Choice Hacking: The Marketing Psychology Podcast

How psychology built Febreze into a $1B brand

Episode Summary

Known for creating iconic household names like Tide, Head & Shoulders, and Gillette, P&G literally invented the modern brand. And back in 1996, they were ready to launch what they thought would be another massive brand. It was a technology and product the world had never seen before - A spray that could erase smells. Not cover them up with a stinky perfume, but actually erase them from existence. Leaving a home smelling soft and clean. Like when you open the windows and a fresh breeze blows in. And that’s why they called it Febreze. P&G had high hopes for the rollout and sales were strong… at first. But they noticed that people weren’t coming back to buy another bottle. It was a one and done purchase - a death sentence for any new household cleaning product. To succeed, these products have to be bought again and again - ideally becoming a household staple that made it on the family shopping list. 👉 So P&G’s market research team followed some customers into their homes to do observational research to try and solve the problem... And they discovered something fascinating. Join me today as we examine how Febreze, a simple odor removing spray, went from a failing brand to a massive success - earning the title of 25th billion dollar brand at legendary house of brands Procter and Gamble… all with a bit of marketing psychology and behavioral science.

Episode Notes

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