Meet the Method Men

They suck. That’s Adam Lowry’s verdict on most ‘green’ cleaning products. “They remove the bad ‘actors’, which stifles performance,” says the founder of US company Method Products.

Method, of course, is the exception to the rule. Inc Magazine recently named Method the seventh-fastest growing privately-held company in the US and its range of products has won endorsements from the likes of Brad Pitt, Stella McCartney and Gwyneth Paltrow. Last year’s sales hit $100m and growth in the first quarter of 2012 was 15%.

But with UK sales at just £10m last year, in a household products market dominated by giants such as P&G and Unilever and worth £2.3bn a year [Kantar Worldpanel 52 w/e 27 Nov 2011], how are the method men going to clean up on this side of the Atlantic?

They’re shouting more loudly about what they do, for one. Method, which launched in the US in 2000 with the aim of “taking green into the mainstream” and made its UK debut in 2006, has pioneered new technology - trademarked as Powergreen - that uses non-toxic, biodegradable ingredients derived from the leaves and storks of maize without, it claims, compromising on effectiveness. In March it relaunched its entire UK range - with new bottle shapes, label designs and product information - to make the science behind Method clearer to consumers.

“We’re trying to create a healthy home revolution”

Tim Smith

The relaunch certainly seems to have worked in the States. In the past nine months sales of Method multi-purpose cleaner have grown 57% year-on-year. Bathroom cleaner sales have surged 25% and volumes across the range are now double 2009 levels. Lowry is confident the UK market will see a similar post-launch sales boost. “I’m excited that this will move us further into the mainstream space,” he says.

All this has been backed up with a concerted marketing push. A series of videos, part of a digital marketing campaign, will give consumer advocates of Method “a mechanic to share their passion”, says Tim Smith, general manager for Europe. When the first of these videos was launched in the US earlier in the year, it was a hit on YouTube, with 250,000 views in a week. Launched in the UK on 10 April, the video, with its marching bands, skateboarders and catchy soundtrack (Young Blood by The Naked and Famous) is an attempt to put the feelgood factor into cleaning. Some might argue it will take more than a giant trampolining nose (the main character in the video) to make cleaning anything more than a chore, but Smith says: “Lots of people that clean say it gives them satisfaction. We are trying to create a happy, healthy home revolution.”

“Its success is going to be measured by the number of people coming to our Facebook page and views of the video. Later in the year we’re hoping for sales to increase,” he adds. The relaunch has so far yielded a 30% uplift in sales of Method’s multipurpose sprays. And that’s before the marketing campaign went live, so growth is expected to pick up further, says Smith.

Product innovation offers retailers an “out from the death spiral of promotion selling,” adds Smith. A new toilet cleaner and laundry cleaning system are planned for US launch later in the year while gaps in the UK portfolio will be filled.

Smith and Lowry say this combination of innovation and slick marketing will deliver big returns this year. And green may soon be truly mainstream.