• Adweek , Tuesday, July 15, 2008 9:45 AM

Thanks to social networking on the Internet, people are increasingly going public with alternative uses for familiar products. Preparation H allegedly makes muscles appear more defined by shrinking nearby tissue; Hellman's mayonnaise is purportedly an effective hair conditioner. The question for marketers is whether or not to promote these off-label uses -- and if you do promote them, how not to undermine the products' established strengths.

For several years, a list that details quirky uses for Bounce dryer sheets -- including tying them to belt loops as a bug repellent -- has been the subject of viral e-mails and blog posts. Procter & Gamble, which makes the dryer sheets, was well aware of the phenomenon, but did not acknowledge it. But the more online chatter the company observed about alternative uses, the more the resistance dissipated, says Kash Shaikh, a P&G representative.

But not everyone embraces the innovative uses. "We don't approve or endorse any off-label uses of our products, including Preparation H," says Millicent Brooks, a representative at Prep H parent company, Wyeth Consumer Healthcare.

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