• by Les Luchter , September 27, 2021

Jelmar, a 54-year-old household products company known for specialized cleaners like Tarn-X, has launched two humorous :15 TV spots for its entry into the all-purpose cleaning category.

The spot for CLR Active Clear, which uses probiotics to clean not bad bacteria in your gut but dirt and grime around the house with ”three-day deep cleaning action,” features “stinky garbage goo” in the form of a man’s head in the bottom of a woman’s garbage can.

Jelmar’s other new cleaner, CLR Everyday Clean, doesn’t have probiotics but “ingredients recognized as a safer alternative to traditional chemicals.” Its spot finds a woman battling household messes in human form like spilled ice cream and a microwave mac and cheese explosion.

“Stepping beyond highlighting the effectiveness and simplicity in using CLR products, this campaign aims to connect emotionally with our audience through the use of humor and real-life scenarios by personifying our household ‘mess nemeses’ and showing frankly how annoying they can be,” Alison Gutterman, Jelmar CEO and president, told Marketing Daily.

Both commercials, from marketing agency 9Rooftops, target women 25-34 and are running on such cable networks as TLC, Food Network, E!, A&E; OTT services like Hulu and Roku; YouTube and other online video platforms, and Facebook.  Jelmar is also running Active Clear and Everyday Clean ads on podcasts like “Unladylike,” “Getting Curious” and “By The Book.”

The commercials are part of an overall campaign called “Fight the Clean Flight,” which Jelmar’s CLR launched in March 2020, with :15 spots also combating anthropomorphized household problems for four of its specialized products: Calcium, Lime, & Rust Remover; Mold & Mildew Clear; Fresh & Clean Garbage Disposal; and CLR Brilliant Bath.