 hen ya gotta go, ya
gotta go. And I gotta go.
But when I’m at a rock concert or a football game, the last place I want to go is in porta-pigpen.
That’s what Procter & Gamble, the makers of Charmin toilet tissue, are counting on with their new mobile marketing effort, dubbed Pottypalooza.
Begun in 2000 in public restrooms at 15 state fairs, the effort helps P&G reach Charmin’s target demographic: young families with children.
Now, instead of redecorating stationary bathrooms, P&G mounts 27 of their own on a tractor trailer and parks them next to the portable (and pungent)
toilets at more than 20 events nationwide, like the Super Bowl. A smaller version has 12 stalls and will make 27 stops at regional events. |
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Lined Up
While I’m waiting in line, some guy who is walking around in a Charmin bear outfit who maybe can’t find the woods entertains us. Five to six
“ambassadors” usher us to the bathrooms.
Inside, they’re light cream-colored plastic, with hot/cold running water, fake wood floors, sconces, mirrors, air-conditioning, wallpaper with Charmin
ads, and lots of Charmin Ultra toilet paper. Other P&G products, such as scented Safeguard hand soap, Bounty paper towels, and Pampers changing tables,
are also on hand. TVs run nonstop ads featuring testimonials. As soon as you finish, an ambassador cleans the bathroom.
Because seeing —and using—is believing, P&G finds that 14 percent of consumers who use the facilities buy more Charmin. Clearly, Pottypalooza
is wiping out the competition.  |
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