Case Study: Febreze Set and Refresh House Parties

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1 Campaign Methods Breck Smith Case Study: Febreze Set and Refresh House Parties Research Febreze started its research first and foremost by generating ideas and developing a new and innovated product. Febreze took into consideration that their new Set & Refresh product is the first of its kind. Febreze knew that customers were unfamiliar with the innovative product and that consumer awareness was the first step in gaining sales. Set and Refresh is the only product of its kind with innovative technology that slowly releases scented oils without the use of plugs or batteries, to provide odor elimination and long-lasting freshness. The clean and modern design of Febreze Set & Refresh allows consumers to accent homes with the contemporary style and authentic fragrances that deliver noticeably longer freshness than the leading placement cones. This is the first innovation in 30 years, since the introduction of the cone. In planning the launch of Febreze Set and Refresh, MSL knew that experiential and word-of-mouth marketing has become an integral part of doing business. Their research shows 70% of marketers believe experiential marketing is very important to their business Brand-sponsored events increase interest in buying a product as much as 14%. Prospects targeted through social connections monetize at a rate 3 to 5 times that of those targeted using traditional marketing techniques.

2 Recommendations from family and friends trump all other consumer touch points when come to influencing purchases, according to ZenithOptimedia. 94% of consumers regularly or occasionally give advice about products or services they purchased. Febreze first researched the appropriate way to introduce the Set & Refresh into the market. Environmental scanning was utilized to understand how the consumer would most affectively be researched. Focused on gathering information about the segmented public, their reactions to the organization, Febreze knew word-of-mouth would the most effective medium. Based on these insights and research, MSL developed a launch strategy to create a trial driving experience to a value conscious target audience and encourage conversation about Set & Refresh and its benefits. The approach was as follows: 1. Partner with the House Party influencer network to seed new Febreze Set & Refresh with key influencer in the value target to dramatically increase product awareness, trial, and purchase intent prior to the July launch. 2. Use the House Party database to generate pre-launch excitement and drive online product reviews. 3. Allow consumers to interact and understand the product in a targeted, benefit-focused environment. A strength of their research was the numerical data found on how to target consumers. A weakness would be the lack of research on which publics to target. An opportunity of the research would be the innovative technology to dominate the market and the threat of someone stealing the idea and making it better.

3 Situation Analysis The situation analysis begins by evaluating the situation and trends in Febreze s markets; customers, companies and competitors are the three elements to be analyzed. Febreze was aware of the fact that no such product has been introduced this far. However they did not look at competitors such as Glade to determine how others introduce new products. Companies such as Bath and Body Works, Glade and Clorox are among its competitors and Febreze did not do a competitive analysis of the competition, they simply assumed they would dominate the market as the technology is new in the market. Febreze s customers are loyal to the brand and have strong brand recognition. Febreze is mainly known for its room sprays and mist, so to come out with a self-releasing fragrance product, they knew it would take free trials for the customers to adopt the technology. Febreze s internal analysis was a bit more effective as they recognized the need for the Set & Refresh, even if the customer did not recognize the need for itself. Within the Febreze Company their profits were high enough that a free trial could be made possible. They could have however contacted stakeholders and business insiders to determine a budget and costs of the campaign before implementing it. Febreze did not identify the opportunity to promote the product within the company. Instead, goals were to get the product to consumers and gain profits as soon as possible. Febreze s external analysis mainly focused on how to most effectively get the product into as many hands as possible and how to get the consumers buzzing about the new product. Febreze determined the fastest way to get people talking was to get the target audience together using the product in a fun and inviting atmosphere. What better way to spur word of mouth buzz

4 and trial than with 6,000 house parties and more than 84,000 hostesses. Febreze knew that their targeted publics most often talk, blog and use social media to get their opinion out. Febreze believed in their product, that the consumers would react positively to the technology. It was a strength that they choose trial and WOM to introduce to the market. A weakness occurred with the lack of budget planning. Febreze sought out the opportunity in which their target audience is very vocal and expressive with their choice of product. The threat would be the external audience as possibly disliking the product. The most effective analysis was that of the targeted publics and least effective was the competitive analysis. Target Publics The publics targeted by Febreze were a major strength for the campaign. Women aged 25-60, middle clas, were mainly targeted throughout America. The promotions were very effective in gaining awareness. Febreze knew that women are mainly in charge of the household and make the majority of purchasing decisions. As the goals were to create buzz marketing, Febreze knew women are most likely to recommend and talk about products purchased. Women make recommendations to family and friends. Stay at home moms were also a main target as they are likely to blog or post on social media about the product. This campaign encouraged the use of social media and online communications to spread information about the Set & Refresh. It was targeted across America, to get it in as many homes as possible. Febreze has strong brand awareness and loyalty, and wanted the product in the hands of loyal customers. Febreze wanted to increase purchase intent and generate product trials, through 6,000 house parties nationwide. A strength in targeting women in the age range they did, is the fact they are likely to share their experience with the product. Women are more likely to make the purchase

5 compared to men. Women love gathering for parties and chatting, so having house parties is a great method to get the women together and talking about the products Febreze offers. No weakness occurred when choosing a target public. An opportunity arose when many women wanted to host a party. The threat is not being able to reach as many targets as possible. Information Research The informational research done by Febreze was limited. They researched the best ways to present the product to the publics, but they lacked on the critical thinking and source evaluation portion. Febreze did not research the most effective ways to promote the product. The message consistency was not taken into consideration. They did not determine effect ways to use color, logo are symbols. They could of researched and implemented a new logo for the campaign to be fresh and bright for the consumers. Febreze weakness was the creativity on how to set their product apart from Glade s newest products. Febreze needed to conduct more research on the competition and evaluate past campaigns. If they would have evaluated what was ineffective and what was effective in competitions campaigns, they would have saved time, money and resources. They missed out on the opportunity to be totally creative with their new product launch. Formal Research The formal research (controlled, objective, and systematic gathering of data) that Febreze did was effective and an overall strength. Febreze identified through environmental scanning, that partnering with a famous personality would boast the media and interest in the house parties. Febreze leveraged TV personality, cook and author Sandra Lee as a spokesperson to provide top tips and recipes for hosting a Fresh Summer Entertaining House Party to House Party

6 hostesses, guests and the media. According to Wikipedia, Lee is known for her "Semi- Homemade" cooking concept, which allegedly involves 70 percent pre-packaged products with 30 percent fresh items. She has released 20 books, some of them New York Times bestsellers.while the House Parties were taking place across the country, Sandra Lee surprised one lucky hostess by attending her party. Las Vegas resident Nannette Melamed and her guests received one-on-one entertaining tips and recipe advice from the TV host, while learning about the benefits of the new Set & Refresh. Febreze knew from past campaigns that soliciting a celebrity would entice media coverage. Sometimes the celebrity even becomes recognized as partnering with the company, for example Jennifer Hudson partnering with Weight Watchers increased brand awareness and increased profits. Febreze built vital relationships and demonstrated tangible, relationship management through their efforts. The strength of the formal research was recognizing a need and executing. Securing Sandra Lee was a vital aspect of the campaign. The weakness was the actual formality of research conducted. Febreze could have looked into acquiring numbers and figures to support the need for a celebrity endorser. An opportunity arose when Sandra Lee is well known across to the female targeted market. A threat is visible because, young people, men and busy women might not know Sandra Lee. Paula Deen is very well known and could be a threat if the competition got her to endorse their product. Problem Statement The problem statement is-- Febreze s Set & Refresh is a new product that the public has never been exposed to.

7 A strength of the problem statement is that of focusing on the consumer. Febreze obviously wants to increase profits, but how they go about achieving the profits speaks volume about the business. They want to increase profits, but at the same time provide something fun and exciting for the consumers at the same time. The objectives used to support the problem statement were: Generate awareness and excitement of the new Febreze Set & Refresh and drive incentive for trial among prime prospects and key influencers Execute 6,000 experiential Febreze Set & Refresh parties nationwide on a single day Reach an audience of 80,000 consumers via in person experience Generate 100,000 product trials Garner 8mm consumer impressions via WOM and online influencer outreach Increase purchase intent by 50% The objectives are specific and measurable. A weakness in these objectives is, they are not time bound. A threat of the problem statement occurs when a competitor has the same problem. It is very important they have a consistent message, and for the problem statement they do. Get the product in the hands of the consumers. Communication Strategies Procter & Gamble s communications strategies were shown through the partnerships they formed for the Febreze Set and Refresh House Parties Campaign. Communicating through multiple channels would promote the product and encourage hostesses and guest for the parties. Through environmental scanning, Febreze knew that without hostesses and guest, the campaign

8 would be irrelevant. The consumers themselves were actually the practitioners. MSL worked with House Party to develop a host offer landing page to present the party opportunity to the target audience. More than 24, 000 consumers applied to be Febreze hostesses. Using a comprehensive screener based on CMK approved criteria; MSL narrowed the group to 6,000 party hostesses. Leading Hostesses received branded s about the party and were encouraged to blog on the Febreze House Party landing page about their upcoming event. More than 6,000 blog posting were contributed by partygoers. Each hostess received a party pack including everything they needed for the party. According to houseparty.com, the party pack included: Febreze Set & Refresh Branded apron, Home Collection Room Spray, Home Collection Flameless Luminaire Starter Kit, 2 Febreze Set & Refresh Starter Kits, Home Collection Scented Reed Diffusers, Home Collection Flameless Luminaire Refills, Sandra Lee and Entertaining Tip Cards, Febreze Home Collection product samples, Febreze Set & Refresh Branded Cocktail Napkins, and Febreze Set & Refresh coupons. Febreze communicated with hostesses openly and encouraged the communication. The strategies were a success but an opportunity MSL missed out on was the social media communication. Facebook would have been a great tool for them to use, perhaps a twitter page to remind hostesses and guests of the upcoming events. A weakness would be promoting the blogs, instead of something consumers had access to. It was very beneficial to send the party packs and s. Media Strategies Febreze did not use media strategies. Chances are you had never heard of this campaign, me either. It was not in the media at all. The only promotion efforts made, were on the House

9 Party website. Febreze was not concerned with how the message would be delivered to consumers. They did not identify the characteristics of the target audience and define the characteristic of the media that would best be used for delivering the message. If Febreze had set up interviews for Lee to promote the parties, more consumers would have been aware the parties were going on. Febreze did have commercials and news ads for the Set & Refresh product, but had nothing on the campaign itself. A media analysis, plan or frame was not utilized making this a huge weakness and threat. The only strength I see in not utilizing the media is because the house parties only occurred on one day, perhaps it would not have been worth the trouble and efforts to secure coverage. A threat for this is nobody knowing the parties are occurring and Glade stealing the idea. The opportunities they missed were huge. If the Food Network or Rachel Ray had picked up coverage and supporting the campaign, exposure would have been greater. They did not actively seek out media coverage. Having the Food Network as a sponsor is another opportunity that would have been beneficial. The relationships that Febreze needed just weren t established, to reap benefits from. Budget No budget was mentioned, but the only incurred costs would be the party packs sent to hostesses and Lee s compensation. The party packs were probably 25 dollars for each, times 6,000 parties. Estimated $150,000 cost. Since no budget or monetary mention was made it is hard to analyze such topic. Not having a budget is a weakness and a threat. It would have been more formal to map out a plan budget for end result calculation. A budget would have been quantitative data that would have helped in the planning stages. Results

10 The results of the campaign were an overall success! On Saturday, June 26, 2010, Febreze held 6,000 Set & Refresh parties nationwide. More than 84,000 hostesses and guest gathered in home to experience the latest product, learn fresh summer entertaining tips and recipes from Lee, and share their own fun recipes and party ideas. Results are as followed: Recruitment resulted in more than 24,000 applicants narrowed down to 6,000 to host Set & Refresh parties across the U.S. on June 26 th Reached an audience of more than 84,000 hosts and guests in a single afternoon Drove more than 160,000 product trials Garnered more than 20 MM consumer impressions Purchase intent from pre and post surveys increased by 57% All objectives were met and surpassed, on a low cost incurring budget. Product trials doubled the goal. The technology was successful introduced and purchases went through the roof. Evaluation The campaign met all goals and objectives making it a victory for Febreze and company. The main strengths for this campaign is that it met all goals on a relatively cost free basis. The consumers themselves hosted the parties and did the work. By cutting expensive advertising costs, Febreze saved millions. The WOM marketing strategy they decided to go with, worked out perfectly for the campaign. Febreze knew heavy advertisements were not needed, and that their targeted publics would work for them. The word-of-mouth advertisement was their main strength.

11 The house parties all happened on one day. All time and energy could be focused to the one day; this made it possible for the largest audience to receive their message at the same time. I believe that they did something creative for their consumers to be involved in and hands on. It promoted talk and brand awareness. A weakness I noticed was the lack of sponsorships and fundraising efforts. Febreze is a for-profit organization so fundraising and sponsorships is limited but a partnership of some sort would have been beneficial. They could have thought outside the box and teamed up with a food company to sponsor snacks at the parties. Having another organization on board would have garnered more publicity and awareness. The final weakness I believed hurt them was not having a Facebook page. If they would have created a page, consumers could have liked it and gave testimonials, and recommended the product and parties to friends. The internet was their only source of communication with hostesses. Febreze might have well as made it on the site with the most users such as Facebook. Social media is free, take advantage of it. Work Cited

12 "Frequently Asked Questions about This Party." House Party Febreze Fresh Summer Entertaining House Party FAQ. Web. 28 Mar < "Product:." Febreze Set & Refresh Scented Oil Air Fresheners. Web. 28 Mar < "Sandra Lee (cook)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Mar Web. 28 Mar <