Top Biz News

Keon's brand saga

By Li Huayu (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2006-08-14 17:29

Keon now becomes widely known, especially in China's countryside.

Keon forayed into the area of daily chemicals in 1992, and created a wonder of washing powder by topping sales nationwide for three consecutive years from 1997 to 1999. However, it only took DIAO, another new comer, to overtake Keon to become the No.1 washing powder seller.

China Liby, Transfar and other privately run enterprises also launched washing powder products and foreign manufacturers waged a fierce price war. Keon began to feel the pinch.

Works are busy packing Keon soaps. [chinadaily.com.cn]

Amid fierce competition, Keon placed its focus on countryside. With Shanxi Province, where Nafine is based, and the surrounding markets as its foundation, Keon gradually established a vast countryside market.

During the countryside move, Keon swiftly built over 300 representative offices, sent more than 3,000 salespeople to rural areas and its over 1,000 delivery vehicles painted with Keon ads ran across the country.

Through omitting the process of distributors' wholesaling and making use of convenience of delivery vehicles, Keon sold its products directly to terminals and reduced sale cost, thus sharpening its price competitive edge.

As for marketing, Keon adopted unique sale patterns tailored to countryside markets, such as on-the-spot demonstration, model performance, free film tickets, and ads handbills. Keon painted 60,000 square meters of its washing powder ads on walls every year and now its ads have reached everywhere. In northern China, no matter where you travel by train, you'll find Keon's ads even on some broken walls or chimneys of rural enterprises.