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SC Johnson

Company: SC Johnson, Racine, Wisconsin
Company Description: SC Johnson is a leading provider of innovative consumer products in the area of air care, home cleaning, home storage, insect control and personal care. Some familiar brands include Glade®, Windex®, Ziploc®, OFF! ® and Edge®. SC Johnson has operations in more than 70 countries worldwide, employs 12,000 people and has an estimated annual sales of more than $6 billion.
Nomination Category: Company, Office & Product Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best New Product or Service

Nomination Title: Glade® Wisp®: Revolutionizing Air Fragrancing - Continuously

   1. Tell the story of this nominated product or service (up to 500 words): its function, its features and benefits, and how it differs from competitive offerings. Include in your description the date in 2004 on which this product or service was introduced to the U.S. marketplace:

Glade® Wisp®, which launched July 31, 2004, is the first continuous action air
freshener product to address what has been the number one consumer need in
this product category for the past 15 years.  While consumers have recognized
the advances in air care, there was still the desire for a product that offers
consistent fragrancing.

Glade® Wisp’s® revolutionary technology is the reason why this consistency
benefit has finally been delivered.  Glade® Wisp® atomizes the fragrance oil into
the air in measured amounts through its one-of-a-kind micro-pump.  The design
ensures that the same amount of fragrance is released with every puff, from the
very first puff to the last, so the fragrance is consistent from the first day
until the day the refill runs out. 

Glade® Wisp® incorporates computer chip technology to control the timing of the
fragrance release so the intervals between puffs are always the same for any given
setting.  By using the adjuster switch, consumers can set the time interval
between puffs allowing them to find just the right intensity of fragrancing. 
Furthermore, its battery operation makes Glade® Wisp® completely portable so it
can be placed anywhere in any room. 

Glade® Wisp® Features:

 Battery Operation – offers complete portability making the product
capable of being used virtually anywhere especially where outlets may not be
available.  It will last up to 30 days on the highest setting and 60 days on the
lowest setting.
 Micro-chip control – allows for precisely controlled fragrance releases,
assuring no-fade, consistent, “linear” freshening all day, every day.
 Adjustability – over five different levels provides the precise amount of
fragrance release to fit any room size.
 Atomizing pump – provides a visible puff of fragrance that consumers
can actually see working, which reinforces when it’s empty and in need of a new
refill.
 8 issued patents around the dispenser and refill – making private label
copy-cat refills very difficult.
 Clear blister packaging – will communicate the premium nature of the
product and maximize consumer understanding of operation and contents.

Glade® Wisp® has been an enormous success.  The success can be attributed
to the product/need equation.  Company research showed that 55 percent of
consumers in this area cited that continuous fragrancing was an important need. 
At the same time 60 percent of consumers were dissatisfied with their current
fragrancing products that faded over time.  Glade® Wisp® addressed this need
through innovation and revolutionary technology – at an affordable price.

   2. List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. You may include links to product photos, service logos, etc. IMPORTANT: List each link on a separate line, begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.website.com]:

   3. Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader(s) of the team that development this nominated product or service:

H. Fisk Johnson, Ph.D.

Education: BA in Chemistry and Physics, 1979; Master's of Engineering, 1980;
MS in Physics, 1982; MBA in Marketing and Finance, 1984; and Ph.D. in
Physics, 1986 - all from Cornell University.

Experience: Dr. H. Fisk Johnson is Chairman and CEO, SC Johnson, and the fifth
generation Johnson family leader of the 119 year-old company. Dr. Johnson joined
SC Johnson in 1987 as a Marketing Associate and held a series of positions of
increasing responsibility until becoming Chairman in October 2000. These
included, among others: Managing Director - Corporate New Products and
Technologies; President and General Manager S. C. Johnson and Son, Limited in
Canada; Vice President - Home Care Business, North American Consumer
Products; President - Americas, India, Asia-Pacific; and Vice-Chairman of the
global company.

Dr. Johnson also serves as Chairman of the Board of SC Johnson. Since 2002, he
has served as a member of the President's Advisory Committee for Trade Policy
and Negotiation (ACTPN). He is a member of the World Business Council for
Sustainable Development; Director on the Board of Conservation International (CI); serves on the Executive Board of CI's Center for Environmental Leadership in
Business; Trustee Emeritus of Cornell University; and is a member of the Visiting
Committee to the Department of Physical Sciences at the University of Chicago.
He also serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of S. C. Johnson & Son, Ltd. in Canada. Previously, he served as Director of Energizer Holdings, Inc. and
Johnson Outdoors, Inc., as well as Trustee of the Chi Psi National Educational
Trust.