Good Clean Advice

What does a multinational consumer products conglomerate like Proctor & Gamble have in common with daytime television dramas and advice websites?

You probably already know the answer to the first part of that question: P&G produced "soap operas" for television (and before that, radio) as a way to get its products in front of mid-century housewives. Last year, it announced that it would stop producing those shows to spend more time on social media campaigns.

Now, P&G has added a new website to its online effort. ManoftheHouse.com provides information on housekeeping, relationships and parenting that is aimed at married men. The company started the site after finding that men make up 10 percent of the people who turn to women's sites for advice. It's also meant as a counterpoint to raunchier men's sites like Maxim.com or AskMen.com.

Just like in the original soap operas, P&G's involvement with the site is both subtle and obvious. Yes, the ad on the homepage is for Gillette and all the brands mentioned in the articles (Lysol, Mr. Clean, Head & Shoulders) are part of the the P&G portfolio. But the name-dropping is unobtrusive and the articles are informative. Looks like Proctor & Gamble is about to get even more ubiquitous.