Unilever launches pink Domestos

The fightback begins on 12 March with the debut of a 30-second TV spot to launch a new fragranced bleach called Pink Power, which comes in a shocking-pink pack to give it stand-out appeal on supermarket shelves.

Lowe created the ad to protect the 75-year-old brand's market-leading status from the likes of SC Johnson's Toilet Duck and Reckitt Benckiser's Harpic by offering more variety in the category.

Its appearance follows last month's publication of Unilever's end-of-year results at which Niall FitzGerald, the outgoing chief executive, blamed Domestos and other brands in the household products sector for the company's poor financial performance.

The new ad, part of a £12 million marketing support package for the brand, features a man living in a shared house who is getting showered and ready for work.

Stunned by the sight of a bottle of Pink Power in the toilet, he loses his footing, grabs the shower curtain and proceeds to destroy the bathroom as he tries to regain his balance. He ends up crashing through the door and tumbling down a flight of stairs.

The ad was created by Liam Butler and Matt Allen and directed by Owen Harris through Hungry Man.

Initiative Media is handling media planning and buying for the campaign, which will run nationally on terrestrial and Sky TV supplemented by print advertising in women's magazines and a six-sheet poster campaign.

"As the category leader, Domestos needs to continue to make bleach relevant to consumers," Chris Pote, Unilever's household category director, said, adding that the new work was "keeping bleach modern".

This article was first published on Campaign