Seventh Generation Ads Seeks to Take ‘Green’ Detergent Mainstream

A pioneer in environmentally friendly consumer products is seeking to reestablish its market-leading position with an unprecedented ad blitz.

The New York Times reports that Seventh Generation will spend $15 million on its campaign, which features actor and former Saturday Night Live cast member Maya Rudolph in a series of quirky TV spots.

The ads contrast Seventh Generation's clear cleaners and detergents with a series of brightly colored bottles from fake brands.

The TV ads also touts its products' effectiveness; the Times noted the popular public perception that higher-priced "green" products don't clean as well as conventional offerings.

Seventh Generation began making recycled paper products some 30 years ago, but changing consumer tastes in recent years led larger brands and retailers to promote their own green cleaning options.

Although the green segment still accounts for a tiny fraction of the overall cleaning market, Seventh Generation already put a disproportionate share of its sales numbers toward ads compared to its rivals.

Analysts said that the company's second-ever TV campaign appears to be an attempt to finally raise its profile among the general public.

“The holy grail of green products is to break into the mainstream, and not many make a run for it — it looks like that’s what Seventh Generation is doing," Joel Makower of green marketing firm GreenBiz told the Times.