Sitting in the Scientific Services Group (SSG) , which is part of RB’s Research and Development (R&D) department, your work has a huge impact on the profitability of a really exciting region! Your ability to affect profitability can happen in much shorter timeframes than in category development as this department focuses on new product developments (NPDs). Here in SSG we are working with existing products and adjusting formulations, claims, production and supply strategy. So let me tell you a little about my first few weeks in SSG…(for those new to my blog, I’ve recently moved to India from the UK!).

Factory Transfers

Vanish liquid is a recent launch in India. Initially we had been importing product from our factory in China to A) hit the market ASAP and B) to test the market. Vanish liquid has shown good initial success – and without cannibalising our existing powder product.

The location of a production factory has a large impact on GM (gross margin) and profitability . We are currently in the process of moving Vanish production from China to India, localising our production. This will mean an increase of over 30% on our GM, which is HUGE and will have a massive effect on the brand’s profitability.

Formulation changes and Harmonisation

SSG is also required to manage the complexities encountered in our factories, such as the number of formulas made for one product. Veet has 3 main variants: Normal, Dry, and Sensitive. Within these variants, there are also formulation changes e.g.when we add extra materials such as Aloe with vitamin E. Countries migrate to the changed formulas within different timelines. However, the more formulas a factory carries, the more complexity is added. Cost is also impacted as cycle times will be longer due to the cleaning and swapping of lines and mistakes are more likely to be made.
Therefore SSG need to ensure that this situation is managed. I am currently managing the migration of Veet to our most recent formula which will supersede supply to all countries. These projects run for roughly 6 months over which raw material sourcing, line trials, stability and product registration will be completed.


Claims and Demonstrations

Consumers in one country can be completely different to the next. I can see this from my personal experience, I LOVE to have a tan, the browner the better, but here in India the paler the better. All of the creams and facial products sold in India are targeted at this need bucket. It is therefore really important to manage claims and advertising campaigns per country. This is another role of SSG, investigating potential claims and supporting these.

Vanish has some really interesting consumer demonstrations, including a Monster stain – scary! As part of my work I will be looking at ways to develop India specific demonstrations and claims to improve our market share. It’s all about making your product relatable and building trust in your brand!

Wish me luck

To briefly reintroduce myself, my name is Matt Dubow and I am a campus brand manager at the Pennsylvania State University. Hopefully you caught my first blog post, “Why does RB matter to college students?” I want to keep this post a bit more informal, but more importantly much more interactive. Walking around campus I often find great pleasure in the creativity students have in their use of Reckitt Benckiser’s Powerbrands. The products are embedded in college students’ daily routines and lifestyles, providing the value we look for on a budget, combined with powerful and effective results. As you become more dependent on Reckitt Benckiser to get you through your days, you may realize that a company with such reliable products may be a good fit as a potential employer!

With that being said, let’s take a look at the “5 Ways RB Solves College Problems!”

1. Cooking –

Stuck on campus and sick of the same dining hall food? I hear complaints every year about the lackluster food that is served at many universities, not to mention how our unpolished culinary skills don’t come close to filling the void from your family’s home cooking. One popular remedy to the bland culinary offerings at the university dining hall is the variety of Frank’s Red Hot Sauces and French’s Mustards. With so many flavors – Honey, Spicy Brown, Yellow, and Horseradish mustards and seven different varieties of Frank’s Red Hot sauces including Sweet Chili, Chili & Lime, Buffalo – your cooking combinations can sky rocket! Trust me – I know some terrible student cooks, but take that horrendous omelet and add a different RB condiment flavor everyday to make those teasing thoughts of Mom’s cooking a thing of the past.

2. Beauty –

Students have busy schedules so hitting the gym in between classes is a popular way to stay active. Penn State’s University fitness facilities see over one million student visitors a year! But with exercise comes sweat, and with sweat comes the acne that all college students dread! Clearasil’s Daily Wash is a convenient way to clean up after a quick exercise session, washing away your face’s dirt, oil, and bacteria so your face doesn’t suffer from your sweaty lifestyle! Short on time but absolutely need to shave to finish your perfect appearance? Veet provides “superior to shaving” smoothness with less of the hassle.

3. Cleaning –

Let’s face it, college students can be messy. From cluttered dorm rooms to old college houses, there are plenty of other ways students would rather spend their time than cleaning. Unfortunately the dishes pile up, bathrooms get dirty, and even though you are trying to hold off on doing your laundry, your hamper can’t take any more traffic. RB has a quick solution to these dreaded collegiate issues: add one Finish “power ball” to your dishwasher and those dirty plates that have been haunting your sink will be a thing of the past, use Lysol products to tackle those messy countertops and toilets, and Resolve for that funky stain on your carpet. These Powerbrands make the cleaning process simpler so college students can focus on their schoolwork . . . or tailgating the big game.

4. Health –

As the sun rises, you awake to that terrible nagging cold you haven’t been able to shake. Students are often short on sleep which leads to prolonged effects of sickness. Even worse, imagine you have a huge mid-term tomorrow but are tossing and turning with a terrible cough and cold. Delsym is there to play the hero – with day and nighttime varieties to help you make it through those long study sessions in the library or the nighttime jitters without fighting sickness. Need more power to clear up your chest? Try a Mucinex product – it helps loosen and thin out the mucus that causes congestion, so you can get rid of it.

5. Laundry -

It is a bit of a shock when college students move out on their own, and are soon forced to face the ever-growing mountain of dirty laundry. By the way, just throwing your stained jeans into your hamper doesn’t solve the problem. Just remain calm! Woolite and Vanish (or Spray “N” Wash), make laundry worries a thing of the past. Woolite effectively cleans and cares for all your clothes during washing without shape loss or fading. So now that sweatshirt will let you keep your university pride on display without the added color of that French’s mustard stain.

What are the ways Reckitt Benckiser makes your life easier? Have you been creative with any of these products? College students are always looking for suggestions – recipes, techniques, or new applications for RB products. Share your stories and your go-to products!

Rachel Tressitto – Penn State University

Approaching Graduation

As a Penn State senior approaching graduation in just a few months, I find myself constantly thinking about the memories I have made these last four years. What were my most unforgettable experiences? What will I miss? What will I take with me in the future? I would have to say that one of my greatest experiences was the semester I spent studying abroad in Ireland. It provided me such a great opportunity to explore different cultures, expand my knowledge about the world, make international friends, and open my mind to diversity.

You might be wondering why this matters and how it relates to Reckitt Benckiser? Well, being a business student, I recognize how important it is to become more globally aware; and I’m not alone. More and more students are realizing the significance of studying abroad because it is no secret that the world is getting smaller. Expanding into international markets is a highly successful business strategy and is becoming the norm in todays market. As students start embarking on their career search, they cannot overlook this is the direction the business world is heading. One of the reasons I admire Reckitt Benckiser is because this company has completely embraced this idea of international business. RB’s home, health, and personal care products stock the shelves in over 180 countries, continuously providing innovative products for millions of consumers across the world.

International Career Opportunities

Furthermore, if you are someone like me who has already been abroad and is anxious to continue your international exposure, Reckitt Benckiser provides great career opportunities in this respect. I find it intriguing that the Executive Committee has roots all over the world in countries like the United Kingdom, Holland, Germany, Italy, and India. Therefore, it is not surprising the company also provides international careers in operations located throughout sixty countries. I am interested to find out what global opportunities interest you, where do you hope your career will lead you? When you look back on your career path, is international exposure something important to you?

Whether you have been abroad and looking to have an international career or not, you can appreciate Reckitt Benckiser’s entrepreneurial spirit and success around the world.

Jen Chiang – Colombia University

Hello and welcome to my first blog posting! My name is Jen Chiang, and I am the RB Campus Brand Manager for Columbia University. I am a 1st year student at Columbia Business School, focusing on marketing in consumer goods. I’m excited for the opportunity to help students learn more about RB as a potential employer, and to tie RB closely with all of the Powerbrands that people know and love.

Last month, the Marketing Association of Columbia hosted an event called Brand Bash, an evening event where we invited various companies that recruit on-campus to donate goods that we could turn into carnival-like competitions. RB generously donated boxes of Frank’s RedHot Sauce and Durex condoms which were used in 2 of the highest participation games of the night.

The Thrill of Bananas

The whole evening was a giant competition, where each class within Columbia Business School tried to win tickets at each game for the highest number of tickets at the end of the night. The events were fast paced and fun, as a group of competitive business school students playing games can get heated pretty quickly. At the Durex table, students competed in a game to put Durex condoms on bananas as fast as they could, the more bananas covered, the more tickets won. Students challenged each other to races, and oftentimes a surprising, unpredictable winner emerged.

They Put That **** In Shot Glasses

The Frank’s RedHot table was spicy indeed. Students were timed at a minute, and were challenged to drink as many Frank’s RedHot shots as possible against an opponent. I was in shock at how much people could actually drink in a minute, and my partner and I had trouble refilling the Dixie cups fast enough! One student had about 24, yes 24, shots of Frank’s RedHot. Now that’s brand love if I’ve ever seen it! People even competed on their knees, just so they could be closer to the table and quicker to the take. The demand was so high for this game that people were competing in groups of 4 all at once, and we ran out of 100 bottles of hot sauce in less than an hour!

While it truly was just fun and games, it was amazing to see how people recognized and loved the products that RB had provided. Students laughed as their classmates struggled and succeeded with Durex and bananas, and countless people came to the Frank’s Red Hot table and announced their loyalty for the hot sauce (enough to drink a whole bottle). People were often surprised and delighted to know RB was the power behind these beloved brands, and it was a great experience being the one to remind them of the company that brought them such merriment that night.

Brand Bash is an annual event at Columbia Business School and we would love ideas for next year. If you could use any RB product to come up with a carnival-like game, what kind of game would you design?

Matt Dubow

When I first walked onto the Penn State campus as a freshman my head was dizzied by the limitless opportunities before me. As I became a more seasoned undergraduate, I began to become more aware of my potential in areas I had never even considered before, both as a consumer in the grocery store and as a young professional at our career fairs. How were my dollars being used in this economy? Was I becoming part of the global economic, social, and environmental problems or rather contributing to companies who were creating a solution? These same concerns were easily paralleled in my employment search as I scoured for a company that shared the same values and beliefs, one I found in Reckitt Benckiser.

The question posed in this blog’s subject may seem plainly obvious to some, however to the average college student, RB may just be another company on their laundry list of potential employers. It is important that college students come to know RB in a multitude of dimensions. Initially, they must grow to be smart, aware consumers who view their purchases as investments into their personal lives. In this sense college students should be researching and exploring their options in household, personal, and healthcare categories. As a smart consumer you are not only taking an active mindset in regard to your finances, but become aware of the innovation, philanthropy, and culture provided by your supplying companies.

With their respective market leading positions, the Reckitt Benckiser Powerbrands will undoubtedly provide many of the solutions these consumers search for. It is easy to find excuses to pick RB’s products off the shelf. Philanthropic programs such as the Carbon20 effort and aggressive sustainability benchmarks, to their product innovation and value, many college students will find themselves establishing life long relationships with RB products.

Additionally college students who explore career options in the FMCG industry would be foolish to overlook Reckitt Benckiser. The company’s culture and core values suggest that with the right fit, young professionals are given international opportunities to not only prove themselves but move through their career at an accelerated pace. If you were to research one of RB’s 19 market leading Powerbrands you would find a history of innovation, value, and a proven track record. Behind the scenes RB associates live the values of achievement, entrepreneurship, team spirit, and ownership that create and drive the culture of the company.

The challenges presented to college graduates within the workplace are demanding, yet the rewards of success are reaped both professionally and personally.

What are your opinions? As students, consumers, and professionals how are you taking strides to improve the world we live in? How do you see RB innovating its social and environmental programs in the future? I am greatly intrigued to hear how everyone is working, whether its on campus, in an office, with Reckitt Benckiser, or on their own. Are you taking the initiative and challenging the status quo?