Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, October 25, 1995 TAG: 9510250050
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK LENGTH: Medium
Toilet paper is getting a brand new look these days, and it's putting an incredible spin on the bathroom tissue market.
Today's consumers are no longer satisfied with the standard, stiff white sheets. They are looking for some extras, including everything from odor-reducing baking soda to soft quilting.
And consumer products manufacturers are rolling out new advertising campaigns - some complete with demonstrations - in an effort to try to tilt the ever-growing market in their direction.
``There is incredible competition out there and every company is working hard to distinguish their product from the next,'' said Al Ries, a marketing consultant at Ries & Ries in Great Neck, N.Y. ``You want to get it out there first and get people to know your product first.''
Toilet paper has long been a staple in the home - its round tubular shape serving as a bathroom fixture for more than a century.
What started in the mid-1800s as an alternative to the corn cob has grown into a multibillion-dollar market. Sales topped $3 billion in 1994, up 6.3 percent from the year before, according to Information Resources Inc., a Chicago-based market research firm.
Over the decades, the feel and make-up of toilet paper have undergone a tremendous transformation. Manufacturers are flooding the market with new variations on the old standard.
In the last year, Scott Paper Co. launched its personal hygiene line, which includes hypo-allergenic bath tissue, baking-soda laden sheets and moist personal wipes that can be used in addition to the toilet paper.
Both James River Corp. and Procter & Gamble Co. Inc. are promoting extra-soft tissue, with a smooth, cottony touch. And James River has also come out with a new variety that remains sturdy even when immersed in liquid.
``Different customers expect different things from their toilet tissue,'' said Mike Linton, James River vice president and general manager of towel and tissue products. ``The manufacturers have started to recognize that not all tissues are the same and we need to differentiate the benefits of our product.''
P&G's Charmin was the most popular brand last year with nearly a 30 percent share of the market, while James River's Northern brand held a 14.4 percent share and Scott's Cottonelle captured a 13.8 percent, according to Information Resources.
To be competitive in the bulging marketplace, many manufacturers have turned to aggressive advertising campaigns to get their products noticed. Some, in fact, are using demonstrations in their ads to highlight the benefits of their goods.
``About 35 percent of the marketplace is not having their needs met right now'' with toilet paper, said Jim Barch, Scott's general manager of bath tissue products. ``You need to go after what's missing in the marketplace.''
by CNB