Persil Power
1994
When Unilever launched their new innovative detergent, Persil Power, they were warned by their main competitor, P&G, that their new formula was too powerful for general use and could harm clothes. Unilever ignored these warnings and heavily marketed the detergent with the new special ingredient called “The Accelerator”. You can smell trouble brewing, right? The new super detergent turned out to be too powerful, and it actually did destroy clothes. Unilever was forced to do an expensive recall and pay for their customers’ damaged clothes.
Additional info:
Marketing Week - Unilever lies low on promise to relaunch its `accelerator’
Independent - But does it rot your shorts? Why are the manufacturers at war?