Charmin Promotes Toilets in New York’s Times Square

by lisa ~ November 30, 2009

Nov. 30, 2009 - For four years, Procter & Gamble’s Charmin brand of toilet paper has operated free restrooms in Times Square during the holidays. This year, it added five “Charmin Ambassadors” to greet customers.

All but one of the five have worked in some sort of entertainment capacity, including a professional comedian and a performer in the national touring version of Nickelodeon’s “Dora the Explorer Live!” show. Each member of “The Go Team” is responsible for blogging, tweeting, and shooting “family-friendly” video footage. In return for working from Nov. 23 to Dec. 31, the members will earn $10,000 apiece.

Despite its aim - drawing attention to bodily functions referenced only obliquely by most personal care brands - Charmin continues to garner widespread media attention. It deliberately chose a major U.S. tourist destination with a notable lack of public facilities. Its “20 clean, deluxe, ADA compliant, family-friendly and fully-staffed restrooms” offer stroller parking, baby changing stations, and seating. Promotional materials feature a blue bear that invites customers to “Enjoy the best seats on Broadway.”

In short, a quirky promotion that could easily turn creepy manages to maintain a Disney-esque tone due to P&G’s combination of earnestness and tongue-in-cheek humor.

Lisa Tibbitts is the principal of Tibbitts Creative, a public relations and marketing service that emphasizes corporate communications. She has an extensive background in financial services and an MBA in marketing. Follow her on Twitter: http://twitter.com/FinancialPR.

###