Can So Klin Protect Really Deliver?

A recent M2 market report revealed that Eko Supreme’s new kid on the block, So Klin Protect, was yet to command appreciable shelf presence. Ndubuisi Eluwa questions the brand’s ability to deliver on the promises of its new line expansion.

In 1995 when So Klin detergent made its entry into the Nigerian market, many people did not expect the level of impact it made in a market where Omo and Elephant already dominated. At the time, these major players were considerably out of the reach to consumers at the lower wrung of the ladder. So Klin, sensing a huge market for consumers at the bottom of the pyramid targeted them with its economy size pack. The brand also differentiated itself by introducing white coloured detergents against the usual blue. These strategies turned out to be an instant success as it did not only deliver the market to So Klin but also caused jitters among the major players.
However, this success was almost truncated in 2004 by import restrictions on detergents leading to a temporary absence of So Klin in the market. The situation, market observers believe, created an avenue for the major players to quickly reinvent themselves, joining in the competition for the mass market. Ariel, from P&G, appeared to be the new leader. However, the marketers of So Klin were not yet done with the Nigerian market and quickly set up a local manufacturing plant with which they are now keenly contesting to regain lost grounds.
So Klin is back on the shelves in a manner observers say is akin to the Asian Tigers’ modus operandi. The brand quietly pushed to reclaim its market leadership in the sachet segment said to constitute about 50% of the entire detergent business in Nigeria . In a bold move to benefit from the success of the mass segment, the brand seems to be positioning to meet the growing needs of affluent Nigerian consumers who desire the economic benefits in bigger sizes and further step up their game in market share.
In 2009, So Klin which now lays claim to being ‘Naija’s No 1′ detergent and ‘The Big name in Clean’ introduced 200g, 400g and 900g packs to its range. With this, its tagline changed to: ‘So Klin is now a family. Use so Little, Gain so Much’.
These larger packs are proving to be instant successes, the manufacturer claims. “The acceptance has been tremendous. I think that loyal, loving consumers of So Klin have been waiting for bigger packs. It has been very late in coming but, better late than never”, says Oliver Terante, the marketing manager Eko of Supreme Resources Ltd.
The detergent makers are taking their game higher. Towards the end of last year, Eko Supreme embarked on what market observers perceive as another revolution in the detergent market in Nigeria with the launch of So Klin Protect. Terante says: “We are thinking of playing at a higher level. We are still studying the feasibility.” While brand experts believe that the inclusion of ‘So Klin’ in the brand name makes the new detergent an extension of Eko Supreme’s flagship detergent brand, Terante in a chat with M2 maintains that: “It is a different brand. We intend to drop ‘So Klin’, as time goes on, so the brand will be known as Protect.”
So Klin Protect comes in a pack said to be first of its kind in the Nigerian detergent market. Unlike the regular water proof packs, Eko Supreme is introducing So Klin Protect in a tetra-pack capable of standing on its own even when empty. Market observers forecast that other detergent brands are most likely to begin upgrading their packaging; more like leading another revolution in the detergent market.
Explaining the reason for the introduction of Protect, Terante says: “We would like to create another revolution which is essentially both healthful and helpful”. His position is based on So Klin Protect’s brand promise of giving its users ‘dirt free, germ free clean’. The campaign claims that the detergent will leave clothes 99.9% germ free, clean and dry. According to Terante, the new product is targeted at discerning consumers, people who need something more powerful.
So Klin Protect is not the first line expansion to be introduced by Eko Supreme Resources Ltd. In 2009, Terante notified the media: “We have a baby brand now, it is called Good Mama. It is a detergent too. It is even more affordable than So Klin. We are still pipelining it. The acceptance has been encouraging but it is still not at the level of So Klin. It would not happen in one, two years time but we are working on it. It is our second brand and we introduced it in 2008.”
It is surprising that while that new baby is still being pipelined, So Klin Protect followed suit. This situation, observers say, may lead to sacrificing one brand on the altar of promoting the other. There are also speculations in some quarters that given the fierce competition in the detergent market, with the likes of Omo and Ariel generating so much buzz, So Klin Protect may not make as much impact as So Klin did. But Terante maintains that his company is leaving consumers to determine which brands will survive. “What we have is one of a kind in the Nigerian detergent market. Just as So Klin was a revolutionary brand when it came in, So Klin Protect is also a revolutionary brand”.
He also stresses that no other detergent brand can lay claim to being able to remove dirt and germs at the same time. “We have something that our consumers need and will appreciate. We will do our bit in promoting it and allow the consumers to decide that (its survival)”.
It is obvious that So Klin Protect is not targeted at the lower market segment going by the quality of its packaging and the pack sizes. But the big question remains whether this new brand will generate enough competition for Unilever’s Omo and P&G’s Ariel which are the major players at that level? Or, will it, like So Klin, operate underground?
Will So Klin Protect capture the niche market? Or will it end up being a flash in a pan?