DuPont backs Teflon with new ads

WILMINGTON, DE — Looking to further increase consumer awareness, DuPont Textiles & Interiors (DTI) is launching a global advertising and branding campaign for its Teflon fabric protector.

The goal of the campaign, according to DuPont, is to educate consumers about how the stain resistance and other benefits of fabrics treated with Teflon translates to "easy care" for home textiles.

The multi-media campaign, titled "Make Every Day Easy," will cost $7 million and include both consumer and trade print advertising as well as broadcast ads. The ads are designed to convey how home textiles and apparel are protected from the rigors of everyday life without changing the look or feel.

Ads have already appeared in Real Simple, Parenting, InStyle, People, O: The Oprah Magazine and Redbook. A television commercial is planned for 2003.

"Our goal is to extend the brand to apparel and home textiles in a way that takes what consumers already know about the Teflon brand and demonstrates how the benefits can transfer to comfortable clothing and home furnishings," said Teresa Kleinhans, global business manager for DTI's Textile Effects.

Teflon is currently being used in a variety of home textiles applications, including mattress pads and covers, pillow and mattress ticking, soft tabletop and bedding.

DTI is conducting the campaign based on studies by the company that found that 44 percent of consumers say they are willing to pay more for "easy care" benefits in everyday clothes, and 50 percent of bedding consumers and 42 percent of upholstery consumers cite "easy care" as a major influence on their purchases.