011. Procter & Gamble - Swiffer
Innovative strategy for age-old problems
Procter and Gamble has always known how to clean, but came to Continuum to collaborate on the invention of a totally new technology for cleaning. The resulting Swiffer and Swiffer WetJet have been among the most successful and profitable new products at P&G.
It all started with a simple goal: create a diverse, unique-to-category cleaning tool. Continuum attacked the problem scientifically and from the user’s perspective. Working with P&G’s technical staff, Continuum engineers created a clever testing apparatus that would allow the team to try numerous old and new methods for cleaning a floor. Rapid iteration of ideas uncovered a unique opportunity to improve cleaning by “entraining” dirt in either a mop or a broom or something else that was neither. For users, entrainment meant a simpler, neater way to clean versus sweeping or mopping, which involve pushing dirt (or dirty water) around as much as picking it up. With entrainment, as soon as the cleaning device hits the dirt, it captures it. The concepts included numerous ergonomic features to make the job of cleaning easier for the consumer. All concepts also made use of a modular architecture, which would admittedly require the consumer to assemble the product, but would allow P&G to sell the Swiffer in a box on a shelf in the cleaning products aisle, as opposed to the less prime store space given to fully assembled brooms and mops. 
P&G then took the project in-house, refining the entrainment technology. Early consumer tests were conducted to determine the concept with the greatest potential. Surprisingly, consumers did not prefer one embodiment over another; they saw all concepts as beneficial parts of a whole that is a new way in cleaning. The first product launched, the Swiffer, generated the strongest test market results in P&G’s history of marketing cleaning products. After a successful national rollout, and a profitable expansion into mass merch channels, P&G launched the SwifferWet, and most recently, the SwifferWetJet. Revolutionizing household chores, the Swiffer and Swiffer WetJet give consumers an entirely new way to clean, while the product has enjoyed spectacular success, with first year sales of $200 million. Possibly the best measure of success of all is that Swiffer customers do most of the marketing—through fan websites, blogs and word of mouth. Related Content |