Reckitt Benckiser's Australian-based fabric stain remover brand Vanish NapiSan undertakes sponsorship deal worth US$27M for exclusive five-year naming rights for White House

Michelle Rivera

NEW YORK , July 25, 2011 (press release) – Vanish NapiSan, the name trusted by generations of Australians for effective fabric stain removal, has commenced a campaign to sponsor the White House. The sponsorship deal has been offered at $25 million* Australian dollars ($27 million US dollars) for exclusive naming rights for the building for 5 years. With the huge deficit that the US economy is faced with, and with the Australian economy buoyant, the company believes the money can help provide some relief.

Vanish NapiSan is known as the best fabric stain removal product in Australia and now with its Oxi Action Crystal White range, it wants to be equally famous for keeping white clothes white, so it's looking to sponsor the most famous white building in the world. This is the first time that Reckitt Benckiser (RB), owner of Vanish NapiSan and one of the world's biggest home, health and personal care goods companies, is using a naming rights building sponsorship to promote one of its products. RB revenues for 2010 were in excess of $13.5 billion US dollars.

RB has appointed Grayling, a Public Policy Management and Communications firm in Washington D.C., to spearhead the campaign and initiate contact with Members of Congress and other political influencers to seek support for the proposal. The Australian brand has also sent a delegation, which arrived today (25th July), to represent the company in negotiating the sponsorship terms with the White House.

Adam Whittaker, Vanish NapiSan's Sponsorship Spokesperson, said, "The US has always been there for Australia and so we believe it is our turn to help. With the Aussie dollar at an all-time high and President Obama looking to head off what he describes as an 'economic Armageddon', we are expecting a warm reception for our proposal from progressive political figures who are looking for innovative ways to raise revenues. We are determined to secure the deal in the coming weeks."

While sponsoring the White House may seem outrageous, the building has been used in a marketing campaign before. In 2008 it was turned pink as part of a campaign to promote breast cancer awareness. There are many other high profile buildings and historic landmarks that have been successfully sponsored, including: The Sydney Tower, which this year became Westfield Tower, The Washington Redskins stadium, which was renamed the FedEx Field, thanks to a Federal Express sponsorship, The Staples Center in Los Angeles and in Chicago, The Willis Group Holdings took on the naming rights for the iconic former Sears Tower in 2009; it is now The Willis Tower.

Vanish NapiSan believes that in addition to the sponsorship cash there will be a flow-on benefit for US tourism. "We believe that an Australian brand sponsoring such a famous American landmark will encourage Australians to visit Washington D.C. Our sponsorship sign could become a 'must see' attraction for our Nation's travelers and on the flip side we will also be placing Australia on the map with the Americans."

*Five million Australian dollars per year, over a period of five years.

About Vanish NapiSan

The Vanish NapiSan product range offers a variety of stain removal products. The newest addition, Vanish NapiSan Oxi Action Crystal White, is a unique stain remover specifically designed for white fabric that gives you the confidence of effective stain removal and whiter clothes. It works on all types of stains, from the ones you can clearly see to small ones that you might miss before you wash - even tough set-in ones. It also contains powerful whitening agents to whiten your white fabrics wash after wash. More information is available at www.vanishstains.com.au.

About Reckitt Benckiser

Reckitt Benckiser (RB) is a world leader in household, health and personal care. It is a FTSE top 25 company and since 2000 net revenues have doubled and the market cap has quadrupled. Today it is the global No 1 or No 2 in the majority of its fast-growing categories, driven by an exceptional rate of innovation – typically about 35% of net revenue comes from innovations launched in the prior 3 years. It has a strong portfolio led by 19 global powerbrands which are: Finish, Lysol, Dettol, Vanish, Woolite, Durex, Calgon, Airwick, Harpic, Bang, Mortein, Veet, Nurofen, Clearasil, Strepsils Gaviscon, Mucinex, Scholl and French's, and they account for 69% of net revenue.

RB people are at the heart of the company's success. They have an intense drive for progress and action and a desire to outperform wherever they focus, including in CSR where the company has the most ambitious corporate responsibility programme in the industry through its Carbon 20 initiative.

Headquartered in the United Kingdom, the company employs about 27,000 people worldwide, with operations in over 60 countries and sales in almost 200 countries. For more information visit RB.com.

About Grayling

Grayling is the second-largest independent public relations, public affairs, investor relations and events consultancy in the world. Grayling has 70 offices in 40 countries in the US, Western and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, the Middle East and Asia Pacific.

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