Henkel Ties Online Message with Shelf Screens

Phoenix -- Henkel North America brought digital displays to the center of the laundry aisle to educate shoppers about its new Purex Complete Crystals softener. Henkel launched its latest SKU to the fabric-care category in January, and it began appearing on store shelves in most major grocery stores and mass merchants in February.Stephen Koven, senior brand manager for Henkel, says the product is different from liquid softeners because it's added at the beginning of the wash cycle and it uses crystals to soften the fabric, rather than an oil-based coating. To introduce that innovation and explain it to consumers, Henkel developed a marketing plan with multiple elements designed to educate shoppers about the product. Koven says, "It's a new message for a new product, so it can't just be done in a print ad or a television ad; you really want to have a one-two punch."Television, print and digital components were created to explain how Purex Crystals works in the laundry. Channels included FSIs and digital elements such as banners and social media efforts. Henkel is also considering mobile marketing including QR codes and integrating an iPhone app. Purex.com features the softener, highlighting the benefits of the crystals.Shoppers learn about the product in stores with a digital display that contains a small LCD screen. When shoppers press a button, it initiates a Purex "World of Crystals" commercial. A sticker applied to the front of the display also provides additional static communication about the product."Because it's a new product and a unique message, we want to have that education right in the final moment where shoppers are making their decisions," Koven says.Previous experience and research in rolling out new products played an important role in creating this display and overall campaign, says Koven, who recently launched another product, Purex 3-in-1 laundry sheets."On major campaigns we do post-research to see what moved the needle and how effectively," he says. "We did an extensive analysis of all of the touchpoints we used for that launch, and we've used that research to help guide our decisions in our spending for this one."Through shopper analysis including online research, focus groups and phone surveys, the company learned about the importance of educating consumers about new products, especially its target audience for the softener: people who do lots of laundry and care about freshness; typically moms with kids at home."We found that just showing the product by itself was motivating, but not motivating enough. That's why traditional and online media and the in-store together are so critical with this completely new product," he says.While Koven says the messaging in the in-store display is very similar to the other marketing elements, it was tweaked to fit on the LCD screen and contain specific information that's more relevant at the point of purchase. "Some things would get lost on a 31é2-inch display versus watching on a television at home," he says.Zooka Creative, Sunnyvale, Calif., produced the LCD displays. The product's unique packaging, which was designed by LPK, Cincinnati, also played an important role in the launch, Koven says, because it separates the product from the rest of the crowd on the shelf. "We're the only crystal softener out there, so packaging that doesn't look like anything they've seen before allows it to own a separate place in the consumer's mind."Henkel customized the displays for different retailers based on shelving requirements as well as other individual factors the retailer deems important when signing on to carry the display.While such customization may cost more, the company was fully prepared to make a sizable expenditure to introduce the product. Koven says the crystal softener campaign will be the biggest launch of the year for the company, and that bringing a new innovation to market merits a substantial investment.

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