A New Odd Couple: Google, P&G Swap Workers to Spur Innovation†

Wall Street Journal, November 18, 2008 — At Procter & Gamble Co., the corporate culture is so rigid, employees jokingly call themselves "Proctoids." In contrast, Google Inc. staffers are urged to wander the halls on company-provided scooters and brainstorm on public whiteboards.

Now, this odd couple thinks they have something to gain from one another — so they've started swapping employees. So far, about two-dozen staffers from the two companies have spent weeks dipping into each other's staff training programs and sitting in on meetings where business plans get hammered out. The initiative has drawn little notice. Previously, neither company had granted this kind of access to outsiders.

Ads for Respected Brands Hit Racy Sites†

Brandweek, November 4, 2008 — As celebrity slip-ups continue to serve as fodder for a slew of gossip sites and blogs, more mainstream brands are finding their way onto these sites, despite their often-racy content. The big question is whether content of this variety is simply becoming more acceptable for marketers given its popularity, or whether negligent ad networks are placing messages on sites many brands would rather avoid. Both could be the case, said several media executives.

A Way to Save and Still Have Crisp Clothes

New York Times, October 9, 2008 — A new partnership between the retailer Ann Taylor Loft and Procter & Gamble is turning stores into launching pads for two new products, Tide Total Care and Downy Total Care. Both products claim to cut down on dry cleaning bills by helping clothes look new for a longer time.

The store chain is handing out free samples and coupons to customers who buy machine washable clothes, while posters and decals throughout the stores alert customers to the products’ benefits. The retailer has also produced an eight-page magazine, available free in its stores, that provides tips on how to keep clothes looking fresh (hint: they require Tide or Downy Total Care).

“The partnership between Loft and P.& G. is not typical, and we admit that at first we had concerns,”... continue reading

P&G Takes Laundry Brands In New Directions†

Dry Cleaning, Youth-Oriented Products and Tim Gunn Figure in Latest Initiatives

Advertising Age, August 25, 2008 — Procter & Gamble Co.'s Tide is branching into dry cleaning, fashion and more as it looks to innovate in new areas amid an economic downturn and changing consumer demands regarding laundry. Tide has launched a three-store test of a dry cleaner under its brand name in Kansas City, Mo. The test includes construction of a new company-owned store and partnership in two other stores with a local dry cleaner, GreenEarth Cleaning, which uses a dry-cleaning solvent it says is environmentally safer than traditional chemicals.