International Persil Relaunch

The premium detergent brands of Henkel are to be given a new, significantly more modern and dynamic design.

18/05/07 New packaging design for premium brands from Henkel International Persil Relaunch This year marks the 100th anniversary of the day when Persil as the first self-acting detergent entered the market to revolutionize the world of laundry care. Today, Persil from Henkel is available in around 60 countries. Moreover, the premium quality for which Persil is known is also available under local brand names such as Le Chat marketed in France, Wipp in Spain or Dixan in Italy, Greece and Cyprus. Now, this centennial year is to see the largest relaunch in Persil’s illustrious history. The premium detergent brands of Henkel are to be given a new, significantly more modern and dynamic design.

For its 100th birthday, Persil is getting a thorough make-over. In the course of time, there have been numerous changes to the formulation and packaging design, and new application forms have also been regularly introduced. Now, Persil is about to undergo the biggest relaunch in its history. From April, Persil will be available in Germany as “Persil 100 – Besser denn je!” [Persil 100 – better than ever!]. This claim is also to be visualized by a new, more modern and also more emotionally appealing look which will be applied in all Henkel’s “Persil countries” in western Europe. The national premium products of the family such as Le Chat in France, Wipp in Spain or Dixan in Italy, Greece and Cyprus, all of which are characterized by the same high quality for which Persil is known, will be adopting this new brand identity.

The new “Motion” design, at the centre of which is a rolling wave motif, will henceforth identify the premium detergent brands from Henkel marketed in Western Europe. The visual concept conveys impressions of dynamism, emotionality and innovation within a basic graphic composition, enhancing Persil through associations with freshness and modern, effortless convenience. The wave connects the top logo area with the radiant green energy field. This remains an important element of the design expressing the brand values for which the detergent has always stood: exceptional quality and outstanding laundry performance. By arranging the energy field in the left half of the package, the design loses the former severity of a centralized force field. Openness and ease of use are also communicated by the wave bridging the gap that previously existed between the logo and the energy field image. The logo has likewise been updated and underlines the new, fresh look of Persil, Le Chat, Wipp and Dixan.

“The challenge was to develop a common design language for our premium brands that was not only suitable for all the countries in which they are marketed but also underpinned and further enhanced their specific local brand equities and heritages,” explains Jens-Martin Schwärzler, Henkel’s head of Premium Detergent Brands International. “While the elementary colors for Persil are green, white and red, for Dixan they are blue, white and red. Such differences have to be taken into account,” Schwärzler adds by way of example. Nevertheless, the purpose of introducing new, central design elements has been to visualize the brands Persil, Le Chat, Wipp and Dixan as members of one and the same brand family.

The new design is the perfect balancing act required for Henkel to succeed in this aim. “International pre-tests with end consumers have shown that the new packaging design is clearly discernible from the competitive environment,” Schwärzler is pleased to say. From April, the new-look Persil will be available in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal and Finland. Then, in May this year, the new premium design will also be launched in France (Le Chat), Spain (Wipp) and in Italy, Greece and Cyprus (Dixan).

The new brand and packaging design was developed by the Peter Schmidt Group, Hamburg.