this Savlon suffered heavily because of losing the
support in terms of investment in brand building. To break the brand equity of
Dettol, Savlon needed a continuous long term investment plan.

Medical argument suggested that Savlon does not kill WBCs in that it is better than
Dettol for fighting in case of open wounds. Marketing argument suggested that
Savlon should have scored as it promises a pain-free first-aid.
Our conclusion was based on user experience. Consumers felt that if Dettol is
painful, it must be working! And if Savlon isnt, it must not work as great.
Simple, but profound psychology at work over here. Dettol scores a major edge by
continuing to add pain to the users, along with all other good stuff (medical
reasons of course!)