Henkel Refreshes Purex Fabric Softener

Tag : Fabric Is
In a move to better align its fabric softener and detergent scents,Henkel will relaunch the Purex line in September.

The current lineup consists of four fabric softeners: MountainBreeze, Fresh Scent with Renuzit, Sensitive Skin and RainflowerMist. The last will be replaced by Sweet Lavender and Cotton, ascent that has a large following among Hispanic households.According to research conducted by Purex, Hispanic households arethe largest (72%) purchasers of fabric softener.

The other three softeners will be rebranded with new packagingthat's more "relaxing and soothing," and easy to read, said JeffHuffman, senior brand manager for laundry care at Purex. Twoothers, with natural fragrance extracts and a biodegradableformula, round out the rollout.

The Purex line will hit stores Sept. 29, and Henkel, thebrand’s parent company, is getting the word out via acombination of print, Internet, freestanding inserts and in-storemarketing. Additionally, the labeling on the back of all Purexdetergents and fabric softeners will contain a complementary scentchart.

Unlike Procter & Gamble and other packaged goods companies,Purex does not market its detergents and fabric softeners underdifferent brands. Therefore, the need to create scents that gotogether well was a pressing one, Huffman said.

"One thing we heard a lot from our customers was: 'How do youbetter link your detergents and fabric softeners?'" he said.

The effort is a continuation of Purex's "Totally Honest" campaign,which allowed users to judge its products. Purex will be offeringfree samples of the softener in upcoming issues of Parents, Good Housekeeping and other family-oriented national magazines. Energy BBDO,Chicago, handles.

Huffman did not reveal spending, but said it's up 50% compared tothe initial Purex fabric softener launch in 2005. Henkel spent$150,000 advertising the Purex line in 2007 and $100,000 throughMay (excluding online), per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.