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Wisk bottle color breaks the mold

Wisk bottle color breaks the mold Unilever selected pearlized blue color for liquid detergent bottles by working closely with its color supplier and blow molders.

Unilever selected a translucent pearlescent blue color to set off its Wisk detergent from the competition.
Unilever selected a translucent pearlescent blue color to set off its Wisk detergent from the competition.

Reds, oranges, and yellows are the dominant colors in the liquid laundry detergent aisle of just about any supermarket in the United States. Until about a year ago, Wisk from Unilever Home and Personal Care North America was no exception with its red bottles.

To improve the shelf appeal of Wisk, the Greenwich, CT-based company wanted to use its bottle color to differentiate its product at point of purchase. To reposition Wisk as a premium brand, Unilever went to the opposite end of the color spectrum, selecting a translucent, pearlescent blue from Ampacet Corp. for its complete line of bottles.

To make each type of laundry detergent stand out further, Wisk adopted cap colors for each type of formula. Injection-molded in polypropylene by Precise Technology, the caps are pink for wrinkle reducer, white for color-safe bleaching, blue for stain-resolving, purple for high-efficiency formula, and green for sport action.

The selection of blue for the bottle color also took into account the nation’s emotional state. Although the reds to yellow are colors of stimulation and designed to catch the eye, in times of unrest, consumers gravitate toward calmer, soothing colors like blue, says Linda Carroll, market development manager at Ampacet. And blue colors can also be eye-catching, she says, when they present elements of tactility and texture as the new Wisk bottle does.

“During times of societal and economic volatility, people return to grounded color values that imply strength and safety,” she adds. “Not only does blue provide these qualities, but this package in particular gives the added dimension of tactility and interest that consumers desire.”

The challenge for Unilever was to deliver all these advantages without raising production costs. After all, the color and special effects used for this container do cost more per pound than other colors. However, by working closely with its suppliers, Unilever actually reduced overall bottle cost by using the costly color only in the outer layer of the three-layer bottle.

Quick process to change

Unilever approached Ampacet, a leader in color and additive masterbatches, to produce the unique packaging color with a focus on keeping costs down. The product’s brand manager, assistant brand manager, and creative package design manager all met with experts from Ampacet and with EMD Chemicals, a supplier of special-effect pigments.

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