Dettol unveils new claim of protecting from up to 100 illness causing germs

Leading health and hygiene brand, Dettol from the stables of Reckitt Benckiser has unveiled its new claim of protecting from up to 100 illness causing germs.

This, it said, is in line with its vision of creating a world where people are healthier and live better by proffering innovative solutions.

The Marketing Director, West Africa, Reckitt Benckiser, Oguzhan Silivrili, said the claim was based on recent studies which showed that there were about 10 million germs on each person’s hands and that these 10 million germs fall into about 100 types of common germs which cause illnesses.

He stated that it was important for people to be well informed why they should imbibe the habit of regular handwashing with soap and clean water as a cost effective solution that can protect them from the 100 types of germs.

According to him, ‘‘solutions that do not protect from all 100 types of germs are substandard, and we at Reckitt Benckiser advocate that people should not protect themselves with substandard solutions but with gold standard solution. Dettol is the only antibacterial brand which has been proven to protect from up to 100 illness causing germs which is why we advocate that Nigerians should not take a risk with the lives of their loved ones but rather, adopt the gold standard kind of protection they can get- Dettol’’.

Silivrili said further that the unveiling of the new claim was the first leg of the ‘Dettol Protects From Up to 100 illness Causing Germs Campaign’, which he noted, comprises the School Hygiene Programme, New Mum Programme and Health on Wheel as its pillars.

‘‘The pan-Nigeria campaign is targeted at children being the most vulnerable ones because they do not have strong immune system yet. It is also targeted at mothers because they take care of the family and they have the health of the family as top priority. This initiative has the aim of taking the message of best hygiene practices to the grassroots level’’ he added.

The Marketing Director also revealed that the ultimate goal of Reckitt Benckiser was to assist Nigeria in the full attainment of the Millennium Development Goal of reducing child mortality rate by 2015.

‘‘This year, what Reckitt Benckiser did was to tie all of our programmes together to have Dettol save 10 Million lives. This is also to help Nigeria reach the Millennium Development Goals of Reducing Child Mortality Rate by 2015’’, he said.

Silivrili further stated that face-to-face engagement with the target audience was being deployed because it is more impactful in converting hygiene agents especially at the grassroots unlike radio or television commercials which impact may not last.

Corroborating the success of the pillars of the campaign so far, the Marketing Manager, West Africa, Reckitt Benckiser, Ahmed Shah said Dettol has reached millions of Nigerians with hygiene messages through different grassroots marketing activities.

According to him, the activities include the School Hygiene Programme (SHP) which he revealed has reached over 3 million children since inception; the New Mum Programmes (NMP) which has also reached approximately 5 million new moms in the hospitals since inception and the Health On Wheels (HOW) which is a mobile clinic.

‘‘Over the years of having these programmes, we do not sell products to targets, rather, we enlighten them, give them brochures to help them recall hygiene messages and we give them free products. All of these programmes form the pillar of this campaign and they convey one singular message of upholding best hygiene practices’’, he said.

Shah revealed that Reckitt Benckiser planned to reach about 3 million people by the end of the first quarter in 2015 one-on-one with all pillars of the campaign across Nigeria through commercials, media breaks, digital interactions with people like on social media and short message service.

He said 500 million SMS would be sent out for the continued education of Nigerians on steps they should take in order to remain healthy and protect them from illness causing germs.

‘‘These one-on-one pillars of the campaign have started and they will be ongoing for the next 12 months. To add a bit of fun to the campaign, the SMS campaign takes the form of a challenge, whoever gets the SMS and participates in it by solving the challenges will be rewarded’’, Mr. Shah added.