Each year-end holiday season since 2006, Charmin has created good will and buckets of media coverage by opening snazzy, state-of-the-art public restrooms in Times Square. Open from late November through December 31st, Charmin Restrooms are pop-up retail stores in the center of New York City’s crowded theater district. Amenities include a dance floor and stroller parking along with ADA-approved luxury stalls — cleaned by attendants after each use.

In the past, to generate awareness and drive consumers to the site, we have held celebrity 'ceremonial first flushes' and even a wedding where the bride’s dress was made of Charmin toilet paper. In 2009 we faced two primary challenges. The first was to overcome the media’s “been there/done that” attitude, creating events that would attract jaded reporters as well as consumers. Second, the 2009 Restrooms promotion would be the launch pad for Charmin’s new 'Enjoy the Go' campaign — meaning we needed not just local but national coverage. Our assignment: generate 1 billion media impressions. Our result: 3,028,604,422 impressions — three times our goal!

Phase I. October 20: we announced a search for five people to work in the Restrooms as Charmin’s Go Team (salary: 6 weeks = $10,000). 20,000+ people requested information. Charmin held open auditions in New York on November 5th.

Phase II. November 23: with more than 15 local and national media outlets in attendance, Mario Lopez of Saved by the Bell fame handled the first ceremonial flush and introduced the Go Team.

Phase III. December 17 through the 31st: Charmin partnered the Go Team with four celebrities — Mario Lopez, Martina McBride, Sherri Shepherd and Mario Cantone — to design toilet seats for display in the Charmin Restrooms. For each consumer who came through the doors in late December Charmin donated up to $10,000.

Phase IV. For a newsworthy final event, Charmin partnered with Broadway Cares to create Bathrooms Over Broadway, a fifteen-minute musical featuring five loo-loving numbers.

ObjectivesResults:- 1 billion media impressions, Charmin Restrooms generated 3,028,604,422 impressions.- Sustained coverage throughout December 2009.- Our Phase I search announcement and event generated 1.3 billion impressions — surpassing our total goal.

- We generated 326MM impressions in Phase II, 264MM impressions in Phase III and 364MM impressions with our final event.National media coverage:- Charmin Restrooms were featured nationally on The Today Show, Live with Regis and Kelly, The Jay Leno Show, Fox and Friends and CNN; AP and Reuters wire stories; and print placements in OK!, Life & Style, InTouch Weekly, Star Magazine, and the Daily News.