The inside story of how a cleaning brand
found a new audience.
There was a time, not so long ago, when marketers had a captive audience. We could craft a compelling before-and-after narrative and, with only a
handful of TV channels, consumers had little choice but to sit through our 30-second spots.
Those days are gone. Today’s consumers navigate hundreds of TV
channels, countless streaming platforms, and endless social feeds. They scroll past posts that don’t resonate. They unfollow feeds that don’t interest them.
All of which means we need to reach people where they actually are—and genuinely connect with them. To earn attention in this fragmented, saturated media landscape, brands must
engage people emotionally, not just functionally.
At Jelmar, we’re using segmentation in our marketing efforts to peel back the layers of how people think, act,
and feel about cleaning. That’s what makes segmentation such an essential tool. It’s not about reaching everyone; it’s about finding your people.
This
past year, we commissioned a custom study that looked at attitudes toward the cleaning-product category itself. The study revealed six consumer segments, two of which closely align with our brand:
people who relax when their home is clean, and those who view cleaning as a meaningful, ongoing activity.
From there, we looked at behavior. By mapping six different
cleaning occasions—everything from quick pre-guest tidy-ups to heavy-duty scrubbing—we realized nearly half of all household cleaning moments were relevant to us. That was a breakthrough.
It meant we could evolve from the product people would pull out of their garages for tough jobs [GVD1] into[AS2] an everyday solution woven
into people’s routines.
The final layer was emotional. We expanded our segmentation data and discovered that 97 percent of people feel better when chores are
shared, and 61 percent even feel more attracted to their partner when they pitch in. It turns out that cleaning isn’t just about spotless countertops. It’s also about reducing stress,
building connections, and even sparking a little romance.
What we learned though this research gave us the creative permission to do something fresh and fun. The Love
campaign was born from the intersection of mindset (how people think about cleaning), behavior (when they clean), and emotion (how cleaning makes them feel). The result is a playful,
relationship-driven campaign that uses humor to explore our romantic relationships and to surprise and delight consumers.
We started conversations and built awareness
using TikTok and streaming TV, and we fueled inspiration via Pinterest. We engaged influencers who could really deliver on our message. And we made conversions with retail shopper
marketing.
Jelmar’s products are widely distributed and are well known—you probably already have one of our products, like CLR, under your sink. Now we want
to show up in your everyday routines, not just for the toughest jobs. This campaign was our breakthrough when it comes to reaching new customers and extending our message.
You can extend yours, too. Be curious. Be authentic. Don’t just ask who your customer is. Ask why they choose you—and
how you can keep showing up for them in ways that matter.
Jaci Volles is the chief marketing officer of Jelmar, LLC.
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