P&G will work with the Energy Saving Trust to promote the range, which uses its 'Cool Clean' technology.
However, David Goudge, managing director of The Brand Development Business, claims it will need to commit considerable funding to communicate its benefits, given that, for many consumers, the belief that high temperatures clean more effectively is ingrained.
'P&G is projecting an ideology of keeping temperatures as low as possible, but it remains to be seen how far the message can sustain credibility with consumers,' he says.
P&G counters this argument with figures indicating that Ariel's 'Turn to 30¡' campaign has driven up the number of consumers washing on low-energy programmes by up to five times, and that existing Ariel customers are twice as likely to opt for these cycles as the average consumer.
Roisin Donnelly, corporate marketing director at P&G, says consumer insight is at the heart of the launch, which forms part of its 'Do a good turn' campaign.
'During tough economic times there is an increased focus on creating products that are cheaper for consumers to use,' she adds. 'Running a cycle at a lower temperature should make doing laundry less costly and more eco-friendly.'
However, many washing machines are currently unable to wash at 15¡C, presenting a further challenge for the product, though Donnelly says P&G is committed to working with manufacturers to develop more energy-efficient models.
In the meantime, communicating that cool washes are available on existing machines will play a key part in ensuring the product's success
Detergent by the numbers
- £145m - Ariel sales figures for the year to April 2008
- £8.3m - Ariel total marketing spend on all brands for the year to August 2008
- £205m - Persil sales figures for the year to April 2008
- £ 11.8m - Persil total marketing spend on all brands for the year to August 2008
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