FLEMINGTON, N.J. — At a recent overnight camping trip, 11-year-old Sarah Saltsman had something that none of her bunkmates had in their grooming kits — a foam bath sponge in the shape of a flower. Amidst the plethora of mesh sponges, Saltsman’s stood out.
Marketers are seeking ways to turn these commodity items into fashion purchases. Crabtree & Evelyn will begin marketing the flower sponge, called Shower Flower, early next year to bring interest to the category.
Pinnacle Development, the company behind the sponge, is credited with bringing innovation and sex appeal to sponges. “A sponge is a sponge is a sponge,” explained Rosemarie Zarrillo at Victoria’s Secret Beauty. “You need a reason to encourage someone to pay $6 for a sponge. [Pinnacle] did that for us with a two-layer pink polkadot sponge that took sponges up a notch.”
Pinnacle has many more sponges in its bag of tricks, including a foam sponge shaped like a butterfly with one side covered with a scrubbing surface. The company also is experimenting with fabrics such as velvet to complement bath liquid products set to debut next year.
“We work with clients to find ways to make sponges unique to their products,” explained Steve Lazar, vice president for Pinnacle, which runs U.S. operations from this suburban New Jersey town.
Developing new twists on sponges is critical to building sales in the $70 million market. Most mesh sponges don’t wear out very quickly, so customers must be enticed by newness. Retailers see more potential in bath sponges than bath liquids, since Americans use the sponges in baths and showers.
Pinnacle got into the business in the early Nineties when mesh sponges exploded onto the retail scene. The company linked up with retailers such as Bath & Body Works that were looking for novel items to add to the growing ranks of bath liquids. Sometimes the sponge was a gift-with-purchase; other times, colorful sponges were merchandised to match the color of bath products. Consumers snapped them up and a new category was born.
Like many categories with meteoric rises, the sponge category became the victim of low-quality products. Some inferior products left consumers angry and retailers fed up with the category. Now, firms such as Pinnacle are looking for new ways to make sponges fresh.
Related Articles
One idea was to treat sponges with skin care formulas. “We think there is potential in using technology and sponges to link to skin care — for example, a sponge for lathering and exfoliating,” explained Robert Tyska, project manager for Pinnacle. There are also sponges for applying other products such as self-tanners.
Consumer interest in duplicating the spa experience at home is also a potential boost to sponge sales, as well as ancillary tools such as bath massagers. Pinnacle hopes to find placement in chic spas and hotels that will eventually translate into at-home sales.