Andrex Calls Time on Toileting Taboos and Invites You to ‘Get Comfortable’

Andrex, the Kimberly Clark-owned toilet tissue brand, is encouraging the nation to challenge its toileting taboos with the launch of a bold new brand platform, created by FCB London.

At the heart of the ‘Get Comfortable’ platform is the truth that too many Brits are held back by their prudery and embarrassment about going to the toilet, and don’t have a healthy relationship with their everyday bodily functions.

Andrex, the UK’s biggest toilet paper brand, is tackling this issue head on and encouraging the nation to engage with their intimate wellness, by showing us there’s a better way.  FCB London brings this to life with a suite of assets, marking a distinct break not only from past Andrex campaigns but with the whole category.

The launch film, called ‘First Office Poo’, starts with a woman who unintentionally does an audible fart in front of her colleagues. A brief, awkward pause follows before she looks down to see the Andrex puppy under her desk, giving her an encouraging nod. 

Emboldened, she takes control of her destiny, grabbing a roll of Andrex and then striding  purposefully through the office with a toilet roll in hand. As the music builds to an assertive crescendo, the film ends with her entering the toilet, confidently owning her actions. 

Directed by lauded commercials director Andreas Nilsson, the film is visually striking with an arresting soundtrack but no voiceover, simply finishing with the words ‘Get Comfortable’ and the Andrex logo. Also absent are the usual toilet paper ad tropes, such as closeups of brand packaging and gleaming white bathrooms.

Matt Stone, marketing director, Kimberly-Clark UK&I, said, “’Get Comfortable’ marks the start of a significant transformation for the Andrex brand and, we hope, for British culture. This platform aims to help the nation get over our collective social constipation, in order to make more confident choices, adopt healthier habits and, ultimately, feel better. FCB London is taking our brand into a new, modern and purposeful direction with this launch campaign, to help us all have a healthier, more confident relationship with the bathroom”.

Owen Lee, chief creative officer, FCB London, said, “This bold, new brand platform for Andrex marks a complete shift from product-centric campaigns. And the great thing about ‘Get Comfortable’ is that as well as making Andrex stand out from other brands, it’s going to spark a much-needed conversation among Brits about our toilet inhibitions.’

Research carried out by Andrex has found that it is incredibly common in the UK to fear using public loos. Half of us admit that being shy about our bowels stops us from pooing in the work toilets or at a romantic partner’s house, and 41% are even afraid of pooing when visiting their in-laws at home.

Some of the stats from this research are featured in VOD activity supporting the ‘Get Comfortable’ launch film while OOH executions use stand-out visuals and headlines like ‘Live unclenched’ and ‘Conquer the first office poo’, designed to get people to question their inhibitions around toileting.

The campaign breaks shortly after the launch of Andrex’s partnership with Bowel Cancer UK and ITV, with a joint campaign featuring past Big Brother housemates and Sharon Osbourne appearing in the final week of Celebrity Big Brother. This will be followed by a joint Andrex and Bowel Cancer UK VOD spot as part of the main ‘Get Comfortable’ campaign, entitled ‘Born Unembarrassed’. This spot launches in April (Bowel Cancer Awareness Month).