A recent Brandweek article, Concentrating on Bleach, piqued my interest. In the article, we learn that Clorox has launched a new campaign to show consumers the many uses for bleach, besides using it to whiten their laundry. New ad spots show that bleach can be used to disinfect cutting boards, baby bottles and other common household items. And how about adding a drop in a vase full of water to help fresh-cut flowers last longer?


Interestingly, Clorox and four creative consultancies worked together to not only create ads, but to develop multi-platform messaging aimed at educating consumers about the product, as well as suggesting multiple uses for it. Ads are directing consumers to a dedicated website: www.Cloroxbleachuses.com for ideas.
Do you remember when Arm & Hammer took this approach for baking soda a few years ago? The brand marketers breathed new life, excitement and growth in their basic commodity product by taking the approach of demonstrating the myriad uses for baking soda. Clorox seems to be co-opting this idea in its new marketing push. It makes me wonder whether Clorox will enjoy the same success that Arm & Hammer had a few years ago. . .or is bleach too different a commodity than baking soda due to its nature as a cleaning chemical?
I find it even more interesting that Clorox has launched another site to let consumers know that its bleach doesn't contain mercury or hurt the environment, contrary to popular belief. www.factsaboutbleach.com. This has to be the company's response to increasing consumer concerns about the environmental impact of using conventional cleaning and disinfecting agents.
It is important to give consumers straight talk on these issues, and probably long overdue, but I wonder whether these initiatives will work since the product in question is bleach.
Another prong in Clorox's new strategy: public service announcements showing the great things bleach is capable of doing. NBA star Grant Hill discussing a bad bout of staph infection and how bleach kills staph, for example. The fungus-killing capability of bleach and how it saved frogs threatened by a fungus.
Questions:
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What do you think of Clorox's new ad campaign to expand usage of its product? Do you think it will work? Why? Why not?
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What will the impact of the "facts about bleach" messaging be? Will it do anything to change public opinion in some quarters about bleach or will it be seen as a ploy by the company to stem the tide against increasingly bad press about chemical cleaners?
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What do you think of the Clorox strategy to show the potentially "life saving" aspects of bleach?
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Will this new positioning and messaging build new sales and confidence in Clorox bleach, or help build the image of all bleach products in general? Will it halt the decline in bleach sales and rebuild the brand?
I'd love to hear from you.