Account moves from MDC Partners’ Capital C
For the foreseeable future, every day will be laundry day for the staff at Taxi.
The Toronto-based agency network has been awarded the creative assignment for Sun Products Canada – makers of laundry products including Sunlight, Snuggle and Surf – following a “rigorous” review that launched in February.
Taxi was one of three agencies shortlisted for the Sun Products assignment, which had been with Capital C since 2009 (the incumbent agency was not among the shortlisted shops).
Todd Allen, director of marketing for Sun Products in Toronto, said that Taxi was selected based on three criteria: It was the appropriate strategic partner based on Sun Products’ business challenges, its reputation for producing what he called “outstanding and breakthrough creative that is grounded in consumer insight” and the chemistry between the two organizations.
“We knew from the first time we met with them that we were like-minded in terms of philosophy and approach,” added Maxine Thomas, vice-president, executive strategic director for Taxi in Toronto. “We felt the chemistry right from the beginning.”
Taxi inherits a client that has set ambitious growth targets in a highly competitive category populated by several leading brands. At the same time, market conditions have produced an unfavourable combination of increased manufacturing costs and price declines – both regular and promotional – for the category.
“The need to ensure that you’re getting high ROI on all of your marketing activities is extremely important in these times,” said Allen. “[Sun Products] was only formed in September 2008, and we have high growth expectations as an agenda, so it’s definitely a tough category.”
Taxi has extensive experience in the packaged goods sector with work on behalf of clients like McCain Foods. However, laundry products represent a new area for the agency.
While Sunlight Laundry is Sun Products’ flagship product, the company is also putting significant marketing dollars behind the re-launched fabric conditioner brand Snuggle, as well as Surf – which it re-introduced as a value brand last year.
The product category tends to lean heavily on TV, but both Allen and Thomas said that Sun Products would actively explore new and emerging media channels.
While brand loyalty is a strong factor in the laundry category, Allen said that consumers also tend to frequently switch between brands based on promotional activity. That requires a combination of a loyalty and a penetration strategy to bring in new customers, with the in-store environment being a “critical” channel, he said.
Standing out, he said, requires differentiated brand positioning and unique product benefits and offerings.
Capital C had worked on the Sunlight brand when it was owned by Unilever and became agency of record for Sun Products in 2009.
“They were a key business partner for us; they were integral in helping us create Sun Products Canada and were key to our success as a company,” said Allen. “It was just time, collectively, to get a fresh perspective.”
Taxi’s first major work for Sun Products is expected in the first quarter of 2012, and will likely be around the Sunlight and Snuggle brands, said Allen.
