Dive Brief:

• Cleaning products brand Clorox today launches a new brand platform which emphasizes the importance of a clean space, both for physical and mental wellness, per information shared with Marketing Dive.
• “Start Clean” is the brand’s largest platform overhaul since 2017 and utilizes a minimalist aesthetic and straight-forward message. It will act as a throughline across various campaigns and channels including out-of-home (OOH) placements, TV spots and on social media.
• The new platform — spearheaded by agencies FCB Chicago, Optimum Media Direction and Ketchum — arrives at the start of cold and flu season and the new school year. The pivot comes as Clorox’s stock price takes a hit likely due to cleaning habits returning to pre-Covid norms.

Dive Insight:

Clorox’s overhaul comes as mental health and wellness takes center stage in an emerging post-pandemic market. Recent consumer research by the brand found that 82% of Americans believe cleanliness is required for a clear head and 68% believe it’s needed for a fresh outlook. As such, the brand is directing its focus to positioning itself as a lifestyle asset, with platform-native content designed to relay that positioning through the use of influencers like housekeeping-focused creator Vanesa Amaro, among others, talking about their “Start Clean” moments on TikTok. 

Clorox’s refreshed messaging will also be featured in all of the brand’s TV spots, along with direct and programmatic digital OOH placements in high-traffic locations such as ride shares, airports, retail screens and office buildings. Paid media is being handled by Optimum Media Direction and communications by Ketchum, with creative led by FCB Chicago.

Clorox was one of the brands that saw major gains during the COVID-19 pandemic as consumers scrambled to sanitize their homes. The dramatic rush for cleaning products prompted the company to utilize contract manufacturers for approximately half of its orders. However in 2022, the company began to shed many of these costly suppliers and by July of 2021, Clorox stock fell by approximately 25% from its pandemic peak one year prior. Consumer loyalty to the brand has also slipped, with Clorox falling 41 spots on this year’s Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Leaders List, from 37 in 2021 to 78 in 2022.

Clorox is not the only brand to reposition itself amid the continuing return-to-normal push. Brands such as Coca-Cola and Baskin-Robbins have all unveiled brand refreshes in an attempt to stay relevant as COVID-19 becomes endemic.