In the past 10 years, washing machines (and the messes that go in them) have gotten 20% bigger. Yet people were still using the same amount of detergent, resulting in a less than ideal clean. So Tide introduced Power PODS. With 85% more cleaning power, Power PODS effectively clean these larger, dirtier loads. But consumers didn’t realize the mess in their loads had gotten bigger, and they weren’t willing to pay more for an issue they didn’t know they had - an issue they were very vocal about on the internet.

Our objective was to convince Americans they really did need Power PODS and turn internet haters into Power PODS lovers to support the launch of this new innovation.

To convince the internet they really did need new, bigger Tide Power PODS we couldn’t just tell them, we had to show them irrefutable evidence: their own viral videos. So we compiled a spot using the most popular UGC that featured stains and seamlessly integrated actor/meme king Kumail Nanjiani to point out all the messes in every day life. From exploding soda bottles, to babies covered in peanut butter, it became clear quickly that everyone needed more Tide.

Since the internet was Tide PowerPODS’ most vocal opponents, we couldn’t just run a scripted TV commercial to convince them otherwise. We needed to use the internet against itself to change the way they saw the world around them and more importantly their need for PowerPODS. With the most popular UGC/viral videos as our foundation, we tapped Kumail Nanjiani - one of the most popular faces on Giphy- to explain how every funny moment was actually an instance for more Tide.

Finally, we spent time in comment sections and commented on messy videos across TikTok to further emphasize the endless list of situations in which someone would need more Tide.

To convince the internet they really did need new, bigger Tide Power PODS we couldn’t just tell them, we had to show them irrefutable evidence: their own viral videos. So we compiled a spot using the most popular UGC that featured stains and seamlessly integrated actor/meme king Kumail Nanjiani to point out all the messes in every day life. From exploding soda bottles, to babies covered in peanut butter, it became clear quickly that everyone needed more Tide.

After the launch of this work, the same internet that questioned the existence of Power PODS became its biggest advocates. The campaign’s line “gonna need more Tide” was quickly adopted into internet lexicon, used to comment on messes requiring cleanup. Literal messes, figurative messes in politics, messy breakups, sports, science, “I’m/we’re/they’re/y’all/You’re Gonna Need More Tide”was everywhere- including where everyone learns about new pop-culture terminology, Urban Dictionary.

With 10.3 billion impressions, the campaign extended to places we never predicted. From influencers like @Octopusslover8 to a music festival group named “The Tide PODS” who had a custom “Gonna Need More Tide” totem that appeared on a Bonnaroo live stream

But most importantly, the people of the internet also adopted Power PODS into their laundry room, making it the number one selling form of detergent, with a 145% increase in sales.