WD-40 seeks agency to push Swarfega rival
Lubricants manufacturer WD-40 Company is seeking an agency to promote its new hand-cleaning product Lava, a competitor to Swarfega.
Lava, which has been sold in the US for more than a century, is launching in the UK and Europe following WD 40’s purchase of the brand last May.
Simon Daw, WD-40’s European marketing director, says a budget has not yet been fixed, but sources suggest billings could be between &£3m and &£4m.
Daw says: “We are looking for an agency with a good strategic approach and strong campaign plans. Lava combines being a good trade product with one people buy on impulse.”
He says agencies do not need to have a European network to be considered for the business.
WD-40 uses McCann-Erickson and Universal McCann to advertise its products, which include the eponymous lubricant and 3-In-One oil.
WD-40, which stands for “water displacement, formulation successful on 40th attempt”, was developed in 1953 to protect missile covers from corrosion by US company Rocket Chemical. By the Sixties, it had become a popular consumer product, and the company changed its name to WD-40.