You wouldn’t wash your hair without water, would you? So if you wipe your butt without water, is it clean? This was our logic test for Americans. Because despite water being an essential part of a hygienic toileting routine in many cultures for centuries, only 6% of toileting occasions in the US involve both dry and moist wipes. The vast majority only dry wipe. This was our insight for Cottonelle, the toilet paper brand ranked fifth in one of the most commoditized, low-involvement categories. Unable to outspend the market leader, we realised moist wipes were an important part of Cottonelle’s future. Our strategy was to change toilet habits. We showed consumers that a dry-only regime is less than optimal and Cottonelle can deliver the best dry and moist toileting routine. But we did it by creating special moments that would be captured and shared across several impactful media.

We tested consumers’ cleaning logic in several ways. Using a series of unscripted stunts with hidden cameras, we triggered authentic ‘ah-ha’ moments. We washed a customer’s car at a car wash, wiped tables at restaurants, and ‘washed’ hair in salons – all without water. When confused consumers asked “Where’s the water?” we asked them in response: “If dry washing is not good enough here, why is it good enough in the toilet?” These powerful, hilarious moments were broadcast on national TV in short form, then on relevant social-sharing sites in the long version. Buzzfeed.com developed a series of custom branded editorial posts, seeding the videos in social media. Traffic was driven to Cottonelle.com where consumers could test their cleaning logic and watch more hilarious videos. Print ads tested cleaning logic using funny multiple choice questions. We sent moist wipe samples using Direct Mail to help consumers form the moist wipe habit.

The hidden camera videos were hugely successful. The long versions were watched to completion by 47% of consumers. Buzzfeed.com garnered 1.2 million views. Cottonelle Dry dollar volume grew by more than 11% resulting in a $24.7 million increase year-on-year. And testing viewers’ cleaning logic proved a powerful, thought-provoking approach. Cottonelle Fresh Care sales are up significantly and the brand has its highest dollar share in over 4 years. The Cottonelle brand achieved a 1.3 times social lift, meaning for every 10 people who saw the content as paid media, an extra three saw it for free as a result of sharing.