Persil has enlisted eight-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt for the launch of a new detergent range designed to tap into “the growing trend of short-cycle washes”.
The Persil Wonder Wash range, which lands this month across grocery and convenience channels, was “specifically designed for outstanding performance even in a 15-minute cycle”, Persil said.
The six SKU range (rsps: £7-£10) comprises Speed Clean Non-Bio, Odour Defy and Ultra-Care variants in both 31-wash and 55-wash pack formats.
The Speed Clean Non Bio variant was “superior on odour and fragrance, whilst being gentle next to skin”, Persil said. The Odour Defy variant contained “extra odour-fighting agents”, while Ultra Care protected clothing “by maintaining and restoring colours wash after wash”.
The trio all contained “a blend of fast-acting ingredients,” that tackled “everyday grime and malodour compounds in a matter of minutes”, Persil said.
Bolt – dubbed ‘the world’s fastest man’ after breaking the 100m and 200m sprint world records in 2009 – would feature in ‘Fast Just Got Better’, a “multimillion-pound campaign” to promote Persil Wonder Wash from May, brand owner Unilever said.
The former Olympic athlete was set to appear in TV, out-of-home, audio and digital promotional material for Persil, as well as on Usain Bolt-branded PoS in store, it added.
Growth in the popularity of athleisurewear and hybrid working patterns adopted since the pandemic had led to a shift in consumer laundry patterns, Unilever said, with over two thirds (78%) of washing machine owners running a less-than-30-minute cycle at least once a week.
This, coupled with the rise of washing machines with cycle settings as short as 15 minutes, had created the need for “an effective product that can perform even in the shortest cycles, and without leaving a sticky residue”, it added.
“Until now, laundry detergents have not kept pace with changing consumer behaviours,” said Eduardo Campanella, business group president for Unilever’s Home Care division. “By harnessing people’s enthusiasm for short cycles for everyday stains, we’re opening up the potential for a new category of short cycle products within laundry.”
He added: “Not only is this about delivering an unmissably superior laundry experience, but reducing environmental impact by encouraging the use of shorter, energy-saving cycles.
“Using over a century in detergent-development, we’ve overcome a real technical challenge to offer outstanding performance even in the shortest timeframe and the difficult washing conditions of the short cycle.”
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