SRSLY, P&G?

Procter & Gamble Co., the world’s largest consumer-products company, is trying to lock down the use of some of the millennial-friendly terms that litter social media.

As part of a bid to attract younger shoppers to its brands, the Cincinnati-based maker of Tide detergent and Pantene shampoo has applied to trademark LOL, NBD, FML and WTF, which it wants to use in cleaning and air freshening products.

Chief Executive Officer David Taylor has said P&G already does well with millennials. But a new board member, Nelson Peltz, has faulted the company for being slow to respond to rapidly changing preferences. Upstart products are increasingly eroding market share from established brands, and consumer-products companies have turned to buying smaller rivals to capture their growth.

In the past year, P&G has acquired brands like Native deodorant, which markets itself as “deodorant that isn’t a chemistry experiment,” and introduced greener versions of classic products, including a line called Pampers Pure Protection. It also bought Snowberry, a New Zealand skincare company, in February.

P&G declined to comment on the move, which was reported earlier by Ad Age.

Now the consumer-products giant faces the question: Will trademarking the terms attract the coveted younger buyers?

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