Mr. Whipple is probably rolling in his grave right now.
If the public restroom is no longer a safe haven from intrusive marketers, what has this world come to???
Remember the good old days when t.v. grocer Mr. Whipple lectured housewife shoppers: “Don’t Squeeze the Charmin,”? I wonder what ol’ Mr. Whipple would think of blogging from a Charmin-branded public bathroom in New York City’s Times Square.
Here’s the poop (pun intended): Charmin is looking to hire five bloggers (at $10,000 each) to serve as “Charmin Ambassadors” between the end of November and New Year’s Eve for their “Enjoy the Go” social media campaign. Their job description and qualifications, according to the website:
“Greet and entertain bathroom guests. Then, blog about the experience. All candidates must really, really enjoy going to the bathroom.”
Entertain bathroom guests and blog about the experience??? “Hey Linda, so how was that? What was the most enjoyable part of your bathroom experience? Would you do it again? What would you do differently? How much Charmin did you use? Can you explain your technique? What did you have to eat last night? Do you think that had any influence on your experience? How about I sing a little song for you to entertain you while you’re finishing up there?”
Sorry, I really don’t see any good place this idea can go. Will it get some attention? It already is. Will I pull an 8-pack of Charmin off the Hy-Vee shelf when I have one of those late night “honey, we’re out of toilet paper” emergencies … or will it cause me to pull the a 48-roll super tanker pack off Mt. Charmin at Costco? Not if it costs a buck more! In this economy, I’m guessing soft, fluffy toilet paper is one of those luxuries that gets the ax in many households.
Charmin’s mother ship, Proctor and Gamble, was one of the first large companies to embrace the use of the web and social media for marketing. Being on the cutting edge of marketing is one thing. Hovering over marketing’s toilet bowl is another. Charmin is definitely getting some attention for this campaign – and will likely get even more when harried holiday shoppers in New York need to take a pit stop so they can enjoy their own “go”. But this new social media campaign is one crappy idea!
Author: Tom Flynn III
www.lessingflynn.com
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I applied for the Time’s Square job. I was wondering who were the five that got the job. I thought I had a chance because I’m a real Mr. Whipple. But the same old thing happened that has happened to me since I lost my automotive job five years ago. That is, I’m a white male over 50, no one wants to give me a job. All of the call backs I saw were under 30 and the interviewers were also too young to even have known the impact Mr. Whipple had on Charmin. You know, I still to this day get: “Mr. Whipple, please don’t squeeze the Charmin.” I’ve been advertising your product for most of my life and have not received any compensation for my work for you, that’s why I thought I should have gotten the job. I would have been able to make the seniors more at ease. I feel I should be given another chance at working for you. Bring back the Mr. Whipple commercials and I will be happy to be your new Mr. Whipple.
At least send me coupons for some free Charmin.
Thanks for your time,
Mr. Whipple