Swiffer® “Man up, Clean Up” Campaign “Dusts Off” Age-Old Debate

CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The battle of the sexes over the division of housework has been going on for generations, but the times, and family dynamics, have changed. In fact, the percentage of men who say they do most of the household cleaning has risen from 17 percent in 2006 to 31 percent in 2011¹. Other studies suggest that men have an exaggerated sense of how much they really help around the house, but are sensitive to their role being undervalued². Swiffer^®, pioneer and innovator in the cleaning category, is “dusting off” the debate with “Man Up, Clean Up,” a campaign that asks men and women to talk about what’s really happening in households today and celebrates men who are already doing their fair share.

“Whether at home or in the shop, I always do my share. And if it makes my soon-to-be wife happy, and there are tools like Swiffer that make it that much easier, I’m all for it. After all, if she’s happy, I’m happy. That’s really how it works!”

The new “Man Up, Clean Up” tab on Swiffer’s Facebook page, which asks men who clean to proudly identify themselves and share their stories of why it’s “worth it” to help out with the housework, is the cornerstone of the campaign. For those men who have not yet gotten the memo, Swiffer will show them how easy it is to help with the household clean up with fun and light-hearted “How To” videos, compelling info-graphics and “Man Up, Clean Up” e-cards that men and women can pass along.

“Swiffer is proud to be launching the ‘Man Up, Clean Up’ campaign to celebrate men nationwide that already do their fair share around the house and provide encouragement for those men who could do a bit more to help out,” said Scott Beal, Swiffer Brand Manager, Procter & Gamble. “Men and women alike will be encouraged to jump into the conversation, both online and at live events, and share personal stories and opinions about who’s really cleaning up and doing the heavy lifting around the home.”

Swiffer kicked off the “Man Up, Clean Up” campaign in an unexpected location with an unexpected spokesperson. The brand teamed up with Rick Harrison of History’s “Pawn Stars” - TV’s biggest cable hit - at the Las Vegas BikeFest (September 27-30) to talk to real consumers about the age-old cleaning debate. Swiffer chose Rick Harrison to help initiate the cleaning conversation with event attendees because he embodies the “Man Up, Clean Up” philosophy that even the manliest of tough guys do their share around the house to help out their loved ones.

“I’m excited to be partnering with Swiffer to encourage men to ‘Man Up, Clean Up,’” said Harrison. “Whether at home or in the shop, I always do my share. And if it makes my soon-to-be wife happy, and there are tools like Swiffer that make it that much easier, I’m all for it. After all, if she’s happy, I’m happy. That’s really how it works!”

Styled in a man-cave-esque fashion, the Swiffer booth at Las Vegas BikeFest offered attendees the chance to participate in a series of “Man Up, Clean Up” challenges – ranging from physical tests of strength (push-ups, pull ups and clutch-ups) to cleaning chores around the house (dusting and floor cleaning challenges) – for the chance to win exciting prizes. Many of the men on-site opted for the “Clean Up” challenges, passing the test with flying colors thanks to Swiffer!

Swiffer is the perfect line of cleaning tools for every family because the products are built smarter than traditional cleaning tools, revolutionizing the way people clean. Swiffer products clean virtually every surface of your home with sweeping, mopping and dusting solutions that produce consistent results you can count on – no matter who’s behind the handle.

In addition to the many traditional cleaning and household chores Swiffer products can tackle, every guy can find unique uses that speak to his personal needs, such as: keeping his man-cave floor looking as shiny as a professional basketball court, dusting off his high school football trophies when friends come by to talk about the “good old days” and ensuring the flat screen TV is dust-free for the big game.

Products in the Swiffer line-up that offer a deep clean to pass even the closest of inspections include:

Swiffer^® 360° Dusters: Feature Dust-Lock™ Adhesive technology that combines textured dusting strips with thousands of dust locking fibers to clean better than a feather duster, even in tight places
Swiffer^® WetJet^® Extra Power Pad: Has the scrubbing power of Mr. Clean^® Magic Eraser^® and powers through up to two times more dried-on dirt and grime with less effort than a mop and bucket
Swiffer^® Sweeper: Allows you to sweep and mop with one simple tool using two types of cleaning cloths (wet & dry), and with Swiffer Sweeper’s 360° swivel head, you can get into hard-to-reach places, such as under the refrigerator, on the ceiling and even in corners and edges where brooms and mops can’t always go
Swiffer^® SweeperVac: Combines the popular Swiffer Dry Cloth with the power of a cordless, rechargeable vacuum cleaner to clean up dirt and crumbs and sweep away pet hair

For more information on “Man Up, Clean Up,” please visit https://apps.facebook.com/manupcleanup. For additional detail on the full Swiffer family of products, please visit www.swiffer.com.

About Procter & Gamble

P&G serves approximately 4.6 billion people around the world with its brands. The Company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Fairy®, Gain®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, Braun®, Fusion®, Ace®, Febreze®, Ambi Pur®, SK-II®, and Vicks®. The P&G community includes operations in approximately 75 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

¹ Mintel Inspire, June 2011

² eMarketer Report, September 2012