January 29, 2018

Henkel cooperates with platform Indiegogo

The smart way of crowd-marketing

Düsseldorf – Exploring innovative ways in product development and marketing: As the first German consumer goods company, Henkel launches a campaign with the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo. This agile test-and-learn approach contributes to the development of a new Internet of Things (IoT) product in Henkel’s Laundry & Home Care business. The collaboration was also presented at Indiegogo’s fireside chat at the Consumer Electronics Show CES® in Las Vegas this month.

“We want to lead our brands and products into a digital future. As part of shaping this digital transformation, together with scientists and business partners, we are exploring trends and opportunities in the field of IoT and developing market-ready applications,” says Dorothée Boivin, International Marketing Director at Henkel Laundry & Home Care. “Originally a crowdfunding website, Indiegogo provides a unique platform for us to receive instant feedback from millions of users from around the world, helping us to even better understand consumer acceptance of the product and effectivity of our marketing approach. We are pioneering, and by doing this we are learning.” 

Indiegogo’s website community counts more than nine million people. Individuals, organizations and corporations can launch campaigns, enabling the community to discover innovations in tech and design early on. Henkel uses the Indiegogo platform as a real-time market test for the new IoT dishwashing product Somat Smart. 

Somat Smart: The smarter way of dishwashing
“We have chosen the automatic dishwashing category for the development of a new IoT product, because it is per se very technological,” says Robert Ruiz Hernández, Head IoT/Robotics R&D Advance Technologies at Henkel Laundry & Home Care. “While the consumer is satisfied with the process itself, we see opportunities to further increase the convenience and provide additional services. In 2019 you may ask yourself: Does it still make sense to put a detergent in the dishwashing machine for every load? Or wouldn’t it make more sense if the detergent dispenses itself automatically?” 

This is exactly the concept and added value of Somat Smart: The IoT product dispenses the right amount of detergent at the right moment of the cycle to ensure brilliant cleanliness and shine – so the consumer does not need to add detergent to the machine for every single load. It also includes all common additives: rinser, salt, machine cleaner and scent for ultimate convenience. The Somat Smart device will be supported by an app that allows consumers to choose different modes according to the degree of soil, receive a notification when the cycle is finished and select an automatic reorder option for the detergent.

Pioneering a new way of marketing and product development
On Indiegogo, Henkel is testing the digital marketing mix and the performance of the marketing campaign through an iteration process to fine-tune the product value proposition. This is how it works: Throughout the next weeks, the IoT product is displayed on the online platform, allowing users to sign up for ordering it on a discounted rate once launched. At the same time, users can virtually explore the product and its features. The Indiegogo campaign will be accompanied by various social media activities. 

About Henkel
Henkel operates globally with a well-balanced and diversified portfolio. The company holds leading positions with its three business units in both industrial and consumer businesses thanks to strong brands, innovations and technologies. Henkel Adhesive Technologies is the global leader in the adhesives market – across all industry segments worldwide. In its Laundry & Home Care and Beauty Care businesses, Henkel holds leading positions in many markets and categories around the world. Founded in 1876, Henkel looks back on more than 140 years of success. In 2018, Henkel reported sales of around 20 billion euros and adjusted operating profit of around 3.5 billion euros. Henkel employs more than 53,000 people globally – a passionate and highly diverse team, united by a strong company culture, a common purpose to create sustainable value, and shared values. As a recognized leader in sustainability, Henkel holds top positions in many international indices and rankings. Henkel’s preferred shares are listed in the German stock index DAX. For more information, please visit www.henkel.com

Photo material is available at www.henkel.com/press

Contact	Linda Fischer	Jennifer Ott
Phone	+49 211 797-72 65	+49 211 797-27 56
Email	linda.fischer@henkel.com	jennifer.ott@henkel.com                               	

Henkel AG & Co. KGaA