What if you could wear what you want, when you want, regardless of whether it’s in the closet or in a dirty heap on the floor? An innovative product from Whirlpool and P&G provides a new way to freshen, deodorizes, and de-wrinkle clothes in just 10 minutes. The product is called Swash and units sell for $499. The stylish design cleaner plugs into a standard outlet and uses special Swash pods (a la Tide Pods) to refresh clothes in minutes.
The Swash brand was originally developed by P&G seven years ago for college students who did not feel like doing laundry, but wanted their clothes to smell fresh and look clean. College students weren’t exactly the right target market (not at that price point!) but, the product might be a much better fit for busy professionals and parents.
The product will be available for home use later in 2014. However, in a deal with Delta Sky Clubs, it is now available in airport lounges for busy business travelers. Time to refresh!
Group Activities and Discussion Questions:
- Discuss the problems, and rewards, of co-branding. What are the important considerations for success?
- Poll students: what are their habits for laundry, frequency, costs, convenience, etc.
- Show the Swash product video: http://youtu.be/IRwUQfMJpw8
- View the Web site: swash.com
- Divide students into teams. Have teams select a target market and build a profile for buyers of the product. (Did college students make their list?)
- Have each team develop a promotional campaign, including media choice for advertisements.
Source: Brandchannel.com, Ad Age Daily
