Canoe changes marketing strategy in multibillion naira soap business
Nigeria’s laundry soap is a multibillion Naira business. In the recent time, competition in the market has heightened due to increasing innovations and entry of more big and small players to satisfy the increasing consumer demand and taste for a variety of laundry solution.
Today, the market experiences various type of laundry soaps in different formulations in large quantity, unlike before and they come in liquid, detergents and bar. Some of the bar soap manufacturers also diversified in to detergents.
Prior to this period, liquid soap market was dominated by blue chip companies who produced expensive products beyond the reach of the common consumer. But with availability of technology, those who studied the recipe delved in to the production for low end market while the SMEs already in the market increased their production.
The thriving soap market pushed PZ Cussons Plc to launch extension of its 40 year old and well known laundry soap brand, Canoe in to detergents.
Last weekend, during their market activations, the Canoe brand owners who are pushing for large size of the market unveiled a new look of the detergent soap at Ojumoye market in Mushin of Lagos to create more attraction.
“We are officially unveiling the new look of colourful bright Canoe to our esteemed business partners in the market and we are using the opportunity to create experiential platform for our customers to be able to experience the efficacy of Canoe as colour- care brand. It has a speciall formulation that cares for colour fabrics, thereby retaining the original colours”, Arolalekan Tajudeen, senior brand manager on brand Canoe said.
Commending PZ for the new packaging, Mufuliat Abimbola Adebunmi, Iya Loja of Ojuoye market in Mushin said testified that fabrics retain their original colours when washed with either bar or detergent formulated Canoe. “The activation is important to sensitise the market about the new packaging so that
they don’t begin to wonder which kind of product is this again” she said encouraging PZ to continue to maintain the Canoe standard.
Ayodeji Adewale, regional sales manager for Lagos recognized that the laundry soap market is a tough market but said that PZ has found ways around it through innovative product and several re-launches and connection with the market at the moment of choice. “As tough as the market is for everybody we have carved our share of the market through innovative product and hybrid marketing approach”
Recently PZ entered in to partnership with DaViva fabrics to accentuate Canoe colour care niche. Carol Arhere, Da Viva’s Public Relations Officer said “we had the opportunity to use their product on our brand which is DaViva fabrics and we have never witnessed any problem with their soap like some other harsh detergents which clean off colours from fabrics”.
Daniel Obi