For nearly two years, beginning in 2004, discussions had taken place between the Brazil laundry
team and Juan Fernando Posada, the regional general manager of the Fabric and Home Care GBU, on
how to move the laundry category forward. The Brazil team built a case for an Ace Básico line
extension, but they had difficulty reaching an agreement. Both sides understood that the laundry case
was unique. Superficial understanding and simple reapplication of what drove the previous two
Básico innovations would not work. Deep investigation of previous Básico success drivers, collection
of global learnings, appropriate knowledge of the local consumer, and a plan that leveraged in some
way P&G’s global technology menu was also needed.