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Go Ahead: Squeeze the Charmin

Imagine you are the CEO of a major consumer goods company. Customers love your products, your manufacturing processes are top-notch, and your distribution system works like a well-oiled machine. Despite all this, your firm is losing market share to a rival company, which also has great products and matching capabilities in manufacturing and distribution. Your VP of Marketing suggests that the company needs to create a stronger brand in order to distinguish itself from the competition.

That sounds reasonable, but you’re not convinced that a spiffy new ad campaign will do the trick. After all, customers are confronted by marketing messages at every turn. How do you craft a message that rises above the noise? One thing you might try is experiential marketing, also known as customer experience marketing. The idea is to create relevant, sensory experiences for your audience, enabling deep interaction with your products, services and brand. Traditional marketing tells people about offerings; experiential marketing allows people to experience them.

I came across a brilliant example recently from the makers of Charmin bathroom tissue. Procter & Gamble has leased space in New York’s bustling Times Square, and converted it into the ultimate public restroom – twenty pristine stalls decked out in white porcelain where tourists and locals alike can…ahem…answer nature’s call. Thirty staff members ensure that stalls are cleaned after every use, and that they are fully stocked with Charmin tissue. A waiting room features flat screen TVs, fireplace, comfortable white couches – even a dance floor for kids!

The initiative builds on Charmin’s Pottypalooza program, which has been providing super-clean, portable restrooms at state fairs and other special events since 2000. Featuring a bevy of P&G products and diligent staff that clean up after each patron, these units are a far cry from the miserable porta-potties you may have been forced to endure at an outdoor rock concert or local soccer game.

What’s not to like about this idea? It allows people to experience Charmin firsthand in a way that is meaningful and relevant. Anyone who has ever struggled to find a clean public restroom knows this is a much-needed service and leaves with a positive impression. (I’m reminded of the Seinfeld episode where Kramer frantically scours New York City in vain for a public restroom.) Charmin also generates a significant number of media impressions, not to mention positive word-of-mouth. And what about the bottom line? According to an article in Exhibitor magazine, 14 percent of Pottypalooza users buy more Charmin. So, there you go.

Read more about Charmin’s NYC restrooms at the Futurelab Blog.

Posted by Nelson T. on December 12, 2006 8:27 PM

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