Who doesn’t love a bit of toilet humour? We do and hope we’re not alone. And while we acknowledge that Coronavirus is a very serious thing, the recent toilet paper shortage has taken over our social media feeds in a really good way. Those in the know, including the Prime Minister, have reassured that there are plenty of rolls to go around, we have been rejoicing that marketing folks from around the country have taken the toilet paper crisis of 2020 to the next level. Here are some of the best from around the country:
BALMER AGENCY 6 PLY AWARDS
*WHY 6 PLY? BECAUSE WE JUST DISCOVERED THAT GOLD STANDARD TOILET PAPER IS COMPRISED OF 6 PLY
1 Ply Award
Who: Sorbent
What they did:
If there’s a brand capable of handling a s**t-fight, it’s Sorbent. Sorbent’s initial response to the toilet paper shortage was to reshare @jessiroberts_ having a few wines amongst her stash of Sorbent. Unexpected yet applaudable. They followed up with something more reassuring which made us all breathe a sigh of relief. There’s more on the way.
Why they deserve the ‘Ply’ Award:
We cracked a smile. We love their use of humour to make light of the panic, while getting in a cheeky bit of marketing with the hashtag #ourfavouritedownunder.
2 Ply Award
Who: Amazon Prime Video
What they did:
Amazon Prime was quick off the mark to jump on board the trend. Giving it a good crack with this special message for the Australian market.
Why they deserve the ‘Ply’ Award:
A clever linkage between toilet paper and their product is commendable. A simple no nonsense execution is pretty perfect.
3 Ply Award
Who: Stan
What they did:
Like Amazon Prime, the s**t-stirrers at Stan also took #toiletpapergate as an opportunity to get some giggles out of their subscribers by sharing an all too relatable Seinfeld moment.
Why they deserve the ‘Ply’ Award:
They managed to take a toilet paper crisis and marry it to one of the all time favourites Seinfeld. Appropriateness overload.
4 Ply Award
Who: Virgin Australia
What they did:
While chaos ensued on the ground, Virgin Australia let customers know that all asses would be covered in the air.
Why they deserve the ‘Ply’ Award:
It wasn’t just the post that was well timed, executed and on brand. The fun continued right into the comments below – there were lots of glorious puns to keep us scrolling through.
5 Ply Award
Who: Kleenex
What they did:
Well it didn’t have us rolling around on the ground, but we did appreciate the truly comforting approach that the Kleenex undertook.
Why they deserve the ‘Ply’ Award:
Nothing like an authentic staff post to really communicate a message. And we weren’t the only ones who thought so. The post received an overwhelming public response of 46k likes, 28k comments and 64k shares, going to show that organic reach is not dead.
6 Ply Award – Gold Medal Standard
Who: Who Gives a Crap
What they did:
Who Gives a Crap has had it rough after running out of stock over the past couple of days. But they’ve handled it like champs, showing that they do in fact give a crap about their customers and the wider impacts of Coronavirus.
Why they deserve the Gold Medal ‘Ply’ Award:
To start with, their honest message announcing their stock shortage not only addressed the concerns of affected customers, but also showed support for other businesses doing it tough as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak. And we liked that they were thinking of others. They then rolled out a fabulous print campaign AND their community management was absolutely on point. Applause all round.
We at Balmer 100% concede that Coronavirus is a terrible thing (on so many levels), and that #toiletpapergate has been an unfortunate byproduct. Made worse when you’ve been ignoring panic buying and happen to be running pretty low. That being said, in a time of so much dark, social media managers have embraced a trend and have delivered the goods. Seen more worthy, award winning examples that we should know about? Please let us know.
Balmer Agency is super qualified to judge all things #toiletpapergate, and a whole range of other things, like social media. Just ask us.
