Unilever Taps into the Global Festive Cleaning Trend

Consumers around the world are making their homes exceptionally clean for seasonal celebrations, according to Unilever.

No matter where they are or what occasion they’re celebrating, cleaning before festive moments is a key part of preparation worldwide; the number of people doing a “deep” clean globally doubles to one in three (30%) when they know visitors are coming to their home. Another study found that one-third of consumers are focused on making sure their homes are hygienically[1], as well as visibly, clean ahead of receiving visitors.

Preparations for the festive season look different for consumers around the world and Unilever is using its knowledge of its local markets by developing limited-edition fragrances and marketing campaigns that evoke the festive season for consumers in key geographies:

United Kingdom

• In the UK, the Winter Breeze collection, which features an expanding range of brands like Domestos, Comfort and Surf, combines the scents of warm rustic woods, ocean fresh breeze and lavender to reflect UK consumer preference for the clean, fresh smell of Winter.  
• These tailored scents are resonating with consumers with a significant increase in demand for limited-edition cleaning products in the run-up to Christmas[2].
• UK consumers are also more likely to research the most efficacious and festive cleaning products, with online searches for cleaning and hygiene information increasing by 30% in November and December as Christmas approaches[3].

Arabia

• In Arabia, Comfort Royal Amber recalls the traditional scent of Ramadan with vanilla and oriental scents and notes of jasmine, amber and tuberose.
• In the first six weeks from launch, Comfort Royal Amber became the second most-popular laundry concentrate product in the United Arab Emirates, achieving 3% share of the local laundry concentrates market[4].
• In response, Comfort launched a Ramadan Soap Opera series on social media. Collaborating with local influencers, the series reached 100 million views and over 175,000 comments.

China

• Ahead of Chinese New Year in China, it’s traditional for people to clean and decorate their homes to invite luck and happiness for the season ahead.
• In China, Unilever’s laundry brand Omo leveraged the cultural significance of the word “wash” (Xi) in Chinese, which sounds identical to “happiness” in its festive marketing campaigns.
• Using the brand’s red packaging, a color considered lucky in China, Omo launched a successful social and influencer campaign this year titled “Happiness Starts from House Cleaning with Omo,” resulting in an 11% increase in sales from the in-store campaign[5].

Vietnam

• During Tết (Lunar New Year) season in Vietnam this year, Omo, also known as Dirt Is Good, played on the belief that cleaning brings good luck ahead of the new year, with a marketing campaign built around the concept of “Dirt for Hope.”
• The campaign included the launch of a viral music video in 2024, which garnered more than 23 million views between January and February.  
• This campaign resulted in a significant boost in market share, increasing by 1.1% compared to the previous two months[6], highlighting strong brand performance during this festive season.

“More than ever, consumers want to get their homes looking and smelling clean in the lead-up to festive celebrations such as Christmas, Chinese New Year, Ramadan and Diwali when they welcome friends and family into their homes. This reflects a big global trend which is that irrespective of location or seasonal celebration, the desire to do a deep clean in preparation is the same across the world,” said Annemarieke-de Haan, chief marketing officer, Unilever Home Care.

“By creating seasonal ranges that reflect local preferences in terms of fragrance, product design and even packaging, we are able to grow the household cleaning category by tapping into the trend for unmissable limited-edition products and ranges that are celebratory.”

[1] Ipsos I Unilever H&H L&R data report 2023.

[2] NielsenIQ Retail Measurement – Unilever fabric cleaning, fabric conditioners and household cleaning report | UK data 2024

[3] H&H Living Hygiene | Unilever CMI data report 2023.

[4] Nielsen retail audits for KSA & UAE 2024 [contributed +200bps growth to the segment versus the same period in the previous year].

[5] Top stores offtake by key customer report – scan data | 2024 Nielsen data.

[6] OMO Tet post launch | 2024 Nielsen data.