Antoine Brun, Managing Director for Southeast Europe at P&G – In challenging times we need to act together and create value for consumers

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, expectations regarding health and hygiene are being reconsidered. Today, 65% of all Europeans are more inclined to take their health into consideration when making everyday decisions, and the traditional good sides of “cleanness” and “health” have been raised to new levels of clean and boosted wellness. The increase of the need for home care, as well as the health and hygienic benefits from such care, has taken place also through the greater attention paid to prevention.

In the time of worry and uncertainty, people increasingly turn to the people and things that they trust the most. They are not ready to take risks, especially when it comes to personal safety and the safety of their families, says Antoine Brun, Managing Director for Southeast Europe at P&G.

– At P&G, we have found ourselves at the forefront of this new reality. The orientation of consumers to the home, cleanness and personal hygiene, combined with the increased search for reliable quality, has resulted in the growing demand for our brands. Our deep understanding of the needs of the consumers and our long-term dedication to meeting these needs for products of top value and quality, have never been more important. The supply of these products at an even greater rate, in order to meet the consumers’ needs, but also honor our obligation to them, is both a responsibility and an opportunity for us.

How important are innovations for P&G?

– Since the beginning of the current health crisis, P&G has stood out as a powerful center of innovation and creating value, offering to the consumers the most important products which help them feel safe and comfortable and be healthy. We have continued following and responding to the shifting needs of the consumers, providing them with everyday articles that they need in order to take care of themselves, their homes and families. In that context, we were ready and we had prepared a strong range of products in the basic health and hygiene categories, such as detergents, dishwashing products and home cleaning products, personal care and baby products, which the consumers trust and which they rely on in carrying out everyday activities. The brands such as Ariel, Fairy, Pampers, Always and Oral B are recognized by the consumers for their high effectiveness and first-class value, which, in these challenging times, is truly invaluable, when people don’t want to change their choices and take risks through their choices. We are happy that we have strong brands in each category and products which the consumers immediately recognize on shelves and that they rely on to feel good and safe. In the current context, P&G has placed additional focus on the innovations which enable superiority.

How do you react to the shifting needs of the consumers?

– Everything begins by us never turning the focus away from those we serve – our consumers – by listening to them so that we would understand and be inspired by their needs, values, desires and passions, which are developed constantly. With the help of the leading digital and analytical resources, we are capable of staying in close contact with the consumers, even in the current context, while collecting all kinds of data: what they are doing today, what kind of problems they have, what it is that we notice when we are observing them today. This way, we keep up with their needs, which are growing and changing, and we find solutions and top-quality innovations that will help them cope with the current reality. Allow me to give a few examples of how we came up with important innovations for our consumers during this period.

Primarily, we innovate through our brands. Consumers are now increasingly looking to thoroughly clean everything their family members come into contact with, including the laundry. What we know is that the consumers have always looked at cleaning based on what they see: “If a sport is no longer visible to the naked eye, it must be clean”. However, most spots are invisible and when they are not properly removed during the washing, they accumulate with time. So, a top-quality detergent is needed to break up those spots during the first washing, especially when it comes to cold-water washing. The Ariel Allin1 PODS provides deep cleanness, including visible spots and invisible dirt, thanks to the new exclusive technology, called Purezyme.

Another example are Pampers Pants. Our innovation enables an even simpler application and removal of diapers, and their 360°Fit helps prevent gaps and leaks overnight, enabling a calm sleep. It has a flexible universal belt which is customized to the baby’s belly, and the super-absorbent core soaks up the moisture immediately.

Furthermore, we implement innovations at the sales outlet. In the time when the pandemic has upset the shopping patterns (social distancing, stocking up, deliberate choice of smaller shops and bigger baskets, reduced browsing of goods etc.), we have remained dedicated to creating a perfect shopping experience for our customers. Regardless of the sales outlet, within the network or outside it, we aim to provide top-quality service and value. We cooperate closely with the traders in order to ensure that the innovation is visible, with clear communication of the advantages of the products on the shelf and at the promotions. We accept the presence in the trade in the new context and new shopping habits, in order to ensure maximum visibility and availability and a quick response to the increased demand for our products.

The third thing – we innovate through top-quality communication and significant marketing campaigns. In addition to the highest quality of the products, we maximize value for the consumers through high quality communication about the hygiene, health, safety and sustainability, whereby we emphasize social values on top of the advantages of the product, thereby giving a deeper sense and importance to shopping. We were one of the rare companies that increased the spending for media content during the pandemic, in order to explain the innovative qualities of our products and provide a relevant and meaningful communication to our consumers. We synergize the media and exchange messages through all channels and, in partnership with our retail partners, we create and carry out campaigns in order to revive our innovations.

Where do you see a way for exiting the crisis?

– At P&G, we believe that growth is the true response for exiting any crisis, even more than ever before. History tells us that, during a crisis, not only is the growth possible, but inciting the growth is the most efficient strategy for mitigating the consequences of any crisis. This is the basic way of thinking, because we all strive for reinitiating the growth and our local economies.

In that context, the sector of consumer goods is the prime mover of the economy, because the companies which are in the consumer goods business affect millions of people every day, directly and indirectly. Since the beginning of the crisis, leading companies such as P&G have become a powerful instigator of innovations and creating value, offering to the consumers basic products that can help them remain safe, healthy and comfortable. We have remained active and agile in responding to the shifting needs of the consumers and pressures within the supply chain and we also continued growing despite the challenging context, whereby we are helping local economies stabilize. At the moment, more than 2,000 of P&G researchers are designing products that the consumers will need in a changing world, whereas our brand producers are creating the future of consumer goods, which is designed so as to serve the consumers regardless of the context, bringing satisfaction to the homes of our consumers and the stores of the future.

Is there room in the Serbian market for the growth of your brands?

– The innovations directed at consumers are the key driving engine for a company’s success, the growth of the economy and the progress of the society. This is really true when it comes to our market here in Serbia, where there’s a lot of room for the growth of our product categories to the levels which exist in western Europe, especially since the consumers in Serbia are very reasonable and accepting, while at the same time also being experienced when it comes to the top quality of the products and innovations they strive for while shopping. We are aware of the fact that, through close cooperation with our retail partners, using our understanding of the consumers and customers, which is data-based, as well as through investments and constant innovations in the best values, we can meet the needs of our consumers and help incite sustainable growth of our product categories.

Procter and Gamble Beograd

P and G

Antoine Brun

innovations

Ariel

Fairy

Pampers

Always

Oral B

detergents

dish washing products

home cleaning products

personal care products

baby products

Purezyme

Ariel Allin1 PODS

Pampers Pants