• by Karl Greenberg , October 3, 2007

Talk-show host Kelly Ripa is starring in Procter & Gamble's campaign for its new concentrated version of Tide, called 2X Ultra Tide, which provides the same number of washes with 22% to 43% less packaging and 44% less water.

Ripa and her actor/husband Mark Consuelos will be featured in two 30-second spots and online ads for the new product. The ads broke on Monday. One of the new ads shows the two hosting a dinner party. A guest makes a boo boo on the white linen, and Ripa invites her guests into the laundry room to watch her demonstrate the wonders of Ultra Tide.

The interactive elements of the push show Ripa touting the product, plus outtakes of the TV ad. Those elements will be on 2xultratide.com.

The company will roll the product into markets regionally, starting in the South and Puerto Rico, and finishing with the Northeast and Canada next spring.

Chicago-based consultancy Mintel, in its March "Sustainability in Products and Packaging," reports that consumers have not significantly modified their buying behavior to favor sustainable packaging because of "a relative absence of major companies ... in a sector where specialists are at the forefront."

The consultancy says that while there is an ongoing development of new, environmentally friendly products across various household products, green packaging remains the domain of so-called "specialist companies" like Ecover in Europe and Seventh Generation in the U.S. Among major companies involved in the sector is Reckitt Benckiser, which repackaged Maison Verte liquid soap in bottles made with less plastic in January.

Refillable packaging has been a focus for Unilever, per Mintel. But the company also launched concentrated liquid refills of Snuggle Blue Splash Fabric Softener in March this year.

Meanwhile, per Mintel's Green Living-U.S.-September 2006 report, "green" has become a mainstream consideration point, particularly with the growing organics and Fairtrade market.

Mintel analyst Karen Kendall says that consumers are thinking about sustainability in their shopping choices more often. "It is definitely becoming a larger concern among consumers. But the large majority aren't aware that they have this option to buy these products," she says.

"What's interesting about 2X Ultra Tide is, yes, they are promoting that it's concentrated and using less packaging, but that's not the main focus. What we are finding is that mainstream brands are taking a more subtle approach to promoting their more environmentally friendly products."

She notes that P&G had announced several months ago it would roll out more concentrated SKUs in smaller packages, and that Arm & Hammer launched an Essentials natural detergent in a concentrated, smaller package in Canada. "The package display had a visual showing that it's concentrated, a smaller package with the same amount of detergent, but not that it's a green package."