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It may not be every creative’s dream to work on a toilet paper account when they grow up, but FCB London’s latest taboo-busting work for Andrex shows that it doesn’t have to be dirty work.
The agency launched “Get Comfortable,” a bold new campaign for the U.K’s largest toilet roll manufacturer, which wants to encourage Brits to let go of their prudery and embarrassment about using the loo.
18 months in the making, the platform shuns the usual category tropes of product shots in pristine bathrooms in favor of funny, visually striking films and clever copy.
According to Matt Stone, marketing director for the U.K. and Ireland at parent company Kimberly-Clark, the work is a massive shift for Andrex, intended to “help the nation get over its collective social constipation” and bring a more “purposeful’ tone to Andrex’s marketing.
“We want people to confront their own relationship with the toilet and adopt healthier habits as a result,” he told ADWEEK. Part of this includes working with Bowel Cancer UK as a partner on the campaign, in order to raise awareness of symptoms of the disease and how to identify them in the bathroom.
“We’ve always been good at telling people we make great products, but this is going deeper. We conducted a lot of behavioral studies … and we found that there’s a shame and embarrassment [around going to the toilet] that gets in the way of people making the right health choices,” explained Stone.
For instance, Andrex found that it is incredibly common in the U.K. to fear using public bathrooms. One-half of Brits admit that being shy about their bowels stops them from pooping in work toilets or at a romantic partner’s house, and 41% are even afraid of doing so when visiting their in-laws at home.
The creative work marks a distinct break from Andrex’s former creative, which since 1972 has featured a gaggle of cute golden Labrador retriever puppies. However, there’s still a nod in there to the longtime brand mascot.
The launch film, “Office,” shows a woman who unintentionally does an audible fart in front of her colleagues. A brief, awkward pause follows before she looks down to see the Andrex puppy under her desk, giving her an encouraging nod.
Emboldened, she takes control of her destiny, grabbing a roll of Andrex and striding purposefully through the office with a toilet roll in hand. As the music builds to a crescendo, the film ends with her entering the toilet, confidently owning her actions.