Febreze Launches Destinations Collection

From Staycation to Vacation

Last summer, many people opted for a “staycation” during their vacation time because of high gas prices. If the economy doesn’t turn around by this summer, the trend will most likely continue. Febreze attempts to capitalize on this trend with their new Destinations collection, which launched on February 4th.

The collection comes in three different scents, Hawaiian Aloha, Brazilian Carnival, and Moroccan Bazaar, and promises to provide a “scent getaway” at home. The products come in sprays, candles, and plug-ins, and are sold for between $2.99 and $7.99, much cheaper than a real getaway.

Before the launch, the three scents were extensively tested at Proctor & Gamble’s Consumer Village research facilities. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, there have been many scent trends and fads over the past few decades, and P&G is hoping to inspire a new trend or fad with the new collection.

The launch is being promoted through an online sweepstakes, titled “From Staycation to Vacation Sweepstakes.” The grand prize winner will receive a trip to four to one of the three destinations, as well as $1000 cash to spend. In addition, the ten first prize winners will receive a $1000 home makeover, and over 1500 people will win Febreze coupons.

Will the new Febreze collection create enough vacation ambiance in homes to become a most memorable product for 2009?

Economy affects new product launches and Super Bowl ad recall

When looking at the top 10 launches from the Most Memorable New Product Launch Survey, it’s hard to believe that 69% of consumers Schneider Associates, Mintel and IRI polled could not remember a single new product that was launched in 2008.

The Super Bowl always has the most interesting and talked-about commercials of the year, but are consumers just too preoccupied to recall and act on ads they saw just once during the game? What will it take to cut through the mental clutter and the morass of bad financial news?

A recent Advertising Age Article, “Bad Times Affect Ad Recall for Bowl Sports,” supports the MMNPL’s findings. According to a 12 year Gallup & Robinson study cited in the article, “there is a direct relationship between the confidence people have in the economy and the attention they pay to Super Bowl commercials.” When the economy is bad, recall decreases. While how engaging the commercial is and the quality of the game also matter, the economy does play an important role. When people are worrying about losing their job or their house, they’re not thinking about that funny Bud commercial.

These statistics create massive problems for already struggling advertisers. Some have decided to skip the Super Bowl this year, while others are trying new strategies to break through. According to an interview from Mobile Marketer, more ads will include text message call outs to solve the recall problem and get immediate responses from viewers. This strategy, which was used in 5% of last year’s ads, including an Obama campaign ad, is rumored to be increasing to 10% or 15% this year.

We’ll just have to watch the game this Sunday to see what happens. Companies need to captivate and engage the Super Bowl audience in innovative ways. It takes a lot to motivate consumers in the best of times and far more in the worst of times so it will be fascinating to Monday morning quarterback this important advertising event.

If you had 3 million dollars would you spend it on a Super Bowl Ad?