I know what you are thinking…
Am I really about to talk about using the bathroom…on a marketing blog?
Well…yes. But hear me out.
I attended the 3-day 2012 Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival at the Greenfield Stadium in Trelawny this past weekend. While the show was absolutely spectacular with beautiful sponsor booths, I have got to say that the best representation from a sponsor was no booth at all.
Charmin – toilet paper best known for it’s cartoony bear mascot who endorses the fact that the toilet paper is so great that it doesn’t chafe you and you can use 4x less – and Bounty – the quilted quicker picker-upper paper towels – were sponsors of the event. Instead of setting up a booth to display products, they chose a more practical approach. You will always have persons going to the bathroom at an event that accommodates over 30,000 people on one night and these persons are used to having bad experiences with bathrooms left untidy, unclean and, of course, the dreaded lack of toilet paper. So here’s what Charmin and Bounty did:
They hired promotional representatives to manage the bathrooms while wearing T-shirts with the logo. As a person visited the bathroom, they would be directed to a stall, but only after the rep checked to see that everything in the stall was in order and sprayed some air freshener to make sure you had the most pleasant experience you could have. Of course, there was superior quality Charmin toiler paper provided in the stalls. After leaving the bathroom and washing your hands at the sink with premium quality hand soap (definitely not the cheap stuff), another rep hands you a sheet of Bounty paper towel to wipe your hands dry and then you toss into the never-overflowing bin. A tip bowl was also provided for persons to show their gratitude in monetary form.
Now, I don’t know about you guys but I am sick and tired of using bathrooms at large events. So when I had this experience for the first time, I was absolutely floored. Brilliant idea and execution by the brand reps of Charmin and Bounty and I look forward to every event that you sponsor in the future.
Also, I am certain your efforts did have the intended effect because not only am I wowed by the experienced but I was also able to confirm the claims in your advertisements and I will now be a Charmin buyer.
This is absolutely excellent.
Marketing is actually quite simple. Just be practical and provide an experience that the end user can relate to and enjoy. Look for a need and fill it. Multi-million dollar radio and tv advertisements and $200K booths are not the only options.
On another note, as a marketing professional I recommend you read “The Thank You Economy” by Gary Vaynerchuk. Trust me when I say that it is an eye opener for the new media marketer. If / when you do, let me know what you think.
Keep up the good work with your blog.
I definitely think it was a great strategy.
Thanks for the recommendation. I have heard of Gary Vaynerchuk, since he’s an authority on social media and all. I will definitely add that book to my reading list and let you know when I do.
Thanks for the well wishes and the comment. Looking forward to more convos
Indeed it was a wonderful experience, and I must say well done, it was an exceptional service.
First off, i’m upset because you couldn’t kidnap me so i could be at Jazz and Blues (LOL). Secondly, i too am floored by this review. You wont hear this type of service at other events, that’s past top notch. While i’m not a Charmin user (i use Scott, the aloe scented ones ^_^), i may have to give them a try soon….Nice blog post Stacy!! Keep it up!
- http://13thstreetpromotions.wordpress.com
But a smiling visitant here to share the love (:, btw great style .
Stroke of Marketing Genius, really. As a young entrep, who must dabble in marketing frequently, you’re giving me a bit to think about. Nice post
Thanks for your feedback and I’m happy it helped.
[...] Breaking the Rules: The Charmin Bathroom Experience (stacyannhayles.com) [...]
I totally agree, it was truly a great bathroom experience (especially for a live stage show). Great review & good to know you saw it fit to commend them on a job & marketing strategy, that was really well done.
Thanks Shels! I was just reading another blog about hating bathroom attendants and I thought ‘I guess we’re not used to that in Jamaica so it’s exciting to us!’ LOL
Thanks for commenting and I hope you stick around for more