Dettol
Strategy. Copy.
Dettol: From bathroom cupboard to pocket essential
The Brief
Dettol needed to escape its limited association with germ kill and occasional use. Though powerful in its category, it was languishing in the back of bathroom cupboards, only reaching for during illness rather than as part of daily health routines.
The Strategy (Spine)
Working as the Lead Planner at Havas, I assembled and led a global team to fundamentally reposition the brand from reactive cure to proactive protection. After analyzing mountains of consumer research and market data, I ran a pivotal two-day workshop in New York that shifted the brand's entire strategic direction.
The Voice (Soul)
We reframed the brand language from medical problem-solving to everyday protection, creating messaging that focused on empowerment rather than fear. This shift in tone moved the brand from clinical necessity to lifestyle essential, making protection feel positive rather than paranoid.
The Brand Connection (Heart)
The repositioning connected with a universal human desire – not just avoiding illness but actively protecting health. By focusing on protection as a positive daily act rather than a response to problems, we created an emotional bridge between scientific efficacy and everyday wellbeing.
The Impact
This strategic shift launched the hand sanitiser movement and created an entirely new category of household cleaners and wipes. The brand became the first line of defence during the pandemic, adding multi-millions to the client's bottom line while genuinely helping people stay healthy.
My Role: Global team project management, desk research, competitive review, commissioning global positioning research, positioning workshop, brand footprint, brand messaging.
In Action: See below for examples of the campaign content.
“Lucy brings rigorous thinking, insight and creativity to all her work. She has a great sense of what is needed to deliver against an objective and can unravel complex strategic issues with ease. She loves brands and is particularly strong at creating activist brand platforms that attract large communities of followers. She is equally good at qualitative research – with a talent for empathy, insight and analysis. Lucy is always curious and energetic, plus she’s cool under pressure – perhaps it’s all that yoga!”
PHILLIP HOLLIDAY, GLOBAL GROUP DIRECTOR, HAVAS WORLDWIDE
