• The Wall Street Journal , Tuesday, September 16, 2008 10:30 AM

Dawn Plus Hand Renewal, Procter & Gamble's newest liquid dish soap, plays up the benefits to the dishwasher's hands, mentioning that it is a dishwashing soap only in the finer print. The positioning puts it squarely on its biggest competitor's turf. Palmolive, made by Colgate-Palmolive, has long touted its mildness on hands.

For years, Palmolive ads featured "Madge the manicurist," who used to stun her clients by telling them their fingertips were soaking in the green soap. P&G, by contrast, has always marketed its soap's cleaning efficacy, but that is changing as it transforms itself into a beauty company.

Television ads for Dawn's new soap, which hit airwaves this week, are designed to resemble a beauty ad, featuring beautiful models in fashionable clothing, close-ups of carefully manicured hands and a fancy, candlelit setting. Though the Dawn Plus Hand Renewal bottle is the same shape as other Dawn products, the fluid is creamy, meant to resemble lotion. A gold band highlights the product's claim to improve hands in five uses.

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