Flower Power - new Palmolive dishwashing liquids - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

Brandweek, June 28, 1999 by Christine Bittar

Colgate--Palmolive is looking early this fall to add froth to the dish detergent category with Ultra Palmolive Spring Sensations, a line of fragrant, aromatherapy-like hand dishwashing liquids to be backed by an estimated $20 million TV campaign via Young & Rubicam, N.Y. In a flat category that has been lacking in innovation, Colgate is betting that the flowery, female-oriented line can grab enough attention--and shelf space--to push its No. 2 brand past Procter & Gamble's long-time leader, Dawn.

In a category that historically has been driven by two key elements, cleaning' ability/grease cutting and hand' mildness, C-P is taking a leaf from the beauty aids segment and adding standout packaging to encourage faster consumption among female consumers who would welcome an indulgence during the tedious task of washing dishes. Colgate-Palmolive was not available for comment.

The line debuts in early fall in in three fragrances: Spring Blossom, Ocean Breeze (an antibacteria formula) and Botanical Blend, each formulated in coordinating colors Visible through the clear bottles, and packaged with matching colored bottle tops and label graphics that communicate the flowery, cool clean ocean and natural scents, respectively. Spring Blossom is pink, Ocean Breeze blue and Botanical Blend violet.

Likely tagged, "It's like spring cleaning for your dishes," Spring Sensations is not intended to leave residual hints of fragrance behind on clean dishes or hands, according to trade sources who have been briefed on the pending launch.

While some industry consultants are concerned that Spring Sensations is gimmicky and will not amount to much more than a passing fad, retailers seem enamored of the line's differentiation and packaging. "This is the nicest line I've seen in the category; it's very appealing and won't be a phase... definitely a top-shelf item," said a retail category manager.

Colgate is hoping the line will make washing dishes appealing enough for consumers to pay a higher price to get the job done, even if they are doing it themselves. Sensations is a concentrated liquid (consumers tend to use more per usage) and is line-priced with C-P's other Ultras, but packaged in smaller bottles of 13 and 25 ozs., making it more costly per use. That should yield an 11% reduction in the purchase cycle, as C-P trade materials state.

To back the launch, Colgate will drop two full-page, dual-coupon, national FSIs on Oct.31 and Dec. 5 to coincide with the TV ads, expected to break early in November. Last year, Colgate spent $10 million on ads for Palmolive Ultra Antibacteria, while P&G put $16 million into supporting Dawn Special Care Dishwashing Liquid, per Competitive Media Reporting.