Do you have an affinity to your laundry detergent? You might after you read this.
After Hurricane Katrina and the recent California wildfires, Tide dispatched their CleanStart trucks to the scene to help. These mobile laundry facilities provided the families of these disasters with free laundry services when they needed it most.
The CleanStart trucks feature 32 high-efficiency washers and dryers and do up to 300 wash and dry cycles a day, or about 9,000 loads of laundry over a four-week period.
Tide washed more than 20,000 loads of laundry for New Orleans families, half of those loads coming at a critical time at Camp Hope in Metairie, Louisiana.
The people at Tide were so moved by their Katrina experience, they decided to make Loads of Hope permanent.
The company has worked to engage the public, and the Loads of Hope website offers a video journal, a message board, a scrapbook and the option to purchase a limited edition vintage Tide t-shirt to help families affected by disasters.
I’m sure there are a few people in Louisiana and California that have become Tide customers for life. And I know this campaign has driven word of mouth because I’ve been asked if I was going to write about it three times. But has your opinion changed?
Clearly a good move for Tide. It’s this type of proactive thinking and execution that makes the difference. I’m sure there are countless companies who pitched in to help in the aftermath of this, and other, disasters. And that alone counts the most. However, who remembers them? I’m not advocating opportunism here, what I’m saying is that you can do good AND leave a lasting impression.
It is amazing how the actions of an organization speak volumes about their character and business model. Great story!
This ad stopped me dead in my tracks.
I buy Tide now. Always.
The promotions $15.00 vintage Tide t-shirt component appears to be much more self serving than the “loads of hope” truck. Sure they are contributing the proceeds to rebuild homes, but they found a way to get their logo distributed to a humanitarian demographic and capture the consumers contact information. I believe their heart is in the right place…but while they are in the left ventricle they might as well get some business done.
Corporate responsibility or opportunism? A very, very delicate balance. Elements of this campaign are obviously opportunism, whereas others are simply being responsible corporate citizens. I will give them the benefit of the doubt.
Amazing summary pertaining to Tide offers “Loads of Hope” for natural disaster victims. Always enjoy your posts.
One of the Great PR scams of our day — Buy a shirt and P & G turns a charitable position into a profit center, What could be better — P & G gets to feed their own corporate greed and people feel good. BTW, the commercial, which was paid for by donations was filmed in New Orleans years after Katrina, although P & G would like you to feel they were there. So they have done 30000 loads — I wonder what the cost per load is based on the amounts of money they are getting from good hearted citizens, in their new profit center noted as “doing good for the money”.
This is an example of socially responsible marketing at it’s finest.
I would like to see more businesses do this in the future.