Is Scotts getting into the ‘lawndry’ business?

With the possible exception of new car smell, perhaps no single scent has been rhapsodized about more than the smell of freshly cut grass (even though scientists say it’s actually your lawn issuing a shriek of despair).

Now Canadians can add that smell to their clothes, courtesy of an unlikely new addition to the detergent aisle: Scotts Canada. The lawn care brand has announced the launch of a new product called “Lawndry Detergent,” which smells like, you guessed it, freshly cut grass.

It’s an unlikely product that is both a clever complement to its core brand and will likely prove irresistible to media outlets. It’s an approach used to great effect last year by Heinz Ketchup with its slow jigsaw puzzle. Scotts and Kraft Heinz share an agency partner in Rethink Canada, which developed the new promotion.

The Lawndry Detergent is a way of keeping Scotts in consumers’ mind (and noses) even as lawn care season is still months away, said Rethink creative director Loretta Lau. “Fresh cut grass scented laundry detergent is a way to keep Scotts top of mind, even during the winter months,” said Lau. “Once we had the idea, the name ‘Lawndry’ wrote itself.”

Rethink worked with The Soap Works, a natural soap company in Toronto, to develop the new scent. Scotts is promoting the product with a social media campaign inviting Canadians to share comments about their love of the smell of freshly cut grass for a chance to win a bottle of the detergent. Rethink also developed a new ad promoting the product, with media by Wavemaker and MSL for community management.

“This has been a long, challenging winter,” said Glenn Martin, director of marketing at Scotts Miracle-Gro Canada. “As the leaders in lawn care, we wanted to inject a bit of summer back into the lives of Canadians craving the scent in a way that’s both playful and natural for the brand.”

And if ever a brand was equipped to do something about those pesky grass stains…

Chris Powell