Glad wraps up cutter controversy

Glad Cling Wrap has launched a campaign to celebrate the return of its original packaging design following social media backlash earlier this year.

The campaign #GladEveryday has been designed to tap into the social media that bombarded the brand after it switched the location of the serrated cutter from the base of the box to the lid.

Glad Cling Wrap marketing manager Megan Francis told AdNews the fact that the brand moved the cutter bar back to its original position resulted in a wave of positive sentiment towards Glad, leading to the decision to capitalise on the conversation using the campaign.

“The minute we saw the outpouring of consumer feedback we listened, " said Francis.
“We would have been crazy not to have listened to that, so we've let consumers shape the campaign. It's gold because I feel like I’ve spoken to the consumers one on one.”

Francis said social media and digital are key channels for the brand, comprising close to 50 per cent of its marketing budget. She said that the brand is focused on ensuring it is constantly replying to consumer questions and comments through its social feeds throughout the day.

Glad is now encouraging consumers to share their personal message of gratitude and the things they’re glad for through social media by using the hashtag #gladeverday. Participants will then have the chance to be the beneficiaries of 'Random Acts of Glad', receiving special gifts in response to their tokens of gratitude.

In addition, the campaign will have an experiential component, with two physical activations encouraging people to physically post their messages of glad on the 'Great Wall of Glad' at Westfield Sydney and Westfield Parramatta this week.

“When we communicated to people that we were changing the cutter bar back we saw this massive swing of positive sentiment,” Francis said. “That really sparked it. If a household product like Glad can inspire feelings of gratitude and happiness, we know there are plenty more things in life that are making Australians feel glad everyday.”

The campaign will also include a television commercial, coming out in mid-July, which features real consumers telling the brand how much they disliked the moved cutter bar, but how much they love the brand.

Francis said it marks the first experiential and first unscripted television campaign in the brand's history.

“I'll be honest, it's actually been very scary and very exciting all at the same time, because as a market we wouldn’t have been sitting here 10 years ago talking about the power of social media,” she said.

“Consumers are certainly braver. They'll tell you everything they think – good or bad – but at the same time we've been brave. We've been a great company that has listened to consumers. I don't think consumers really expected a large organisation to listen to them the way we have.”