Clorox Canada is looking to make disinfecting wipes as ubiquitous as hand sanitizers by emphasizing portability over at-home use.
The CPG is launching pouch-sized Clorox On-The-Go Disinfecting Wipes, with a goal of putting one in every purse and laptop bag this summer. It’s getting the word out with a national awareness campaign, including a heavy shopper element.
Even as vaccination efforts take off and research comes out showing that COVID-19 spreads more through the air than by touching surfaces, Clorox’s brand manager Avish Sood tells strategy that consumers still have a lingering concern and that even simple commutes will look different going forward.
“In a recent Leger survey we participated in, we found out that 62% of those surveyed would be more confident going out if they knew they had a disinfecting wipe or spray with them while on-the-go,” Sood says.
The first thing people will notice is the product name, Sood says. “Our brand has always been attached to home cleaning, so one thing our executive team wanted to call out was that this product was designed with convenience and out-of-the-home disinfecting in mind.”
On pack, the team leaned on iconography to identify areas where consumers might think about disinfection more frequently, such as cars, purses and planes, to amplify that on-the-go message.
Clorox wants to allow for consumers to extend their personal protection bubble to wherever they are, and this is undergirded by trust. With decades of brand equity, Sood says it’s very important that it’s emphasizing its “when it counts, trust Clorox,” messaging.
The wipes category has become much more competitive over the past year, but one thing that remains clear is that Canadians are looking for brands they trust and have familiarity with. “Our brand has a rich history tied to efficacy within cleaning, and for many people that’s reassuring as they deal with something as uncertain as a pandemic,” he says.
According to Sood, the brand thought carefully about the consumer journey of when someone might be considering out of home disinfection, which could be at a number of places they’re either going or thinking of heading to. Based off that, it prioritized shelf blades and grocery cart ads as a way to drive interest.
It has also built out a structured media plan that includes messaging in places such as OOH, social platforms and on Spotify. According to Sood, however, while the traditional shopper experience has evolved, the retail environment is still as important as it’s always been.
Sood says as a result of the last year, many newer consumers who haven’t thought of disinfecting products before are approaching the category with an open mind. According to its insights, around 24% of home cleaning buyers either are new or re-entering the category, so it’s becoming important to keep these users engaged with products designed for them and their busy lives.
He says the ad spend is significantly higher than past efforts, as this product launch is one of the largest it’s had under the Clorox cleaning brand portfolio in recent history.
Mosaic did the shopper marketing, FCB handled the creative and Media Experts the buy.