Unilever wants you to wash the stains that are mostly invisible
innovation boss for the homecare unit of Unilever Plc.
It's a cocktail of emissions that's mostly invisible, meaning that even when clothes aren't stained they may not be clean, he said, speaking at a lab in Northern England.
Consumers are increasingly keen to tackle such soiling, Rutherford added, using daily, quick 15- to 30-minute washing machine cycles. And in a bid to cash in on the trend, Unilever has developed a new detergent, which the Anglo-Dutch consumer giant says rinses out more quickly than normal formulations.
With an ad campaign fronted by Usain Bolt, the world's fastest man, Persil Wonder Wash, which is slightly more expensive per load than regular detergent, has 35 patents pending and is a major test for new chief executive officer Hein Schumacher's growth strategy.
Announced in October with hopes of turning back market share losses, the plan includes focusing on innovation and the growth of Unilever's biggest brands — including Persil, known as Omo and Skip in other markets — which generate more than ₹4 billion ($4.3 billion) in annual sales.
«We looked at this and we said, oh my God, this is one of the biggest markets we have in the world,» said Eduardo Campanella, president of Unilever's home care division. He said the three Wonder Wash variants, which are very pungent compared to standard detergents, are intended to be an additional product to buy rather than replace regular Persil.
Speaking in Port Sunlight, south of Liverpool, where William Lever built housing for his soap factory workers
