Mom Bloggers Compete on Facebook to Become P&G Trend Experts

Innovation is the lifeblood of any company, of course. And it has been even more important to Procter & Gamble over the last decade than to other companies. Former CEO A.G. Lafley recharged the company by emphasizing innovation during his tenure, and current CEO Bob McDonald has been struggling in part because the Cincinnati-based CPG giant has lost a bit of ground to rivals on the innovation front.

As P&G tries to regain its innovation mojo, the company is highlighting the benefits of what it's already created, in the third year of an online marketing campaign aimed at increasing appreciation of "the everyday innovation" behind brands including Bounty, Always/Tampax and Febreze.

"Have You Tried This Yet?" is being promoted with Vanessa Lachey, actress and TV correspondent, and Irma Martinez, a "Hispanic style expert," demonstrating various "innovative" P&G ideas and products in a serious of online videos.

It also includes a Facebook contest in which 15 "up and coming tastemakers" (read: mommy bloggers such as Tina Seitzinger) in beauty, family and home goods will compete for votes for a spot in the first "Trend Trio" under the program and to become a relied-upon "expert." Voting runs through Oct. 3rd, and the competitors are rallying support on Facebook and Twitter (hashtag: #PGTryItGTO).

As Seitzinger blogged, "The women that are selected for the Trend Trio will dish out over the next eight months their insider secrets, tips and product advice to help you cut through the clutter, and ease the daily grind."

"Being in the know about the best and the latest is an essential part of my job as a stylist," Martinez stated in a press release.

With moms on their side, P&G hopes to better understand and persuade consumers, especially in the U.S. and Europe, that it and its brands produce "the best and latest" — and forget those other brands sold by Unilever, Colgate-Palmolive and Reckitt Benckiser.