Female toiletry manufacturer Yardley is hoping to tap into the expanding market for bath products.
Early next spring, Yardley will introduce a scented bath product line known as Bath Shoppe.
Yardley’s existing bath product lines are Yardley of London and Yardley Classic.
The new line, to be launched simultaneously in Canada and the u.s., includes soaps, talc, hydrating hand cream, bath and shower gel, body powder and bath oil, splash and salts.
Distribution will be through mass merchandisers.
‘Yardley has long been involved and active in the bath care category as well as fragrance,’ says Barb Hyder, general manager of Maybelline Yardley Canada.
(Maybelline acquired the North American marketing rights to Yardley late in 1991.)
‘So we’re just expanding business, and our size and presentation within that area,’ Hyder says.
Hyder, who estimates the Canadian market size to be $266 million-plus, believes the growth has been driven by a trend towards ‘cocooning’ and ‘permissible indulgence.’
Indeed, according to a Gallup Organization poll conducted in the u.s. earlier this year, nearly one-third of the people surveyed bathed rather than showered.
That is almost double the number in 1991.
Hyder says she expects the renewed interest in the bathtub will generate strong sales of Bath Shoppe, adding ‘we view it as a sizeable opportunity.’
Ad support
Yardley will support the launch south of the border with $6 million in tv and print advertising. Support in Canada will be print only.
Hyder declines to reveal her Canadian ad budget, saying only Bath Shoppe ‘will be a leading spender within the bath care category.’
Toronto ad agency MacLaren: Lintas will handle creative. Media placement will be by Initiative Media.
Yardley is in the process of planning monthly ads in English and French magazines such as Canadian Living, Elle Quebec, Styles, Canadian Home, Flare and Chatelaine.
‘We have an aggressive print campaign, so we expect to reach 75% of women aged 25-54,’ Hyder says.
Yardley is also looking into direct marketing through MacLaren: Lintas Direct.
Hyder says she has had preliminary discussions with the agency, but has yet to decide whether direct marketing fits into her plans.
Sampling also will be a component of the launch campaign.
Trial-size containers and sampling packets will be available in stores throughout the year.
‘We think it’s important to generate trial within the category,’ Hyder says.
Brochures
In addition, Yardley will provide brochures, some containing gift certificates, to explain the benefits of each of the products.
The Bath Shoppe line will offer consumers three new fragrances – Essence of Spring, Peach Petals and Champagne Rose.
Hyder notes the new aromas are lighter and fresher than those found in Yardley’s existing bath products.
As far as market share in Canada, tracking companies do not offer data on bath product sales, so Yardley Canada undertook its own awareness study.
The study, conducted earlier this year, asked about 2,000 people, half of them women, if they had bought any products from, or were aware of, a limited number of direct and indirect bath care brand competitors.
Vaseline Intensive Care, made by Chesebrough-Ponds, was top-of-mind, with 95% of the female respondents showing awareness of the brand.
Sixty-four per cent of women were aware of the Yardley brand name; 61% were aware of fa, by Henkel Cosmetic of Germany; 59% were aware of The Body Shop; 50% were aware of Jean Nate by Herdt Charton; and 16% were aware of Vitabath, made by SmithKline Beecham Consumer Brands.
While The Body Shop is a specialty company, Hyder says it is a strong competitor, well-regarded by retailers and consumers alike.
‘That’s one of the points of our launch,’ she says.
‘There’s a lot of activity occurring outside the mass retailer. What we see Yardley doing is bringing in business that is currently in the specialty area.’
