A quick and dirty application of IDEO's design thinking methodology to figure out how to make green cleaning products more marketable.

1. Create a Marketing Campaign for:
Green
Cleaning
Products

2. The Problem:
How do we get
people to switch
to green cleaning
products?
Green cleaning products are made with
environmentally-friendly ingredients
and chemicals that preserve human health and
environmental quality
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_cleaning

3. The Method:
1. Peek into some
under-the-sink
cabinets to see
what’s under the
hood
2. Ask 5 open-ended
questions to get a
quick idea of
current thinking

4. The Participants:
Moms Everyone Else
*12 participants selected from friends & family: Not an ideal sample but easily accessible!
Interviews were conducted over email and supplemented with 2 in-home visits.

5. The Findings:
Moms Everyone Else
* There was some cross-over: 1 mom and 4 non-moms used a mix of green cleaning products, but overall findings fell cleanly along these lines

6. The Insights:
Moms
• “Less toxic especially with baby crawling!”
• “An aunt who never smoked or used chemicals told me about vinegar
and water; she’s outlasted her siblings and is healthy at 80”
• “I’m allergic to bleach”
• “Pesticides,VOC’s, warfare chemicals are
more harmful than little bacteria”

7. The Insights:
Everyone Else
• Not effective
• Expensive
• “I don’t know where to begin”
• Products “I grew up with”
• “I have no clue about health effects”
• “I like the heavy-duty products, same psychology as getting an SUV
for the ‘burbs”
• The maid decides what to buy
• MUST SMELL NICE
• “I probably should be concerned. Now that you mention it, I kind of am.”

8. The Framework:
Conventional cleaning go-with-the-flow mentality
Significant event:
(having a baby, allergic reaction, education)
Green cleaning enlightenment
Participants had a go-with-the-flow mentality to cleaning as they were still using
products their mothers used or letting the maid decide.
It took a significant event, like having a baby, for participants to consider and switch
to green cleaning products.

9. The Framework:
Conventional cleaning go-with-the-flow mentality
Barrier to entry: expensive, not
effective, don’t know where to begin
Green cleaning enlightenment
However, even when participants considered green cleaning
products, pre-conceptions exist that prevent the switch.

10. The Principles:
1. Tell me why I should care
2. Prove to me green products are effective
3. Give me a smell I love
4. Give me a competitive price

11. The Concept:
A multifaceted marketing campaign designed to:
• Educate on risks of conventional
products
• Demonstrate effectiveness
• Offer value through promotions

12. The Recommendations:
“Heavy-Duty” Brand Image
• Message effectiveness on packaging
through statistics
• Visual elements connote strength
and power
ROI: high
Scaleability: high

13. The Recommendations:
In-store Demos
• Opportunity to educate
• Demonstrate effectiveness
• Showcase smell
• Offer price promotion
ROI: high
Scaleability: low

14. The Recommendations:
YouTube Video
• Opportunity to educate
• Demonstrate effectiveness and
ease of use
• Can spread from enlightened
people to go-with-the-flow friends
ROI: varies on strength of video
Scaleability: high

15. The Followup:
1. Housekeepers: identify their needs and
design new targeted campaign
2. Prototype branding, video, and in-store
demo to fine-tune and see what works
3. Iterate, check ROI, iterate, check ROI...