How 72andSunny Dived Bum First into WGAC’s First Global Campaign
If there is one thing that unites us all as humans, it is our need to occasionally use the toilet.
The toilet itself is a sacred space. It’s a space of self care. A space where we do our deepest thinking. A space where we can scroll through Instagram and Tiktok completely undisturbed.
It is the only space on this Earth that we can truly let go and we must look after it, if we want to continue to use this sacred space. Who Gives a Crap offers wonderfully soft toilet paper that is kind to your bottom and even kinder to the space in which we live.
With the planet’s environmental safety threatened every day, it is up to us to cut the crap and ensure that we are doing what is right to save the Earth that we hold so dear.
And it all starts on the toilet.
Genevieve Hoey, creative lead at 72andSunny ANZ, and Kat Kearney, brand marketing director at Who Gives a Crap, spoke with LBB’s Casey Martin on their first-ever global brand campaign and how bums come in every shape and size.
LBB> Most toilet paper advertising tends to focus on small fluffy animals or clouds, this campaign is quite different. How long did it take to come up with the final ad concept, and what was the creative process like?
Genevieve> We went wide and long. WGAC is a challenger activist brand with a healthy dose of cheeky irreverence, and with that kind of DNA, everything is possible. Plus, everyone involved had so much love for the brand and its mission. There’s still a 300-page deck of ideas at the agency waiting to be unleashed. At first, we were really keen to subvert toilet paper category norms. But the problem is much bigger than them. It's really about changing people’s minds and behaviour.
We kept coming back to this one inescapable fact that ultimately guided the work. That over 1 million trees are destroyed every day just to wipe people’s bums was galling and motivating. We realised if we could just share this knowledge in our ad, it would compel every good human to switch. The creative unlock was when we decided not to speak to people’s heads, but instead make this a call to arms to their bums, that the work felt right for WGAC. Then the scripts just flowed. And the hardest thing was being wildly simple. In the end, it came down to a strong visual motif, epic music, a powerful VO and a professional choir singing about bums to really do this message justice. Working with the WGAC internal creative team, we were able to create something great.
Kat> The campaign is different because Who Gives A Crap is a different kind of toilet paper brand. We’re on a mission to reduce mass deforestation and solve the global sanitation crisis, all while trying to inject as much fun into a product that is rarely thought of or spoken about.
We needed to land a platform that could speak about serious issues and mobilise people to take action in a humorous, cheeky way that could cut through.
LBB> The charity or not-for-profit sector is fiercely competitive, but can sometimes be quite ‘dry’ This campaign subtly uses humour, how did that come about?
Kat> Humour has been core to our brand TOV from day dot. It’s a great way of getting people’s attention, but when communicating serious issues, it’s a delicate balance to get it right.
We always felt there was too much guilt marketing in the non-profit sector. By using humour, we’re able to connect with people that might otherwise be alienated by being made to feel that they weren’t making a difference.
Rather than filling every interaction with a hard sell, we try to delight our customers, knowing that if we can make them smile, they’re more likely to stick around. From email receipts that double up as love poems to Valentine's campaigns that let you turn old love letters into toilet paper, we’re always looking for moments to bring a little joy. And let’s face it, people need a laugh right now.
For this campaign, we acknowledged people’s mental load is greater than ever, and there’s no shortage of causes that need their attention. We wanted to show people that doing something as simple as going to the bathroom can be heroic. They don’t need to chain themselves to a bulldozer, they can save trees and build toilets just by switching their loo roll.
LBB>This is the first global campaign for a brand that has evolved through word of mouth. Why now, and what’s the expectation?
Kat> Our environmental and social impact is what drives us. We are hell-bent on reducing the mass deforestation caused by traditional toilet paper production. It’s crazy when you think about it. In 2023, we are still wiping our bums with trees. People now know single-use plastic is a no-go. That you don’t throw litter from your car, that drinking water from a plastic bottle is ridiculous. But two-thirds of people aren’t aware of how destructive their current toilet paper habits are. We have a real awareness job to do.
We also donate 50% of our profits to provide toilets and clean water to the over 2bn people on Earth who don’t currently have access. To date, our wonderful customers have helped us donate over £6 million (GBP), but we have billions to go. This is why we’re also expanding our distribution footprint into major retail, kicking off with Waitrose in the UK and Aldi & Woolworths in AU.
If people know who we are, can recall us (during the rare moments they think about loo roll!) and can easily find us in the places they are already shopping, we’re well placed to save a lot more trees and build a lot more toilets.
LBB> Does the ‘descriptive’ nature of the product name give you any headaches when it comes to promoting a campaign like this?
Genevieve> From the outset, we were thrilled to be working with a provocative name like Who Gives a Crap. It’s a dream to have a brand name that makes people nod proudly or bristle quietly. A great saying applies here: "the ones that matter don’t mind, and the ones that mind don’t matter.” Who Gives A Crap is a name that gives brand fans a flag to march under. It's why people stack up pyramids of their rolls in their toilets - they’re using the brand name to make a point. And the people who have gripes with the name, are missing this point.
The WGAC team had done so much good work to establish this name and the brand personality. To create their first mainstream global launch campaign, 72andSunny was standing on their laurels. We were conscious of not smoothing out the brand’s pointy edges, as global work can often do, but remaining true to its provocative spirit. And this work is everything we set out to achieve. Along with the WGAC creative team, we created a new brand platform Uncrap the World, a memorable and appropriate call to arms for a brand called Who Gives A Crap, plus a global launch campaign that amplifies the irreverent brand tone we love.
Kat> While we don’t take ourselves too seriously, we do take social and environmental impact very seriously. From the beginning, we wanted to raise awareness about important issues in a lighthearted way without adding to the doom and gloom - hence our name.
Generally, we’re overwhelmed by how positively people respond to our name, but naturally, we do come across the occasional disgruntled person or extra red tape. More often than not, after explaining we’re not directing the word towards an individual but using it to enact positive change, we work through it. But there’s always going to be haters, you can’t win them all!
LBB> The production looks like it must have been quite fun. Are there such things as dedicated bum models?
Genevieve> There are pro bum models, but we wanted authentic bums, everyday bums, and diverse bums. Most importantly, we also had to find bums with rhythm. Luckily our director was Stef Hunt from Exit Films. Amongst his many accolades, he’s previously won a BAFTA for a dance film, so he’s skilled at using tempo to direct performance. Seeing Stef have his team shepherd our ‘bums’’ with a ticking metronome was a first. But it meant in the edit, we could match cuts between the sway of each bum seamlessly even as the music picked up its tempo. (huge thanks to Audiomachine LA for the epic track and Alex and Lukas at Otis Studios for the majestic Bum Choir.)
LBB> What were some of the most interesting reactions or responses from audiences to the ad campaign, both positive and negative?
Genevieve> There’s been nothing but positive feedback, which is amazing. People understand the message, they appreciate its humorous delivery. We did a quick survey of the social posts, and ‘love’ seems to be the most frequently used word. Have to be happy with that!
Kat> We’ve been really humbled by people’s reactions to the campaign so far. In terms of unexpected reactions, we didn’t realise how eager our customers would be to submit their own bums to feature on our community billboards. We had some initial doubts, but they have really dived in, bum first.
As for the negative, some people are more prudish than others or have different beauty standards. Diversity of bums is something we’re proud of, so we’re not losing any sleep there.
LBB> Despite similar cultures, was it a challenge to come up with a spot that will appeal to both AUS and UK audiences? How did that change your approach?
Genevieve> 72andSunny ANZ operates with a senior talent model of creatives with global experience. This WGAC global launch project is our wheelhouse. We understand how to make global work that travels without feeling generic. It’s really about finding the core human truth and building from there. Being aware of global transcreation was a part of our creative development process, from scripting to props and wardrobe and location to the VO, choir and music selections.
