Ecover has launched a new positioning to drive reappraisal of the brand amongst today’s conscious consumers. Reclaiming its rebellious and pioneering heritage, through the new communications platform ‘Let’s Live Clean’ that will be activated in a challenger brand way across different media channels in the UK.
Nnew communications platform
“Let’s Live Clean” encourages consumers to join Ecover in a movement that isn’t just about cleaning homes, but about cleaning the world. The brand is focusing on the new, broader target - the Conscious Consumer - defined by attitude and mindset rather than socio demographics. Increasing in numbers, they are the consumers who want to make a positive impact, to feel part of a movement that makes a difference and consciously buy into brands that stand for more.
Sara Mendez, European marketing director at Ecover: “Ecover has an incredibly rich heritage of being both an eco-pioneer and a rebel. Founded 39 years ago, we were among the first to put phosphate-free washing powder on the market which were only banned in Europe in 2013. In 2001 we launched the ‘Steal our Formula’ outdoor campaign encouraging the competition to use our ecological formula. The repositioning taps into that history, reintroducing the brand using bold images and our eco beliefs and behaviours in an engaging tone of voice, making Ecover more relevant and appealing to today’s conscious consumer”.
New campaign and bottle
The new campaign kicked off on 20th April Earth Day with a bold, disruptive creative designed to drive awareness. It features a crumpled, old water bottle turning into Ecover’s new 100% recycled and recyclable washing up liquid bottle that has just launched in stores. Demonstrating, in an unexpected way, how Ecover is taking plastic waste and turning it into something useful and beautiful.
The new ad featured in an eye-catching Evening Standard wrap and advertorial on Friday 20th, thanking Londoners for recycling their waste. As well as on London rail digital out of home sites from 20th April in over 400 locations, and a London Underground escalator panel takeover in 18 locations with the ‘crumpled’ bottle turning into the new Ecover washing-up liquid bottle.
The Ecover Rubbish Café
Next Ecover is launching a Rubbish Café to bring Let’s Live Clean to life for press, influencers and consumers. The two-day pop-up café experience with a twist – you can only enter and eat if you ‘pay’ with plastic rubbish. Open to the public from 3rd – 4th May on 25 Long Acre in Convent Garden, the Café will serve a delicious zero-waste menu from eco-chef Tom Hunt and will be kitted out with a stylish upcycled décor inspired by eco-designer Max McMurdo. The two-day pop-up will serve up inspiration and ideas for simple swaps we can all make to reduce, reuse and recycle plastic. Free re-fills of washing-up liquid will also be available.
Victoria Hunt-Taylor, UK head of marketing at Ecover: “We have a strong leadership on plastic, a topic that has gained hugely in traction. Our media strategy was all about bringing that position to life in a challenger brand way. That’s why we kicked off the campaign featuring a plastic water bottle with an Ecover label on the front of the Evening Standard. And why we’re launching a ‘Rubbish’ Café, showing the public the incredible value of putting plastics back into the recycling system”.
Print and out of home
Ecover has also developed a set of brand attitude and belief ads that set out where the brand comes from and what it still stands for today. Creatives such as ‘Natural Born Cleaners’, ‘Rage Against The Washing Machine’ and ‘Join our Clean World Revolution’ detail how Ecover started in 1979 by disrupting the cleaning category and invites consumers to join Ecover today in cleaning the world. Another set of creatives – such as ‘Check Out Our Business End’, ‘What’s Slippery and Doesn’t Suck?’ and ‘What’s Green And Goes On And On?’ – talks about how Ecover does business – as a certified ‘B Corp’, using biodegradable plant based ingredients, and making products in its ecological factory in Belgium.
These creatives will appear in out of home and press from 7th May for 4 weeks. Out of home includes 29 London Underground platform 48 sheets, 8,800 tube panels and London Paper and Paste Channel with 4, 48 and 96 sheets in 50 locations. Press will also include places like the Sunday Times, The Times Magazine, and the Guardian Magazine. These creatives will also be used on social media with a paid campaign targeting conscious consumers that runs from April through to June.
New platform
As part of the brand repositioning, Ecover has relaunched its website – www.ecover.com – that reflects the brand’s new look and feel with more modern lifestyle imagery and engaging tone of voice.
The platform contains rich content about the brand’s mission and beliefs. It dives deeper into the brand’s commitments around plastic, heroing the new 100% recycled plastic washing-up liquid bottle but also Ecover’s ambitions around using only recycled plastic and championing new biodegradable materials. People can also find out where they can refill their Ecover bottles in stores in the UK.
The site features a new timeline showcasing the company’s pioneering history and an in-depth product section for consumers to explore. There are a series of ‘WE ARE ECOVER’ videos that introduce the people behind the brand that will also be amplified on social media. As well as a Let’s Live Clean homepage with the brand’s new manifesto and film.
Agencies
VCCP worked on the communications platform and creatives. Red have led the PR including the Rubbish Café. Wholegrain has helped Ecover relaunch the website platform and Media Bounty have led the social media strategy. Wavemaker recommended and bought the media. Creatives have also been developed in house at Ecover and with a talented group of freelancers.
