Dive Brief:
- Procter & Gamble detergent brand Cascade kicked off a new campaign to promote water conservation that encourages consumers to run the dishwasher instead of hand washing, the company revealed in a press release.
- The "Do It Every Night" effort stars celebrity couple Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr. as they try to educate viewers about the water-saving techniques of modern dishwashers while being entertaining at the same time. In a tongue-in-cheek video, the couple use innuendo to highlight their nightly dishwashing ritual.
- The creative, by agency M Booth, calls on consumers to "Rethink the Sink" and includes a landing page that explains how washing dishes by hand is more environmentally friendly. The campaign consists of five videos that will be released on Gellar and Prinze's social media channels, as well as on Cascade's YouTube channel.
Dive Insight:
P&G has been making a broad push to center more of its business around purpose as consumers increasingly demand that brands stand for something beyond products, including social and political issues, including its recent purchase of purpose-driven feminine care brand This Is L. The new Cascade effort has fun with the message by tapping celebrities and having them make the boring act of dishwashing more exciting with romantic and racy undertones while still playing up the environmental and sustainability angle.
The campaign is inspired by data from the World Resources Institute (WRI), which found that residential consumption of water is increasing at a faster rate than every other sector, including agriculture and industry. The campaign also plays up Energy Star data that found that certified dishwashers use less than four gallons per cycle, less than it takes to do dishes in the sink. Additionally, Cascade's in-house research found that the average person spends 15 seconds washing a dish by hand, using half a gallon of water. Running a dishwasher with only eight dishes uses less water.
A number of marketers are looking for ways to support a desire by consumers to do their part in various environmental fights. While Cascade is promoting running the dishwasher over hand washing dishes as a small act that consumers can do to make a difference, the campaign also tries to avoid being heavy-handed through the use of entertaining content.
By using innuendo around its "Do It Every Night" tagline, Cascade's campaign follows Kraft's recent Valentine’s Day effort that sought to turn a mundane suburban dinner into something spicy, aiming to give the target demographic a bit of fun with a practical product.
