Bounce Raises the (Dryer) Bar

Procter & Gamble is tapping into the power of consumer testimonials to promote one of its newest products: the Bounce Dryer Bar.

The packaged-goods giant is kicking off an effort next month. It consists of a series of print advertorials and Web videos running in Meredith Corp.’s Better Homes and Gardens and Better, a nationally syndicated lifestyle TV show. The goal is to drive trial and usage of Bounce Dryer Bar — which lasts 2-4 months and replaces the need for dryer sheets — via word-of-mouth and consumer recommendations, P&G said. (Bounce Dryer Bar launched last year.)

Holly Resnick and Marni Renison, two of the “It Moms” featured on Better TV, are the stars of the advertorials, which run in the October and November issues of Better Homes and Gardens. Next month’s issue shows the two moms together with their kids, alongside testimonials from actual consumers. The advertorials highlight Bounce Dryer Bar’s time-saving and convenience benefits.

Web videos, also anchored by Resnick and Renison, explain how Bounce can help make consumers’ lives easier. One back-to-school segment, for instance, has the two women offering tips on how to “start the school year off on the right foot.”

Janette Theis, North American brand manager for Bounce, said the effort is part of Bounce’s strategy to drive sales via word-of-mouth and mommy influencer marketing. In June, the fabric-care brand conducted a survey in which 244 Better Homes and Gardens readers were given product samples and asked to provide feedback. Bounce has used the findings to fuel the current ad effort.

“We got some great results about how the Bounce Dryer Bar makes life simpler,” Theis said. Bounce’s marketing, as a whole, is driven in huge part by customer testimonials, particularly women making recommendations to other women, said Theis. Bounce’s current ad campaign, for example, shows Rachel, a real mom from Colorado, talking about her laundry care challenges.

P&G spent $11 million-plus advertising its Bounce Dryer Bar in 2009, and $6.8 million through June of this year, per Kantar Media.