Clorox Turns Emotions 'Inside Out'

Oakland, Calif. — The Clorox Co. did a literal take on the old saying “Don’t cry over spilled milk,” partnering with “Inside Out” creator Disney/Pixar for a campaign that began last spring.The movie brought individual emotions to life as characters inside the vast and varied landscape of a young girl’s brain, and the campaign – which included TV spots, sweepstakes, social media and in-store activation – aimed to accomplish something similar. Clorox sent parents on a journey through the emotions they experience when their kids make a mess. “We wanted to reach parents in a creative way and during happy moments they are sharing with family,” says Sarah Knox, national shopper marketing manager at Clorox. “‘Inside Out’ explores the emotions that guide us through life. We knew that when families experience mess, there is a wide range of emotion that they can experience. This movie integration is a unique way to reach parents because Clorox wanted to help keep parents from letting the ‘mess-emotion’ get the best of them.”The integrated, nine-month campaign has included two TV spots featuring characters from “Inside Out” and animated by Pixar – one timed to the launch of the movie in mid-June and the other to the start of the cold-and-flu season in early fall. The campaign also included sweepstakes for a family trip to San Francisco (the setting of the movie) and a shopping spree at a Disney store. It was promoted in a SmartSource freestanding insert, which aimed to drive people to stores, Knox says.Elsewhere, she says, “The ‘Inside Out’ characters came to life across Clorox’s social media channels with a custom ‘Pin’ [on Pinterest] featuring the five emotional stages of mess and movie characters. We also sponsored a ‘Which Character Are You?’ quiz on Disney.com. Finally, we worked with parenting influencers to come clean about how they deal with the emotions of mess, as well as [asking about] their favorite Clorox products.”In stores, Clorox rolled out a 5,000-location activation in cleaning aisles in concert with the movie premiere, Knox says. The signage featured characters from the movie and a call to action for the sweepstakes, she says.“Messaging connected ‘Inside Out’ to our brand by tying the emotions from the film to the emotions consumers feel when they have a mess in their home,” Knox says. “The partnership allowed Clorox to align with a cultural phenomenon from a major studio known for family films. By bringing it to life in-store, we were able to make this connection at that critical point-of-sale.”A retailer-specific, mid-June national activation at Sam’s Club featured pallet wraps around Clorox products as well as digital banner ads and a Web page, all of which featured movie characters along with a call to action to buy two Clorox products and then receive a Fandango gift certificate to see the movie, she says.Clorox and Pixar worked with numerous agencies to create various aspects of the campaign, including Ketchum, New York (public relations); AKQA, San Francisco (digital media); UEG, New York (which helped forge the partnership with Disney/Pixar); Critical Mass, Calgary, Alberta (social media and digital); News America Marketing, Chicago, (in-store and FSI executions); The Mars Agency, Southfield, Michigan (Sam’s Club shopper activations); and TPN, Dallas, (shopper marketing and in-store elements).Clorox started the campaign hoping to reach about 200 million consumers – and had already done so as of October – and to see sales lifts in-store and digitally as well as both nationally and at Sam’s Club. Early indications are that the goals have been met, although numbers are still coming in, Knox says.The company also will define the campaign’s success by building affinity and positive association with the brand. “We feel we achieved that by working with a partner that emanates the messages we are trying to convey,” Knox says.

Clorox Turns Emotions 'Inside Out'

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