Mr Muscle, the household-cleaning brand positioned as being so powerful it can help even a nerdy weakling leave his home gleaming, is being jostled out of its position as one of the sector's top performers.
The SC Johnson-owned brand's value declined by 8.1% from £36.1m to £33.2m in the year to 7 October 2006, according to ACNielsen.
Its slip is put in slightly more dramatic context by the growth of the overall household-cleaning sector by 4.3% over the same period. Nonetheless, it is a tough market in which to operate, with discounters and variety stores exerting deflationary pressure, as well as the ever-present challenge of supermarkets' own-label offerings.
The branded side of the sector is reaching saturation with entrants and new product development increasing competition. Reckitt Benckiser's Cillit Bang, for example, entered the sector in 2004 backed by an annoying, but memorable, heavyweight ad campaign. It has since taken a 12% share of the all-purpose and kitchen-cleaners market, overtaking Mr Muscle's 10% share, according to Mintel.
Mr Muscle is second only to Reckitt's Windolene in the window-cleaning market, but its share has been eroded by own-label brands, which account for 26% of sales. Similarly, although it is the market leader in the oven-cleaning category, HomePride's Oven Pride, launched in 2002, has already built a 29% share and continues to post strong growth.
Mr Muscle has also had to contend with the deep pockets of rivals. Reckitt is the biggest advertiser in the sector, spending £84m across its brands in 2006, including £6.2m on Cillit Bang, according to Nielsen Media Research. Mr Muscle spent just £1.4m over the same period.
There is also an emerging band of environmentally friendly products, such as Ecover's spray cleaner SquirtEco. Such brands have yet to pose a major threat to the big players, but as consumers become more interested in green issues, their importance and sales are bound to grow.
We asked Simon White, deputy head of planning at Grey London, which handles Procter & Gamble's Flash business, and Troy Warfield, general manager for Kimberly-Clark, who has worked on Unilever's household-cleaning brands, how Mr Muscle can regain its lustre.
DIAGNOSIS 1 - SIMON WHITE DEPUTY HEAD OF PLANNING, GREY LONDON
Mr Muscle has been out-shouted by Cillit Bang. The bolshy upstart snatched the power platform from its wimpy rival by being single-minded and spending more. While brands with less to fear launched offensives, such as Cif's Powercream, Mr Muscle effectively turned the other cheek due to lack of support.
Mr Muscle lost the efficacy platform, as SC Johnson uses it to cover an array of cleaning minutiae. Reckitt Benckiser, however, has a portfolio of brands, allowing Cillit Bang to shout power, with no concern for the fragrances, antibacterial protection or surface specifics that sidetrack Mr Muscle. Without the latitude or courage to fight on a single-minded platform, it's little wonder that consumers are backing its beefier opponent.
Communications-wise, the story is the same; in one corner we have our ageing wimp, while in the other Mr Barry Scott turns out every category generic, from demos to before-your-eyes results. The irony is that Cillit Bang has used 50s-style communications but is perceived as the innovative brand of tomorrow.
REMEDY
- Give Mr Muscle a make-over. He needs to modernise, find his balls and take on Barry (with increased support).
- Defend the brand's core against competitors' innovations.
- Focus on being either a power player or middle-ground player for the masses.
- Examine whether other SC Johnson brands can lighten Mr Muscle's load.
- Hope the shouting annoys consumers enough to make Cillit Bang the next Radion.
DIAGNOSIS 2 - TROY WARFIELD GENERAL MANAGER UK & IRELAND, KIMBERLY-CLARK
Reviving a well-known brand starts with the organisation. SC Johnson needs to define what strategic role the sector and brand play in its portfolio. If the sector remains a core focus, it must choose to strategically invest in innovation and communication at a level in keeping with a revitalised category.
The launch of Cillit Bang and responses from Unilever, Procter & Gamble and niche players have awoken a sector that for a while had lost its shine.
Alongside innovation and marketing, there needs to be investment in understanding the brand's users, shoppers and retailers. The household-cleaning sector has a core group of consumers who are very heavy users, demanding both power and convenience.
In a world where Cillit Bang claims to be the strongest-ever universal cleaner, and Unilever and P&G have responded with Domestos 5x and a Flash relaunch respectively, Mr. Muscle has lost its stronghold. To regain this, it will need to focus on its core essence and deliver it louder than the others.
REMEDY
- Focus on understanding Mr Muscle's core brand essence and consumers.
- Find simple, effective propositions that meet the consumer need for power, convenience and ease of purchase.
- Redesign the Mr Muscle weedy male image to satisfy the power/convenience proposition and compete with the stronger competitive claims and images of rivals.
- Invest in innovation and strategic marketing to ensure it isn't out-muscled.
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