Meridian Success Story: 5

GLAD Plastic Products, formerly a unit of Union Carbide Corporation, now part of The Clorox Company

A 5 Year Decline in GLAD Brand Market Share in the 1980s Was Halted by Rebuilding GLAD Brand Presence Among Consumers and Introducing Unusually Innovative New Products

Within 3 Years, the Previously-Declining GLAD Brand Share Had Grown from 34% to 38% in a Newly-Expanding $1 Billion Market

• Client Issues:
  

1. Inroads by Private Labels and Generics: PL and generic products had been gradually but steadily eroding GLAD brand volume
2. Even the Long-Time #2 Brand, Hefty, Was Gaining on GLAD: While GLAD was still the leading category brand by market share, it faced the near-term prospect of losing its industry-leading position
3. Increased Trade Promotion: A past client focus on trade promotion (“push” marketing) and away from consumer-directed activities (“pull’ marketing) had paved the way for growth of competitors

• Actions Taken by Our Consulting Team:
  

1. New R&D Procedures for Testing Product Durability: A collaboration between our Consulting Team and the GLAD R&D group resulted in an important adjustment to standard testing procedures for identifying relative strength of GLAD vs. competitive trash bags, an adjustment which better reflected GLAD superiority
2. Gained “Tough to Get” Legal Approval for Dramatic New TV Advertising Campaign: Consulting Team developed a new national advertising campaign featuring breakthrough “coke bottle” comparative puncture visual of GLAD vs. competitive trash bags, and a first-ever, legally sanctioned, on-camera “break” of a full competitive trash bag. GLAD Division Management committed $25 million to ad campaign in Year 1
3. New Trash Bag Package Graphics Emphasizing Product Strength: With objectives developed by Consulting Team and execution overseen by Consulting Team and the GLAD Marketing Group, new packaging graphics and consumer promotion strategies focusing on product strength were launched
4. Innovative Promotion of New GLAD Trash Bag that was Developed From Latest Production Technology: New production technology developed by the GLAD R&D / Engineering / Production Group led to launch of GLAD 3-ply trash bags, innovatively promoted in TV and print media by our Team
5. Launch of New Food Storage Bag, GLAD-LOCK: Market Launch Plan prepared by Consulting Team was used to guide both client R&D development and launch of the competitively superior, interlocking-closure food storage line from GLAD. Our Team also suggested the original name for this product: GLAD-LOCK

• Results:
  

1. GLAD Brand Image Improves: Above actions moved image of the GLAD brand among target consumers from fuzzy and non-specific to one of product strength and durability
   1. Strength Demonstration Resonates with Consumers: Testing confirmed the new TV campaign demonstrated relative strength of GLAD trash bags to target consumers in a particularly meaningful, positive way
   2. Highest Day-After-Recall Score in Brand’s History: In fact, the initial campaign TV commercial received the highest Burke DAR (Day-After-Recall) score in history of the GLAD brand and of Burke testing in the plastic wrap and bag category
2. GLAD Grows Market Share: GLAD share of the $1 billion plastic wrap and bag market had steadily fallen to a historic low of 34% prior to initiation of above actions. Within 3 years of our work:
   1. GLAD share improved to better than 38%,
   2. GLAD revenues and unit sales also benefited from an expanding market, and
   3. Progress of competitors had been stifled
3. Our Brand Positioning Reinstated 15 Years Later Under New Brand Ownership! The national advertising concept for GLAD trash bags, developed by our Consulting Team in the mid-1980s, was reinstated and expanded on purchase of the GLAD franchise by The Clorox Company in 1999. Our original positioning continued to provide a competitive advantage for the GLAD brand 15 years later!