In a bow to consumers’ new-found thrifty behavior, fabric care manufacturers are appealing to the value-conscious by positioning some of their brands as substitutes for dry-cleaning, or as ‘fabric protectors’ that extend the life of a garment.
In March 2009, Woolite launched an online manual – “Find the Look, Keep the Look” – with style advice from Stacy London, fashion guru on the popular “What Not to Wear” TV show. The manual also dispenses tips on how to care for your new clothes for maximum wear-ability.
At a price 60% higher than traditional Tide, P&G’s Tide Total Care uses an anti-aging strategy borrowed from that of its Olay skin care brand, promising to preserve clothing’s integrity and helping to “reveal the 7 signs of beautiful clothes…including softness, shape and finish.” Wall Street Journal, 3/11/09.
The anti-aging, clothes-preserving message is a way to justify having a premium price point, and is also a way to differentiate a laundry product from similar products, by touting a value-added message: our product doesn’t just “clean your clothes”; it makes them last longer, thus saving you money in the long run.
This strategy also taps into our emotional connection with clothing, especially pieces we are particularly fond of — and the impact we feel when they’re damaged by improper laundering.
To further strengthen their products’ fashion-conscious ties, “Woolite has teamed with 10 independent apparel boutiques across the U.S, that will feature a print version of its fabric-care manual in their stores”. Meanwhile, Tide Total Care has formed partnerships with The Limited and Ann Taylor Loft stores, which will feature the product prominently as the product of choice to care for the apparel chains’ fashions.
Is this the beginning of a new era of cross-branding? How will this new positioning statement influence fragrance trends for the category? Stay tuned to see how this trend shapes the fabric care market…
Fragrance Insights 
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