Jun 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Amy Johannes

Let's face it. Buying a mop is a mundane task.

So, how does that handy, ever-important cleaning tool largely hidden away in a kitchen cupboard get noticed in a $1 billion industry? Land a starring role on TV.

Wonder Mop, The Libman Co.'s flagship product, has slipped into the storyline of popular daytime shows in an effort to catch an eye in grocery store aisles.

The company is using product placement in a $75,000 campaign to promote its mop with a watch-and-win sweepstakes on NBC. The goal is to help muscle its way into a category dominated by the likes of Procter & Gamble's Swiffer. Hopes are high that brand recognition based on TV show appearances will boost sales at retail.

“Our promotions are a way to grab consumers' attention and get them to think about Libman for at least a few seconds,” Brian Sowinski, Libman's director of marketing, says. “Hopefully, that translates to sales the next time consumers are standing in front of the cleaning tool section at their local store.”

In the Spot the Mop sweepstakes, viewers tune in to “Days of Our Lives” and “Passions” to look for the Wonder Mop. If spotted, they log on to www.NBC.com and enter the show and day of the month. The cleaning tool is placed only one day per month.

For example, in April when the promotion launched, viewers could see the mop leaning against a desk where the character Kate was sitting in “Days of our Lives.” In another scene, the product was lying on a table while Kate and her grandson Will were playing Scrabble. As of last month, over 10,000 people had registered for the sweepstakes.

“Daytime programming is so hungry for promotion,” says Jennifer Sprague, senior director of brand strategy and promotions for NBC. “This makes so much sense for us. It works.”

The grand-prize winner receives a VIP trip for two to Hollywood, CA, including an NBC Studio tour and show taping, a makeover, clothing from the “Passions” Crane Couture line, an informal photo shoot and $500 cash.

It wasn't until three years ago that Libman began using sweepstakes and other promotions. During that time frame, Wonder Mop sales have grown by 60%.

And the momentum is building. The addition of a fall promotion will mark the first time the company has run two promotions in the same year.

“As we grow larger as a company, we realize the need to raise the creative and strategic level of our marketing efforts,” he says. “People buy a mop every year or two. We're hoping the next time they are standing next to our mop they will remember they had a fun experience with our brand.”

Wonder Mop retails for $9.99 and is sold in retail stores across the U.S. The mop is one of about 250 items the company sells, in addition to brooms, brushes and dustpans.

Meanwhile, NBC is leveraging the sweepstakes to drive tune-in to its already popular daytime programs. “Days of Our Lives” and “Passions,” which rank No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, among women primarily 18 to 34.

“It's a way to keep that traffic and keep viewers coming in,” Sprague says. “We set it up as a watch-and-win so there is a direct and measurable call-to-action.”

Libman, a fourth generation family-owned company, is marketing the sweepstakes with 200,000 stickers on Wonder Mops at retail, via print ads and at www.Libman.com.

For its part, NBC is running co-branded TV spots that air during the shows through June and ads at www.NBC.com.

It's not the first time Libman partnered with NBC. Last year, the company ran a sweepstakes tied to the two daytime dramas promoting one of its brooms. The promotion drew 54,000 entries.

For more information on retail promotions, go to Marketing At Retail

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