​Challenge:
Febreze Canada had great loyalty but the the Fabric Refresher penetration and volume were declining. Consumers didn't believe odours lived in fabric and therefore didn't see a need for the product.  Some believed Febreze just covered up bad smells, rather than eliminating them. It was clear that a campaign based on a strong insight is needed.



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Solution:

We were looking for an opportunity to tie all the Febreze products together. Consumer research was commissioned and we were practically living with consumers hearing that people wanted a comfortable environment, and that meant finding "natural" air-freshening solutions. An idea kept surfacing in our minds about Canadian winter in specific and what do you do when it's 30 below?



The open window refrain kept cropping up. That led to positioning Febreze as the less chilling winter alternative to opening the window. To catch the attention of harried shoppers, an eye-catching campaign was mounted that made the end game really clear. "Let in the 'breeze," with its wintry window imagery, positioned the benefits in a whimsical way that was unusual for the category, and earned share of voice leadership for P&G. At retail, the program also earned exponential display and support.

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With minimalist copy that read: "Freshen up without covering up," the simple graphic of a frosted window had great stopping power in OOH placements across Toronto and national reach via online and in print, while full-pallet displays at retail clinched the deal with free trial coupons.


The agency along with Starcom Canada proposed a collaboration with Canadian House and Home as well . The amended strategy played on the need of consumers to freshen their home in winter both by air fresheners and also through simple fresh decor ideas.

​We created a tent in Wintercity at City Hall and invited consumers to come in and experience latest decor tips from Canadian House and Home but most importantly smell how fresh the tent was by using Febreze products in its many forms. The activation was coupled with a promotion in the Canadian House and Home magazine in a special insert. One lucky consumer won the following:

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• Airfare for two to Toronto from anywhere in Canada
• Two nights accommodation at a luxury hotel in the city center
• A one-on-one private decorating consultation with leading Canadian stylist Sabrina Linn
• A tour of the Canadian House & Home magazine office and lunch with Mark Challen, Vice-President Communications
• A shopping trip to Toronto's hottest decorating destinations
• $500 spending money
• Value $4000

​Results:
Febreze has gone from last-to-market, third-place standing in Canada to hit top notch sales in the air-care business in Q1 '08. This was the second year that the Febreze Canadian business is the growth leader globally and for P&G Canada, and it's the only market globally that is growing household penetration on the Fabric Refresher side. We achieved number one status in April 2008 in Canada in this category, the only country where we've got number one status.