Clorox CMO on managing through turmoil

Few companies have been whipsawed by the pandemic and the economy quite like Clorox Co.

First the pandemic drove a huge spike in demand for Clorox Wipes and other household and cleaning products, requiring the company to scramble to keep up. Then came the next-year comparisons that were hard to match, combined with big spikes in raw material costs. Lately, the company has been managing through big cost-driven price hikes.

In the midst of all this, Eric Schwartz became chief marketing officer of Clorox earlier this year, moving from being general manager of specialty products and having earlier managed Glad and Brita. He replaced Stacey Grier, who became chief growth and strategy officer.

In this edition of the Marketer’s Brief Podcast, Schwartz talks about making that transition from general management to CMO and how Clorox is managing through all the disruption.

“It’s been a crazy, crazy time,” Schwartz said. “We take it in phases and stay true to our purpose. Sometimes, those purposes are articulated differently, but in general we’re in the business of helping people thrive in their everyday lives.”

The recently adopted “Start Clean” platform for the Clorox master brand is part of that.

“It’s really about elevating cleaning – more than than just the physical act of cleaning and disinfecting – recognizing that those moments are really about fresh starts, and fresh starts can inspire people both physically and emotionally.”

Pretty serious stuff, but Clorox also knows how to have fun, such as its Hidden Valley Ranch brand launching a ranch-themed home décor line and a Ranch on a Branch play off of Elf on the Shelf.

“You certainly have to keep in mind where consumers are,” Schwartz said. “That’s really the secret of being able to have fun with the brands. Of course, some things are serious and some things are fun.”

One thing Clorox is serious about is emphasizing value – something consumers are looking for as price hikes make a major impact on such categories as bleach, cleaners and home storage, Schwartz said.

Also, Clorox like other packaged-goods marketers is getting serious about following its consumers by shifting money to connected TV and relying more on data and analytics, including from the growing offerings of retail media networks.

“It’s an evolution that’s been happening regardless of any change in cookie policy,” Schwartz said. “It’s an evolution that’s been accelerated by the pandemic and all the change in behavior that happened. And it’s an evolution that’s enabled by all of the participants in the ecosystem becoming more data savvy and more measurement savvy.”