Lisa Mabe, Green Purse PR05.04.20
While Green Purse PR has temporarily suspended any face-to-face shopper research, we did recently conduct some virtual shopper interviews to understand what health-conscious American moms are including in their COVID-19 survival kits, with a focus on cleaning products. Many of these moms consider themselves natural and organic shoppers, but under the current situation, are opting for harsher chemicals to protect their family’s health. Some must-haves in those survival kits most certainly include conventional cleaning products, including Clorox Disinfecting Wipes, Colgate Palmolive Ultra Antibacterial Dishwashing Liquid, Purell Surface Disinfectant and Lysol Disinfectant Spray.
Here’s what moms are telling us:
• “Normally I’m as natural and organic as they come, but I always have some harsh chemicals for serious situations. When it comes to germs and viruses, and now COVID-19, I’m not messing around. I stocked up on disinfectant wipes, spray and sanitizer.”
• “If it does not say it kills germs and viruses, then I’m not buying it. I need to see that specific term.”
• “I’m wiping everything down with Clorox wipes. I have a lot, but I want more. I can’t find anymore anywhere online (Amazon, Target, etc.) and I’m really hoping I won’t have to go physically hunt them down.”
• “I’ve got a whole new procedure now for getting groceries and supplies into the house. Whether I’ve clicked and collected, or received a package from Amazon, I’m spraying or wiping off things outside before bringing them into the house. I’m only using disinfectant that says on the package that it kills germs.”
• “I’m dying to get my hands on some more disinfectant, like Lysol, Clorox and alcohol. It sounds like we’ll need to be staying home for a very long time; I’m starting to get nervous that we’re going to run of our supply soon.”
• “Our survival kit includes gloves (including some small ones for the kids,) masks, hand sanitizer and lots of disinfecting sprays, wipes and soaps. We stocked up for this a while back, and I’m so glad as you can’t even find rubbing alcohol these days.”
• “Survival kit indeed! The type of cleaning products you’re using could literally mean life or death these days.”
• “Naturally, I ordinarily prefer natural or organic, and definitely unscented (I hate synthetic scents!) For this pandemic though, I’m welcoming the real stuff into our household – Clorox bleach, Swiffer wet wipes for the floors, Lysol spray, Clorox wipes and lots of antibacterial soap (Dial,) and hand sanitizer spray and gel for when we’re outside.”
• “In addition to the usual, toilet paper, paper towels, N95 masks, nitrile gloves and cleaners, I stocked up on vitamins, tons of orange juice (I even just bought a juicer,) over the counter medicines (in case anyone gets sick from things other than Coronavirus,) and laundry detergent.”
• “Usually I buy natural cleaning products, brands like Seventh Generation, Method or Better Life, but for this (COVID-19,) no way. I cannot take a chance on my children’s health. I usually have us avoid harsh chemicals, but now that’s all I’m using.”
• “Give me the good stuff – the products that I know will work and actually kill germs. This whole coronavirus outbreak has made me more aware of germs in general now. From now on, I’ll be taking these things way more seriously. Not only now, but all the time, it’s a good idea to wipe off your door handles, wash your hands frequently (like after shaking someone’s hand – maybe we will stop doing that.)”
• “We’ve already made some big changes in how we perceive cleanliness around our home. I think we’ll keep up with these changes, even after the virus is gone. Now that we know a pandemic like this is possible, and has happened, I’ll forever think of germs and viruses differently. I’m wearing the big yellow cleaning gloves to touch things that I would have normally touched with my hands – like taking out the trash or cleaning our bathrooms. I’ll definitely keep a nice stockpile of legit cleaning products at all times now.”
• “I’m checking Amazon every day for more conventional cleaning products, as well as more masks and gloves. I hope the warehouses get more soon.”
• “It seems like everyone really flipped out over toilet paper. I have plenty of that, but the thing I freak out over is having disposable gloves, followed by antibacterial soap and masks.”
• “I’ve went to every single website of the major cleaning companies and none of them seem to sell their own product or offer any kind of waiting list. I’m willing to pay now, in advance, just to get on a waiting list.”
• “I’ve shifted my cleaning philosophy quite a bit since the outbreak of COVID-19. I usually hate the thought of cleaning my kid’s table where they eat, with nasty chemicals, but now I just put on some gloves and wash it down afterwards with water.”
• “I normally use vinegar for most of my household cleaning, but now I’m using Lysol, and I wish I could find more of it.”
• “The natural cleaning products just say things like, cleans dirt and grime, but says nothing about viruses. That’s not good enough, and I see a lot of those still in stock on Amazon; that must mean they don’t work."
PR Guidelines for Household-Cleaning Brands
Nearly every mother (and everyone) is seeking disinfecting cleaning products from well-known, conventional cleaning brands. Even the coveted natural consumers are now on board, or back on board with using harsher chemicals to kill germs and viruses, protecting the health and wellbeing of their families. Here are a few public relations guidelines to consider.
Now is not the time to go silent on your audience. Leading household cleaning brands should be owning the conversation of how to properly sanitize to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. We’ve been monitoring some of the social media and digital marketing platforms of several household-cleaning brands, and was surprised just how little they were communicating to consumers. We suppose they may be hesitant to say much in fear of being perceived as too advantageous – to be seen as though they are leveraging their products sudden demand surge. Even still, cleaning brands have useful information they could and should be sharing, the kind of information moms are currently seeking out online.
The experts in cleaning are in the perfect position to share tips and how-to content. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has done an effective job of communicating how the public should behave in terms of social distancing, washing hands and so forth, we’ve not seen much yet on how to stay safe while accepting packages or grocery deliveries at the front door, or how to clean groceries and supplies effectively before putting them away in your home. People want more guidance and ideas, served up in a useful and entertaining type of way. Consider creating some creative content, like how-to videos leveraging experts in a real home environment to offer guidance for families. For example, create a short, branded video using glitter to show children (and their parents) how easy it is for viruses to spread on objects.
Explain on your website and social media what your brand is doing to address the current shortage of cleaning products on retail shelves. Some consumers are coming to individual cleaning brand’s websites looking to buy products (or perhaps get on a waiting list,) and are surprised that in many cases, they cannot buy directly from the manufacturer. Predicting product availability at the individual store level is super complex, but you could at least explain the process and offer your insight into the best ways to learn once products do become available. Can you have consumers enter their email addresses or phone numbers to get alerts from you on predicted availability of products, plus coronavirus cleaning tips?
About the Author
Lisa Mabe-Konstantopoulos is CEO and Buy-ologist at Green Purse PR. Tel: 202-344-9663; Email: lisa@greenpursepr.com; Website: www.greenpursepr.com
Green Purse PR is here to support you during this pandemic. Let us know if you need any further assistance with understanding the rapidly changing consumer behavior in the cleaning products category during COVID-19.
Here’s what moms are telling us:
• “Normally I’m as natural and organic as they come, but I always have some harsh chemicals for serious situations. When it comes to germs and viruses, and now COVID-19, I’m not messing around. I stocked up on disinfectant wipes, spray and sanitizer.”
• “If it does not say it kills germs and viruses, then I’m not buying it. I need to see that specific term.”
• “I’m wiping everything down with Clorox wipes. I have a lot, but I want more. I can’t find anymore anywhere online (Amazon, Target, etc.) and I’m really hoping I won’t have to go physically hunt them down.”
• “I’ve got a whole new procedure now for getting groceries and supplies into the house. Whether I’ve clicked and collected, or received a package from Amazon, I’m spraying or wiping off things outside before bringing them into the house. I’m only using disinfectant that says on the package that it kills germs.”
• “I’m dying to get my hands on some more disinfectant, like Lysol, Clorox and alcohol. It sounds like we’ll need to be staying home for a very long time; I’m starting to get nervous that we’re going to run of our supply soon.”
• “Our survival kit includes gloves (including some small ones for the kids,) masks, hand sanitizer and lots of disinfecting sprays, wipes and soaps. We stocked up for this a while back, and I’m so glad as you can’t even find rubbing alcohol these days.”
• “Survival kit indeed! The type of cleaning products you’re using could literally mean life or death these days.”
• “Naturally, I ordinarily prefer natural or organic, and definitely unscented (I hate synthetic scents!) For this pandemic though, I’m welcoming the real stuff into our household – Clorox bleach, Swiffer wet wipes for the floors, Lysol spray, Clorox wipes and lots of antibacterial soap (Dial,) and hand sanitizer spray and gel for when we’re outside.”
• “In addition to the usual, toilet paper, paper towels, N95 masks, nitrile gloves and cleaners, I stocked up on vitamins, tons of orange juice (I even just bought a juicer,) over the counter medicines (in case anyone gets sick from things other than Coronavirus,) and laundry detergent.”
• “Usually I buy natural cleaning products, brands like Seventh Generation, Method or Better Life, but for this (COVID-19,) no way. I cannot take a chance on my children’s health. I usually have us avoid harsh chemicals, but now that’s all I’m using.”
• “Give me the good stuff – the products that I know will work and actually kill germs. This whole coronavirus outbreak has made me more aware of germs in general now. From now on, I’ll be taking these things way more seriously. Not only now, but all the time, it’s a good idea to wipe off your door handles, wash your hands frequently (like after shaking someone’s hand – maybe we will stop doing that.)”
• “We’ve already made some big changes in how we perceive cleanliness around our home. I think we’ll keep up with these changes, even after the virus is gone. Now that we know a pandemic like this is possible, and has happened, I’ll forever think of germs and viruses differently. I’m wearing the big yellow cleaning gloves to touch things that I would have normally touched with my hands – like taking out the trash or cleaning our bathrooms. I’ll definitely keep a nice stockpile of legit cleaning products at all times now.”
• “I’m checking Amazon every day for more conventional cleaning products, as well as more masks and gloves. I hope the warehouses get more soon.”
• “It seems like everyone really flipped out over toilet paper. I have plenty of that, but the thing I freak out over is having disposable gloves, followed by antibacterial soap and masks.”
• “I’ve went to every single website of the major cleaning companies and none of them seem to sell their own product or offer any kind of waiting list. I’m willing to pay now, in advance, just to get on a waiting list.”
• “I’ve shifted my cleaning philosophy quite a bit since the outbreak of COVID-19. I usually hate the thought of cleaning my kid’s table where they eat, with nasty chemicals, but now I just put on some gloves and wash it down afterwards with water.”
• “I normally use vinegar for most of my household cleaning, but now I’m using Lysol, and I wish I could find more of it.”
• “The natural cleaning products just say things like, cleans dirt and grime, but says nothing about viruses. That’s not good enough, and I see a lot of those still in stock on Amazon; that must mean they don’t work."
PR Guidelines for Household-Cleaning Brands
Nearly every mother (and everyone) is seeking disinfecting cleaning products from well-known, conventional cleaning brands. Even the coveted natural consumers are now on board, or back on board with using harsher chemicals to kill germs and viruses, protecting the health and wellbeing of their families. Here are a few public relations guidelines to consider.
Now is not the time to go silent on your audience. Leading household cleaning brands should be owning the conversation of how to properly sanitize to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. We’ve been monitoring some of the social media and digital marketing platforms of several household-cleaning brands, and was surprised just how little they were communicating to consumers. We suppose they may be hesitant to say much in fear of being perceived as too advantageous – to be seen as though they are leveraging their products sudden demand surge. Even still, cleaning brands have useful information they could and should be sharing, the kind of information moms are currently seeking out online.
The experts in cleaning are in the perfect position to share tips and how-to content. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has done an effective job of communicating how the public should behave in terms of social distancing, washing hands and so forth, we’ve not seen much yet on how to stay safe while accepting packages or grocery deliveries at the front door, or how to clean groceries and supplies effectively before putting them away in your home. People want more guidance and ideas, served up in a useful and entertaining type of way. Consider creating some creative content, like how-to videos leveraging experts in a real home environment to offer guidance for families. For example, create a short, branded video using glitter to show children (and their parents) how easy it is for viruses to spread on objects.
Explain on your website and social media what your brand is doing to address the current shortage of cleaning products on retail shelves. Some consumers are coming to individual cleaning brand’s websites looking to buy products (or perhaps get on a waiting list,) and are surprised that in many cases, they cannot buy directly from the manufacturer. Predicting product availability at the individual store level is super complex, but you could at least explain the process and offer your insight into the best ways to learn once products do become available. Can you have consumers enter their email addresses or phone numbers to get alerts from you on predicted availability of products, plus coronavirus cleaning tips?
About the Author
Lisa Mabe-Konstantopoulos is CEO and Buy-ologist at Green Purse PR. Tel: 202-344-9663; Email: lisa@greenpursepr.com; Website: www.greenpursepr.com
Green Purse PR is here to support you during this pandemic. Let us know if you need any further assistance with understanding the rapidly changing consumer behavior in the cleaning products category during COVID-19.
