• Brandweek, Friday, March 20, 2009 11:16 AM

An Elaine Wong Q&A with Lisa Partnoy, marketing manager for Clorox Disinfecting Wipes, answers the question left hanging by the brief we ran the other day about Clorox disinfectants being promoted in Macy's window. That would be: "Why?"

"Not only does it fit with Macy's being about home décor and stylish trends, but it gives us the opportunity to showcase the product in a way that's most relevant," says Partnoy, who evidently was no slouch in Marketing Parlance 101. "That was the objective of the partnership with Macy's, to make sure we were driving awareness behind the product."

And that would leave us with mouth agape: "Uh, huh?" Wong's, too, because she keeps pressing Partnoy, who responds: "The Macy's partnership was really about capturing this idea of style in an unexpected place."

Anyway, you've got to hand it to Clorox for getting out of the housewares aisle and trying something different. The gist of the new product, by the way, is that "consumers actually want to have their cleaning products within reach" and the floral and nature-themed designs are fashionable enough to leave on the countertop. Or feature in a display window. Now I'd like to hear from Macy's .

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