Everyone poos. Why are we so shy about it? Kimberly Clark brand, Andrex, wants the UK to eradicate its toileting taboos with a bold new brand platform, Get Comfortable, by FCB London.
At the heart of the platform is the truth that too many Brits are held back by their prudery and embarrassment about going to the toilet, and don’t have a healthy relationship with their everyday bodily functions. The platform hopes to build intimate wellness by helping people to dispel their poo anxieties.
The FCB London campaign to do that is more than a distinct break not only from past Andrex campaigns. It’s a distinct break from the advertising norms of the whole category.
The launch film, First Office Poo, takes on the office poo, the second film, pooing at the in-laws’ home.
The commercials were directed by Andreas Nilsson, visually striking with an arresting soundtrack but no voiceover and finishing simply with the words, Get Comfortable, and the Andrex logo. Also absent are the usual toilet paper ad tropes, such as closeups of brand packaging and gleaming white bathrooms.
Matt Stone, marketing director, Kimberly-Clark UK&I, stated, “Get Comfortable marks the start of a significant transformation for the Andrex brand and, we hope, for British culture. This platform aims to help the nation get over our collective social constipation, in order to make more confident choices, adopt healthier habits and, ultimately, feel better. FCB London is taking our brand into a new, modern and purposeful direction with this launch campaign, to help us all have a healthier, more confident relationship with the bathroom.”
Owen Lee, chief creative officer, FCB London, added, “This bold, new brand platform for Andrex marks a complete shift from product-centric campaigns. And the great thing about ‘Get Comfortable’ is that as well as making Andrex stand out from other brands, it’s going to spark a much-needed conversation among Brits about our toilet inhibitions.”
The campaign is built on research carried out by Andrex that found it is incredibly common in the UK to fear using public loos. Half of Brits admit that being shy about our bowels stops them from pooing in the work toilets or at a romantic partner’s house, and 41% are even afraid of pooing when visiting their in-laws at home. Some of the stats from this research are featured in VOD activity supporting the Get Comfortable launch film while OOH executions use stand-out visuals and headlines such as Live unclenched and Conquer the first office poo, designed to get people to question their inhibitions around toileting.
The campaign broke shortly after the launch of Andrex’s partnership with Bowel Cancer UK and ITV, with a joint campaign featuring past Big Brother housemates and Sharon Osbourne appearing in the final week of Celebrity Big Brother. This will be followed by a joint Andrex and Bowel Cancer UK VOD spot as part of the main Get Comfortable campaign, entitled Born Unembarrassed. This spot launches during April – Bowel Cancer Awareness Month.
Credits
Client: Kimberley-Clark (Andrex)
Creative Agency: FCB London
Chief Executive Officer: Katy Wright
Chief Creative Officer: Owen Lee
Chief Strategy Officer: Ben Jaffé
Executive Producer: Nikki Chapman
Executive Creative Director: Kyle Harman-Turner
Head Of Art: Jack Walker
Business Director: Katie Creighton
Production Company: Biscuit Filmworks UK
Directors: Andreas Nilsson & Rosie May Bird Smith
Producers: Lucy Gossage & Adam Oyejobi
Directors of Photography: Lasse Frank & Benedict Spence
Managing Director: Rupert Reynolds-Maclean
Head of Production: Emily Atterton
Production Manager: Meghan Young
Production Designer: Sarah Jenneson
Stylist: Selina Wong
Casting: Hannah Birkett
Post-Production: Selected Works
Colourist: Hannibal Lang
Editing: The Quarry
Editor: Ben Campbell
Editing: Trim Editing
Editor: Steve Shaw
Sound: No.8ldn
Sound Designer: Sam Robson
Music: Leland
Music Supervisor: Toby Williams
