Little loyalty, many promotions for softeners

Softeners are one of the categories where promotions were most frequent in 2008. According to data from MEMRB, the Hungarian market of HUF 16 billion is dominated by three major brands. Some expansion took place last year, both in terms of value and quantity. Hyper markets account for the most substantial part of total sales. Drugstores are also doing well, producing growth of 1.5 percent in terms of quantity in 2008. Sales of concentrates also expanded last year. According to László Aranyi trade marketing manager of Unilever, customers of softeners prefer brand products and price is a major consideration for them. As a result, loyalty is low and promotions have a substantial influence on sales. Aroma therapy is becoming increasingly popular. Last autumn, Henkel launched its renewed Silan Aromatherapy product line with six different fragrance versions including Silan Feel Attractive and Silan Feel Fun. – A new name, logo and packaging have been developed for the modernised Silan Aromatherapy product line, which combines centuries of tradition with the experience accumulated by Silan – points out Levente Vinczefi brand manager. The speciality of new Coccolino concentrates is a fragrance release formula which allows more fragrance to be released as a result of movement. – Five member of the Coccolino product line come with the new formula: Orange rush, Green burst, Blue splash, Pink thrill and Sunfresh – says László Aranyi. A shift towards larger sizes is taking place in demand. Lenor by Procter and Gamble was one of the most active brands in terms of promotions last year. The packaging of Lenor was also modernised last year. A new aroma therapy softener product line was launched by Bip (EVM Zrt.) in January 2008. Bip Emotion, Bip Hawaii Sunset and Bip Soft & Relax all contain exotic oils. There is a lot of uncertainty at present regarding the reductions in advertising budgets expected this year. Coccolino is the only brand which has been using the Internet actively for years. A shift from ATL to BTL advertising is expected in the market. Unilever is also active in utilising special placements, where softeners are placed with washing agents.