CULLIGAN PARTNERS WITH GOOD HOUSEKEEPING TO CELEBRATE THE 100TH BIRTHDAY OF THE SEAL WITH A TOUR THAT BRINGS
THE RESEARCH INSTITUTE TO LIFE
GHRI On Tour Presented by IKEA Stops at 11 U.S. Cities
A Fun, Interactive “Laboratory” That Demonstrates What it Takes to Earn the Good Housekeeping Seal
First Stop: Tampa, FL: Museum of Science and Industry – September 26 to October 10, 2009
NEW YORK and CHICAGO (September 22, 2009) – In celebration of the 100th birthday of the Good Housekeeping Seal, the magazine’s famous emblem of quality and a limited two-year warranty, the magazine has created an interactive, traveling exhibit that recreates the Good Housekeeping Research Institute, where all product evaluations are conducted. Visitors will see up close the various tests that products must go through to earn the Seal or be featured in Good Housekeeping, both editorially and in advertisements. GHRI on Tour presented by IKEA will make stops in 11 markets, transported via an environmentally-responsible low-emission vehicle. Visitors can also enter to win a room makeover from IKEA.
"Now more than ever, the Good Housekeeping Seal delivers an invaluable service to consumers, helping them cut through the erroneous claims to find products that really perform as promised,” says Rosemary Ellis, editor in chief of Good Housekeeping. “This exhibit really explains the work we do at the Research Institute, how it relates to the magazine, and how a product earns the Seal. Visitors will realize that we are unique in the way we stand behind the safety and efficacy of everything they see in Good Housekeeping.”
Culligan is sponsoring the Kitchen Appliances & Technology Lab, where the practicality and performance of all appliances, equipment, and utensils used in preparing and storing food are reviewed. Culligan currently has eight home drinking water filtration and softening products which have received the Good Housekeeping Seal. These include: Aqua-Cleer® Drinking Water System; AC-30 Good Water Machine® Drinking Water System; Gold Series™ Whole House Water Filter; Medallist Series™ Whole House Water Filter; Iron-Cleer® Whole House Filter; Platinum Plus Series Water Softener; Gold Series™ Water Softener; and Medallist Series™ Water Softener.
“As Good Housekeeping celebrates the 100-year anniversary of the Seal, Culligan will be celebrating over 70 years as a world leader in water treatment. Both Culligan and Good Housekeeping share an established history built on innovation, quality and trust. We are excited to give consumers an inside look at the Kitchen Appliances & Technology Lab, so that people can understand how better water will make their lives better,” said Eric Rosenthal, VP of Marketing at Culligan.
In addition to the Kitchen Appliances & Technology Lab, the GHRI on Tour presented by IKEA features an additional six interactive labs with diorama-style windows that provide a look inside, along with a video of each lab’s director explaining the products he/she evaluates. The exhibit also includes areas devoted to the magazine’s environmental initiatives; its VIP (Very Innovative Product) Awards; a timeline with GHRI highlights, from landmark evaluations to important recalls; touch screen televisions with trivia games and videos of sample product evaluations. There is also a Kid’s “Lab,” where parents can drop off their children while they explore the exhibit, staffed by trained day care professionals.
GHRI on Tour Presented by IKEA will make stops in the following markets:
- Tampa, FL: Museum of Science and Industry: September 26 – October 10
- Dallas, TX: State Fair of Texas: October 17 – 18
- Phoenix, AZ: Arizona State Fair: November 7 – 8
- Minneapolis, MN: Mall of America: November 21 – 22
- Atlanta, GA: Atlantic Station: December 12 – 13
GHRI on Tour presented by IKEA will make stops in the following markets in 2010: Charlotte, NC, Orlando, FL, Washington, DC, Bentonville, AR, Chicago, IL and Cincinnati, OH.
Good Housekeeping is committed to helping readers make informed decisions on a range of products, and the Seal has always been a reflection of the times. It was first established to protect consumers from adulterated “remedies” and tainted food products. The Seal remains relevant to consumers today as their concerns extend to an increasing number of product claims such as anti-aging, low-fat, organic, pesticide-free, and environmentally-safe. Products with the Seal carry a limited warranty: if the product proves to be defective within two years of purchase, Good Housekeeping will replace the item or refund the consumer. In 2009, the magazine announced their plans for the Green Good Housekeeping Seal, an overlay to the existing Seal that will offer consumers guidance about buying products that promote sustainability, evaluated based on their measurable environmental impact as well as for safety and efficacy.
Information about the tour including videos, photos, tour schedule and locations, and additional information about the Good Housekeeping Research Institute and Seal can be found at www.GHRIonTOUR.com.
For more information about Culligan’s role in the Good Housekeeping Research Institute traveling exhibit, visit www.culligan.com/goodhousekeeping.com. To request an interview with a Culligan executive, please contact Jennifer Griffin at 847.430.1290 or jennifer.griffin@culligan.com.
About Culligan
Culligan has been recognized as the world leading innovator and provider of water treatment systems for more than 70 years. Headquartered in the Chicago area, Culligan maintains offices in 12 countries, dealers and licensees in over 90 countries, and a network of 800+ franchise and company-owned dealers across North America. Culligan offers the most extensive water treatment product line in the world, and its solutions have been backed by the Good Housekeeping Seal, highlighted as a Consumers Digest “Best Buy” and featured on the “Designing Spaces” national television show. Culligan is also a founding member of the Water Quality Association and contributing donor to the Water Quality Research Foundation, the research arm of the water quality improvement industry.
About Good Housekeeping
Founded in 1885, Good Housekeeping (www.goodhousekeeping.com) magazine reaches 25 million readers each month. In addition to the print title, there is The Good Housekeeping Research Institute, the consumer product evaluation laboratory of Good Housekeeping magazine. Founded in 1900 and continuing today with the same mission, the Research Institute is dedicated to improving the lives of consumers and their families through education and product evaluation. Only products evaluated by the Good Housekeeping Research Institute can be accepted for advertising in the magazine, and thereby become eligible to display the Good Housekeeping Seal, the hallmark that provides assurance to readers that the products advertised in the magazine are backed by a two-year limited warranty against being defective, with specified exceptions. Readers can also interact with the brand on the digital front, with Good Housekeeping mobile (m.goodhousekeeping.com). In addition to its U.S. flagship, Good Housekeeping publishes 15 editions around the world. Hearst Magazines is a unit of Hearst Corporation (www.hearst.com) and is one of the world’s largest publishers of monthly magazines, with nearly 200 editions around the world, including 15 U.S. titles and 19 magazines in the United Kingdom, published through its wholly-owned subsidiary, The National Magazine Company Limited. Hearst reaches more adults than any other publisher of monthly magazines (73.4 million total adults, according to MRI, Spring 2009).
