Godrej Consumer Products has introduced two homegrown innovations and launched the budget-friendly cost liquid mosquito repellent device and a no-gas instant mosquito–kill spray.
The mosquito repellent device named Goodknight Mini Liquid, the machine and the refill of 25 ml is proved at Rs 50. For a later purchase refill is available at Rs 35. 40 ml HIT No-Gas Spray is priced at Rs 50 which is 1/3rd of the price of current aerosol spray.
When asked about the expectations from GoodKnight Mini’s contribution to the overall revenue in the long run Ashwin Moorthy, CMO, Godrej Consumer said, “GoodKnight is a brand that’s over Rs 1,500 crore and HIT values over Rs 500 crore. The new product’s contribution will depend on the adoption. What we are conscious about is that there is a very large amount of households in India today, around 100 plus million which don’t use liquid vaporizers. There is a larger consumer segment which uses other unsafe solutions than the ones who use liquid vaporisers.”
He added, “as a brand it was our duty and ability to create awareness among the consumers. Though that depends on rate of adoption, what we are focused on is that how we can reach out to more consumers and make the products available to this 100 million households.”
Commenting on the affordable innovations, Sudhir Sitapati, MD & CEO, Godrej Consumer Products (GCPL), said, “We have made great progress so far to lessen the impact of mosquito-borne diseases. The way forward, however, calls for empowering people especially in small cities, towns, and rural areas. Liquid repellents & aerosols are the most effective solution against mosquitoes, but they remained largely inaccessible to lower income households due to high pricing. We at GCPL, are proud to introduce the Goodknight Mini and HIT No-Gas Spray. These innovations bring down the cost of liquid repellent and spray categories in India by upto 50% and thus make them accessible for everyone. With these innovations, we are democratising safe mosquito repellents for lower income consumers. Supporting the government’s vision of easing the nation’s health burden is our greater commitment.”
Speaking as part of a panel discussion at the launch event, Pratik Kumar, Country Director, Malaria No More India, opined, “Mosquito-borne diseases, particularly Malaria, has been a public health issue and our goal should be its complete eradication. If we are to enable our Prime Minister’s vision of a Malaria free by 2030, we need a different strategy that goes beyond prevention and ensures elimination. New age tools and technologies will play a vital role. Private health providers have a major role to play. Malaria elimination needs all sections joining hands to focus on a disease that needs more attention. We must develop new solutions, high-end technology to accelerate access and timely last mile intervention. More importantly, enabling lower income groups with low-cost solutions in high endemic zones should be a key focus area amongst the next steps.”
“Factors such as climate change have led to increased occurrence of malaria and dengue, leading to a significant rise in the disease burden on the country. While the medical fraternity researches and develops advanced treatments to aid quick recovery, it also becomes important for people to adopt prevention strategies to safeguard themselves, in this case, from mosquito-borne diseases. Although the general public is aware of the need for mosquito protection, they frequently turn to dangerous and unregulated alternatives like repellent incense sticks/ agarbattis, which can lead to more diseases and respiratory illnesses. Although these repellent incense sticks are less expensive, few people are aware of their detrimental effects on health. Thus, Innovation and democratisation of practical, cost efficient solutions that guarantee everyone’s protection are urgently needed”, added, Dr. Rahul Sharma, Additional Director – Pulmonology & Critical Care, Fortis Hospital, Noida.
The brand through the new product launch is targeting the low income households in both urban and rural populations which have relatively smaller rooms, expensive LPG based aerosol sprays designed for large spread in big rooms were not suitable.
GCPL is planning to expand distribution sequentially over time. The brand is also planning to launch a national campaign around the product launch where cross media will be utilized.
