So much for environmental responsibility, Sydneysiders are flushing everything but the kitchen sink down their toilets, causing blockages that cost Sydney Water a whopping AU$27M a year.
Following their Toilet Blockers Anonymous campaign last year, It’s Friday and Sydney Water are tackle the issue right where it counts this year – the toilet itself. The solution comes in an unexpected form, a self-help guide with a cheeky twist – the world-first Toilet Blockers Anonymous Flushable Guidebook – on toilet paper.
[Toilet paper has been a popular advertising medium in Australia this year. In January, Bowel Cancer Australia’s Break the Poo Taboo campaign put bowel cancer symptoms on Kleenex brands’ toilet paper. And this campaign followed Bowel Cancer UK’s #GetOnARoll campaign in 2022 with Andrex, that did the same.]
The Sydney Water guide, created in partnership with eco-friendly toilet paper brand, Who Gives A Crap, is also printed directly onto loo rolls. Each sheet delivers a humorous but educational reminder of what not to flush down the toilet, from dental floss to hair… and even golf balls. The roll ends with a final pledge to stop blocking habits for good.
“We needed a way to grab people’s attention where it matters most—literally in their bathrooms,” stated Tim Barrett, digital marketing manager at Sydney Water. “Blockages are expensive and entirely preventable. This campaign delivers an unforgettable reminder right where behaviour change happens.”
Vince Lagana, CCO, It’s Friday, added, “Humour has the power to drive real change, especially when it meets people in everyday moments. By turning a roll of toilet paper into a scroll of knowledge, we’re flushing out bad habits—one sheet at a time.”
To make the message impossible to ignore, the campaign landed straight in bathrooms across Sydney. Led by plumber influencers, such as @SydneyPlumberChick, plumbers across Sydney hand-delivered guidebooks during real-life toilet unblocking visits – catching, but also helping, culprits red-handed.
Credits
Client: Sydney Water
Head of Brand, Media and Marketing: Elise Barker
Digital Marketing Manager: Tim Barrett
Marketing and Events Lead: Shelley Lewis
Senior Marketing Advisor: Chriss Mikhael
Digital Marketing Lead: Nick Plunkett
Creative Agency: It’s Friday
Agency Team: Grant McAloon, Mariah Ferrer, Claudia McInerney, Neil Walshe & Benn Sutton
Photography & Videography: Adam Eden @ Eden Studios
Studio Director: Rachel Lounds @Eden Studios
Where the campaign began:
