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Air Wick

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Air Wick
Product typeAir freshener
OwnerReckitt
CountryUnited States
Introduced1943; 81 years ago (1943)
MarketsGlobal
Previous ownersAirwick Industries
Websitewww.airwick.us

Air Wick is an American brand of air freshener owned by the British multinational company Reckitt. It was launched by creator Guy Paschal in 1943 in the United States, and is now sold worldwide.[1]

History

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Air Wick was introduced in 1943 in the United States.[2][3] In 1973, it had sales of $33.5 million and earnings of $2.7 million, prompting the Swiss pharmaceutical company Ciba-Geigy (now Novartis) to investigate purchasing them. Ciba-Geigy took brief control of the company in 1974 before selling it to British household products company Reckitt & Colman (now Reckitt Benckiser) in December 1984.[4]

The sale was partly motivated by what Ciba-Geigy's top management saw as a product that was at odds with their corporate culture; their rationale was that as a chemical business, they should not be involved with consumer products.[5] In October 2007, Reckitt Benckiser won a High Court ruling in a lawsuit with Procter & Gamble over claims that the design of Air Wick Odour Stop was an exact copy of P&G's Febreze air spray.[6]

In March 2012, Air Wick announced its partnership with the official charity of the United States' National Park Service, the National Park Foundation. The company launched four new scents inspired by Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park, Virgin Islands National Park, Yellowstone National Park, and Glacier Bay National Park. Portions of the sales went to the National Park Foundation to aid National Parks.[7]

Products

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The current Air Wick range includes:[8]

  • Scented Oils
  • Essential Mist Diffuser
  • Automatic Sprays (Timed Air Freshener)
  • Aerosol Spray
  • V.I.P. Pre-Poop Toilet Spray

In the 1980s, they produced a type of air freshener called Magic Mushrooms. Ad:[1]

References

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  1. ^ Science illustrated, Volume 4, New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing Co., 1949, retrieved 2 November 2011
  2. ^ "Air-Wick Shifts to Foote, Cone". The New York Times. 17 April 1958. Archived from the original on 5 April 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  3. ^ "About Us: Air Wick® History | Air Wick®". www.airwick.us. Archived from the original on 2018-05-12. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
  4. ^ Salter, Malcolm S.; Weinhold, Wolf A. (1981-01-01). "Choosing Compatible Acquisitions". Harvard Business Review. No. January 1981. ISSN 0017-8012. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
  5. ^ Schein, Edgar H. (2004). Organizational Culture and Leadership. San Francisco, California: Jossey-Bass Publishers. p. 92. ISBN 0787975974.
  6. ^ "High Court grants Reckitt right to sell Air Wick Odour Stop air freshener". Marketing Week. 11 October 2007. Archived from the original on 17 May 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  7. ^ "Air Wick® Partners with National Park Foundation to Launch New Collection". www.businesswire.com. 2012-03-15. Archived from the original on 2015-12-05. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
  8. ^ "Air Wick® Products | Air Wick®". www.airwick.us. Archived from the original on 2018-05-15. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
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