Reckitt Smells Success at Family Dollar

Parsippany, N.J. — In a bid to increase the Lysol brand’s presence in the dollar store channel, manufacturer Reckitt Benckiser bet that the way to Family Dollar shoppers’ hearts was through their noses. “When it comes to fragrance, there is a lot of difference from one population to another,” says Lysol marketing director Gregory Chabidon. “To delight the shopper at Family Dollar, we wanted to create a fragrance for their shopper.”Thirty-eight percent of Family Dollar’s shoppers are African American and 16% are Hispanic, says Chabidon, so Lysol sought to learn those groups’ scent preferences by conducting in-house consumer panels with between 250 and 300 people to test potential new varieties of its pourable multi-purpose cleaner. The winner was “cherry blossom & pomegranate,” which launched exclusively at Family Dollar in March 2013.“This project took us around six months to put together,” Chabidon says. “This is part of our longer-term relationship with Family Dollar to try to make sure that our brand is fitting well with the shopper profile of the channel. It’s a growing channel. It’s a reflection of how households and society in general are evolving. It’s a strong partner for us.”Initially packaged in a bottle 40% larger than normal pourable SKUs, the scent was heavily promoted throughout the path to purchase. Irvine, Calif.-based IN Marketing Services handled the campaign, which incorporated geo-targeted digital ads, circular features and social media updates meant to drive awareness.Direct mailers containing a 50-cent coupon were sent to more than 200,000 households within a five-mile radius of Family Dollar stores, primarily in the California market. Family Dollar spokesperson Cliff Cermak says the state is an emerging market for the retailer, which opened its first store there in 2011 and now has more than 100 locations.In stores, AdPop shelf talkers (from Livonia, MI-based Valassis) contained tearpads dispensing the same 50-cent coupon during both March and August. In May and June, FloorPop floor clings (also from Valassis) supported the SKU. In November and December, Lysol adorned large-sized bottles with neck hangers urging shoppers to “Smell the Difference.”“There was a strong call to action in the product,” Chabidon says. “A lot of people actually take the product and smell it to guide their decision at shelf.”Lysol shopper marketing manager Andrea Bouwman says the brand had a three-pronged shopper marketing strategy for the campaign. The goals were to leverage Lysol’s heritage as a proven effective household cleaner, drive awareness and trial by showcasing the exclusive fragrance, and ensure conversion in-aisle through messaging that emphasizes value and efficacy.Chabidon says the launch went “extremely well.” The cherry blossom & pomegranate scent is now the No. 2-selling Lysol pourable variety at Family Dollar, second only to lemon. Lysol will keep that scent exclusive to the retailer. The brand also recently launched an exclusive mountain fresh & aqua essence scent accompanied by its own shopper marketing campaign that reprises the same tactics the brand used last year.Lysol’s in-house shopper marketing team is monitoring the campaign’s efficacy. “We know that this segment is driven by freshness, so I think it’s important to reinvent ourselves every year,” Chabidon says.Family Dollar routinely works closely with brands to develop campaigns, and Chabidon praises that collaborative approach. “This has been successful because it’s been one of the most integrated partnerships,” he says. “There’s been a lot of commitment from Family Dollar to make it happen. The fact that we are continuing this SKU is proof that this approach is working.”

Reckitt Smells Success at Family Dollar

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