The Febreze that freshens your fabrics now has a new, finer mist

Tag : Fabrics Packaging
Procter & Gamble is giving its Febreze brand more user-friendlypackaging and will attempt to convince consumers the line iseffective at odor-fighting in the home, not just on fabrics, with anew TV, print and online campaign.

Febreze assistant brand manager Ciare Thorn said company researchfound that consumers were already using the product as an airfreshener. The relaunch is part of what P&G calls its "wholehome freshness," she said. "We want consumers to take time to enjoytheir home, the way it smells and how it makes them feel. Thisrestaging of our product is really speaking to that consumerinsight. If consumers are looking to freshen their home, then thisis the product for them."

A 15-second TV spot shows a couple spraying their home with Febrezeand inhaling the mist. Voiceover: "The Febreze that freshens yourfabrics now has a new, finer mist that freshens the air as well.It's the single greatest thing ever to happen in your home."Tagline: "Surround yourself with freshness." Grey Worldwide, NewYork, handles.

P&G has also redesigned the Febreze bottles to be moreuser-friendly. This includes an ergonomic design for less handfatigue, reduced leakage and minimized nozzle sticking and"quacking." Print and in-store displays also support, in additionto an online sweepstakes campaign to win a $2,000 home theatersurround system with Blue-Ray technology.

Leslie Moeller, vp of Booz & Company, Cleveland, Ohio, said thestrategy allows Febreze to branch out into other product categorieswhile growing the overall brand.

"One way to get to the billion-dollar mark is not to just be abrand, but also to stand for benefits and in this case, it's aboutrefreshing and good smelling through freshness. And P&G hastaken that to a lot of categories, from candles to clothes to nowyour room as well," he said.

But whether or not consumers buy into the idea of a fabricfreshener/odor eliminator remains to be seen. "It's a little bit ofa stretch, to be honest with you," Moeller said after watching theFebreze commercial. "But they're a thoughtful company, so theyprobably have good reason to believe it'll happen. It's somethingto watch, I would think."

P&G introduced Febreze in 1996. The brand is on its way tobecoming the company's 25th billion-dollar label after GilletteFusion. Spending for the new campaign was not disclosed. P&Gspent $190 million advertising Febreze last year (excluding online)and $56 million through May of this year, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.