Rock On... Tide Pods

Something that caught my eye as I was browsing the Internet, looking for inspiration to post on this blog, was a laundry product called Tide Pods from Proctor & Gamble (P&G). From what I've read, these Pods were expected to be released in September 2011, but was delayed to just this past month before being delayed again to later this month. But I'm getting slightly ahead of myself.

Pods, as the name implies, are little detergent tabs which also contains stain remover and brightener for a 3-in-1 washing machine clean. According to the company's product press release, these Pods have delivered a 97% customer satisfaction rate for cleaning clothes in excellent condition compared to the standard 68%. Pods are claimed to be "customer-inspired" and "technology-driven," as well as an American take on the rise and popularity of liquid detergent packets in Western Europe. Each Pod is measured to handle a medium-sized load of laundry, and I read somewhere a pack of 57 goes for $15.99.

Personally, I like this new/forthcoming product by Tide. I don't have to worry about measuring, nor if I added a right amount of detergent. They also come in three different scents that all smell enticing (spring meadow, ocean mist, mystic forest). And even though I'm one to wash my darks, lights, and whites separately, my doing so once a week, even with separate Pods, would deliver clean clothes for nearly five months with a pack of 57. Now that, to me, is $15.99 well spent.

And yet, I'm skeptical about it's longevity. Certainly, detergent packets look to be the way of the future for laundry, but previous attempts in the U.S. have failed to materialize, namely because past models couldn't dissolve fully in the wash. The big innovation in laundry the past few years has not been liquid tabs, but those Purex 3-in-1 sheets. Also suspicious, especially considering these Pods have had a $150,000,000(!) marketing budget, is that this product has been delayed not once, but twice. Now unless the people at Tide are hoping for a spring/summer smash hit when all those pesky stains just happen to pop up, multiple product delays usually mean there's something wrong in it's function, whatever it may be. Not only does it cost the company time and money, they're losing both new and loyal customers to competing brands. Ultimately, I like the concept, but I don't think the world is ready for these Pods just yet.


Photo courtesy of AdvertisingAge.com