5 reasons to celebrate in the fight against covid-19 1:10
New York (CNN Business) -
Clorox received a big boost from concerned consumers continually cleaning their home surfaces during the height of the pandemic.
But now that more people are venturing out of their homes thanks to COVID-19 vaccines, Clorox is evolving its marketing strategy to focus more on business.
The home products company on Wednesday announced a new initiative, called Safer Today, aimed at pushing standards for infection control and sanitation protocol in public spaces.
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Clorox has partnered with both the Cleveland Clinic and the CDC Foundation in an effort to convey the message that it is equally important for businesses to emphasize cleanliness and safety in a world now obsessed with staying safe from contagious diseases.
The 100-year-old company will partner with airline United, ridesharing leader Uber, car rental company Enterprise and movie theater chain AMC as part of a new program to use only Clorox wipes and other cleaning products. of the company, 13 of which are branded on their website with the slogan "Kill the covid-19 virus."
"We are focusing on best practices as people return to the world," Tony Matt, the company's chief growth officer, said in an interview with CNN Business.
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Clorox wipes sold out last year
Clorox has increased production of its wipes to avoid running out of products, a problem it faced last year due to unprecedented demand.
Matt said Clorox has added significant capacity and can now ship 1.5 million packs of wipes per day, up from 1 million a year ago.
The company plans to further increase production to meet the goal of 2 million packages per day over the next few months.
However, investors are concerned that demand has peaked.
Clorox shares are down 7% this year and are nearly 25% below the all-time high they reached last year during the worst of the pandemic.
“It's been a year, so the idea that people may be feeling some fatigue is natural.
We all feel that, ”said Matt.
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He admitted that people may be less concerned about COVID-19 now than they were a few months ago, but that companies know they can't let their guard down, even as more and more Americans get vaccinated and some states remove mask mandates.
That's why Clorox is stepping up its efforts to form new trade partnerships in order to be less reliant on the average consumers who buy its wipes and bleach at grocery stores.
Clorox also recently announced a multi-year agreement with the NBA and the WNBA, whereby basketball courts and other player facilities can be sanitized with their products.
And gaming giant MGM Resorts (MGM) just signed an agreement to make Clorox its official hand sanitizer and sanitizer for its casino and hotel guests.
"This is more of preventive behavior than panic behavior in a post-covid world," said Matt.
"The reality is that if companies want their locations to be more secure, they need to think even more about creating a secure environment."
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