It’s not just Charmin that wants consumers to “enjoy the go” anymore. A wave of bathroom-themed experiences has infiltrated the industry, stamping out stigmas around what was once considered a taboo topic. Whether solving for a pain point, leveraging toilet humor as an engagement tactic or a mix of the two, brands are cleaning up with experiential potty parties.
Lipton Hard Iced Tea turned heads at a Buffalo Bills’ tailgate outside of New York’s Highmark Stadium with V.I.PEE, a luxury bathroom activation designed to disrupt traditionally beer-heavy tailgating events, and promote its new Tailgate Anything platform. The universal pain point of drinking (highly carbonated) beers at sporting events—ridiculously long lines for porta-potties—was solved with Lipton’s lineup of 10 sparkling-clean, no-line stalls, all managed by a “bouncer” who playfully maintained the VIP theme.
It was a different strategy for Disney along the Vans Warped Tour at stops in Washington, D.C., and Long Beach, CA, where the brand plugged season five of “Phineas and Ferb” with a giant porta-potty installation that functioned like a speakeasy. Disney invited attendees to experience a day in the life of Agent P with a “top-secret” activation. The fairly ordinary-looking porta-potty, dubbed the “Portal-Potty,” could be opened to reveal a full-blown spy lair with interactive touchpoints, easter eggs and a hidden entrance to the Backyard Bash, where Bowling for Soup, which plays the fictional band Love Handel on the show, performed live.
CoComelon launched a potty-themed tour over the summer to help families through the potty-training stage, cited as one of the toughest parenting challenges in a survey by Moonbug. Los Angeles was the first stop on the Gotta Go Zone tour. The activation included CoComelon’s potty tunes and other songs, sing-alongs, meet-and-greets with characters, games, activity zones and a CoComelon-themed, “toddler-approved” bathroom.
–J.C.A.
For flushable wipes brand Goodwipes and its mission to change the way fans “go” and make cleanliness more accessible, it was all about spectacle as the company made its way to select NCAA Football tailgates with a branded luxury toilet trailer called the “porta-palace.” Goodwipes ensured each stall was perfectly clean, fully stocked with products, adorned in gold inside and out, and brimming with playful messaging, like “Let’s Get This Potty Started.”
Even in the trade show sector, exhibitors are leveraging bathroom real estate as another avenue for engagement. “Last night was… not exactly legal” read a sticker placed on the mirrors in bathrooms at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center during SuperZoo. Trippy images from a wild night on the town, along with portraits of the team members as their dog alter egos trying to keep it together the next morning, were part of a provocative campaign by Skout’s Honor Pet Supply Co., a brand that likes to shake it up in the corporate world of pet supplies.
–A.H.
And then there’s gaming company Supercell, which, in partnership with ~Pourri, arrived at San Diego Comic-Con with a “Bathroom Battlestation,” billed as the “ultimate Comic-Con rest stop for gamers.” The setup included fully functioning toilets within stalls equipped with “2-in-1 raid and recharge” stations and Wi-Fi access. There was also an outhouse photo moment featuring a Clash of Clans twist. Plus, fans who stopped in at the right time scored prizes and surprise visits from special guests by using tap technology embedded in ~Pourri’s NFC-enabled “Battle Breeze” pocket sprayers.
