Colgate Palmolive gives virtual meaning to spring cleaning

Users connect their Facebook or Twitter feeds to the Ajax Social Wipes tool, and it automatically rounds up all the pages or profiles they have ‘liked’ or ‘followed’. The Facebook option aggregates all ‘liked’ pages for easy spring cleaning, while on Twitter the tool detects spam, flushing bots from a user’s account.

"Ajax Wipes are all about efficacy and convenience,” said Damian Facciolo, marketing manager, Colgate Palmolive. “Creating a product that delivered these same benefits in the parallel online world we all regularly inhabit, felt fresh and, frankly, like a no-brainer".

VML & GPY&R developed the campaign, and according to Aden Hepburn, managing director at VML Australia, Ajax wanted to find an innovative way to generate awareness for its IRL (in-real-life) Ajax Wipes product.

Hepburn said the idea emerged from the everyday and apropos phenomenon of cluttered Facebook news feeds. “There just seemed to be a very natural fit for Ajax to provide the utility to "clean up" a messy newsfeed and wipe away spam on Twitter.”

The campaign has so far launched in Australia and New Zealand, and the company’s other markets are evaluating the opportunity. Regardless, the website is fully accessible across regions, and Colgate reports there has been global activity within the first 24 hours of launch. 

The FMCG firm plans to promote Ajax Social Wipes extensively across social media and traditional PR channels.