THE CLOROX COMPANY
Region: US
People: Lori Yuhas
Services: Research, Creativity & Innovation: Innovation Pipeline
COMPANY PROFILE
Clorox is a leading worldwide manufacturer and marketer of consumer and professional products. The company’s global portfolio is made up of diverse brands sold in more than 100 countries in nearly every region of the world, and includes category leaders like Clorox (bleach & cleaners), Glad, Hidden Valley, Fresh Step and Brita.
CHALLENGE
As Clorox’s Home Cleaning Division enjoyed the market dominance of its premium-priced Clorox Bleach lineup, and rode the double-digit success (+ volume, + revenue) of its Tilex Shower Cleaner, the division’s leadership wanted to maintain momentum by creating a pipeline of new products to fuel the next wave of business growth.
APPROACH
To maximize the process’s potential, Marquee Brand Builder’s now CEO, Lori Yuhas, introduced a new approach to innovation that leveraged multidisciplinary skills and expertise, as well as the experienced and knowledgeable voices of Clorox’s customers.
SOLUTION
The initiative was a colossal exercise in group problem solving. To kick things off, Lori had a multi-disciplinary team visit consumers in homes across America, conducting observational interviews (ethnographies). Learnings were coalesced and refined via focus groups, and then the team launched into a multi-day brainstorming & ideation process to generate new product ideas. Lori then led a smaller team through the writing of 30 new product concepts, placed into BASES quantitative testing.
RESULTS
Six of the concepts placed in the top 96th percentile of all home cleaning products ever tested (including concepts placed by other home cleaning companies), setting the foundation for Home Cleaning’s Innovation Pipeline. Clorox brand teams subsequently brought these new products to life, generating sustained, double-digit growth for the Home Cleaning Division over a 10-year period. Perhaps you’ve used some of these new products, including: Clorox Anywhere Spray, Clorox Bleach Pen, S.O.S. Clean ‘n Toss and Clorox Green Works.
