In an article (Marketing, March 6th 2013) about the latest Andrex campaign which asks whether or not the nation “scrunches or folds” their loo roll, a rather prudsih Nigel Roberts writes, "Who honestly thought that anyone in their right mind wants to disclose or discuss, on social media, how they wipe their backside?"
The remark reminded me instantly of a combination of things; the movie ‘No Sex Please, We’re British’, my nan being horrified that two men lived together three doors down, and Mary Whitehouse up in arms at the thought of youngsters saying “shit” on telly. I mean, we all go to the toilet and we all – hopefully – wipe our arses afterwards. So why get all prudish and uptight about it? Why create a world where things are taboo and we’re all too shy to discuss the things we all have in common – it doesn’t make any sense.
Since the campaign started I’ve actually had another grumble – the use of toilet paper at all. I hate the stuff. For me the campaign would have had far more weight if it had been a choice between “smear or clear” and as an advocate of the wet wipe I’d have opted for the latter.
Aah, the good old wet wipe; it never tears, you only need one, they cost less, it leaves you fresh and fragrant and more importantly it actually cleans your backside rather than distributing what’s left across a wider area. Urgh!
So back to Mr. Roberts’ rather candid attitude to personal hygiene, which I think is indicative of a lot of things that are holding us back in business, especially marketing. Why can’t we just get to the point? As Andrex have proven – it’s effective. Honesty and frankness works because you’re not dressing up an issue as something else in order to manipulate people into giving you a response that they think they should give.
I’d like to see more brands cut to the chase. Often times it’ll be fun, and rather entertaining to see how people behave at this superficial social level – other times I think we’ll reveal a great deal about ourselves and society as a whole that might just go some way to improving the world we live in.
I’ve always been one to get to the point; to say what I think and be open and honest about who I am, what I do and how I do it. After all, what’s the harm? What have I to be ashamed of or embarrassed about? I’m certainly not going to care what people think or say about me. Who does that anymore? Aren’t we all liberated, empowered individuals, free to express ourselves in any way we chose?
We're now a nation of self-appointed PR gurus with dozens of personal marketng channels to use as we see fit, and it’s time for brands to facilitate that. Start conversations – the kind you have over the garden fence with a fresh cuppa. Get personal with your customers – care, understand, appreciate them in the way that matters and for crying out loud, switch to wet wipes!
