Summary Mortein
Summary of the case:
Mortein was manufactured as an insecticidal powder in the 1870’s by J Hageman; a German immigrant to Australia.
The famous name is a combination of the French word ‘mort’ (dead) and the German ‘ein’ (one).
Launched in South India as a coil in 1993, Mortein soon established itself as the market leader. Efficacy and power delivered by its active ingredient were the key differentiators. However, the leader was not able to defend its share.
Post-2000, challengers like Good Knight and Maxo set shop. The failure of Mortein’s triple coil and its subsequent withdrawal in 2002 did not help.
Hari Panda, the brand manager of Mortein vaporizer, had the enviable task of repositioning Mortein vaporizer in the market and taking it upwards from its present market share of 10 percent to 17.5 percent in 2011.
Currently, Hari Panda, the brand manager of Mortein vaporizer, is in a dilemma as he contemplates the strategic direction for Mortein Vaps. Reckitt Benckiser (RB) has plans to roll out a three-pronged strategy – reformulate by doubling the active ingredient to 1.6 percent TFT, make changes in the packaging, and focus on promotion efforts. Hari’s anxiety is palpable as he reflects on the proposed strategy.
The strategy of Mortein was to leverage the fear in the mind of the consumer and generate the desire to ward off diseases. Hari wondered if Mortein was committing a strategic blunder in designing its marketing strategy. He checked if any- thing important evaded his attention.
In view of the strong competition from All Out and Good Knight, Hari Panda wondered how to create a unique proposition for his brand, one that would be appealing and acceptable to the consumers, and induce them to switch from other brands to Mortein.
Mortein was manufactured as an insecticidal powder in the 1870’s by J Hageman; a German immigrant to Australia.
The famous name is a combination of the French word ‘mort’ (dead) and the German ‘ein’ (one).
Launched in South India as a coil in 1993, Mortein soon established itself as the market leader. Efficacy and power delivered by its active ingredient were the key differentiators. However, the leader was not able to defend its share.
Post-2000, challengers like Good Knight and Maxo set shop. The failure of Mortein’s triple coil and its subsequent withdrawal in 2002 did not help.
Hari Panda, the brand manager of Mortein vaporizer, had the enviable task of repositioning Mortein vaporizer in the market and taking it upwards from its present market share of 10 percent to 17.5 percent in 2011.
Currently, Hari Panda, the brand manager of Mortein vaporizer, is in a dilemma as he contemplates the strategic direction for Mortein Vaps. Reckitt Benckiser (RB) has plans to roll out a three-pronged strategy – reformulate by doubling the active ingredient to 1.6 percent TFT, make changes in the packaging, and focus on promotion efforts. Hari’s anxiety is palpable as he reflects on the proposed strategy.
The strategy of Mortein was to leverage the fear in the mind of the consumer and generate the desire to ward off diseases. Hari wondered if Mortein was committing a strategic blunder in designing its marketing strategy. He checked if any- thing important evaded his attention.
In view of the strong competition from All Out and Good Knight, Hari Panda wondered how to create a unique proposition for his brand, one that would be appealing and acceptable to the consumers, and induce them to switch from other brands to Mortein.