Tide, as the leader in the category, is always looking for ways to ensure the laundry process is the best it can be from product superiority to even the environment. When Tide discovered that 90% of the energy in the laundry process can be eliminated if people didn’t use hot water, we knew we needed to do something about it. Only problem was our audience had no idea. So we set out on a mission to let America know they should turn to cold.

Our challenge was not only to make people aware, but actually drive the behavior change, which is no easy feat, especially since people didn’t believe cold could clean their toughest stains (even NFL-tough stains). With that, our main objectives were to use the NFL to get people to turn to cold and ultimately buy Tide for the best results in cold.

Tide set out on a mission to convince consumers to make the switch to cold water under one big umbrella #TurnToCold. To get everyone to #TurnToCold, we partnered with the NFL and convinced 15 teams to wash in cold and prove to their fans if it works for them, it can work for you. To take it further, we created a piece of limited edition memorabilia no fan could ignore. The Tide Cold Washer: a talking washing machine. Each one was voiced by one of ten NFL superstars and reminded you to turn to cold at every turn.

Everyone does laundry, and as America’s #1 laundry detergent, we have the right to speak to all of them. We wanted our work to connect with the more than 50% of Americans who weren’t washing their clothes on cold, many of whom are NFL fans.

We recognized that our diverse target audience would be motivated to turn to cold by different messages and different teams and players, so we appealed to their fandom and used the NFL as a torture test to convince them.

By tapping into different RTBs and players they trust and respect, along with offering limited edition memorabilia with our #TurnToCold message at the core, we knew we could convince skeptics.

At the start of the 2021 NFL season, Tide called up the NFL to prove its superior performance in cold water by convincing 15 teams— and all of their fans—to wash in cold. To take it further, we created a piece of limited edition memorabilia no fan could ignore. The Tide Cold Washer: a talking washing machine. Each one was voiced by one of ten NFL superstars and reminded you to turn to cold at every turn. The machine was promoted via social media on NFL teams and players handles. Fans could enter to win one of the machines by pledging to #TurnToCold.

Over the course of the NFL season we saw incredible results:

15 NFL teams turned to cold water washing for their uniforms, towels etc.

Over 800 million new loads were done on cold by consumers. That results in over 500 million kilograms of CO2 saved. That’s like taking almost 400,000 cars off the road for an entire year.

Consumers became advocates of Tide and #TurnToCold which helps us reach even more people with over 1.1 billion earned media impressions.

Tide moved off the shelf with a +39% sales lift of Tide Hygienic Clean, the product featured in the work. This made Tide Hygienic Clean alone bigger than three of our competitors’ entire brands.