No one wants to dwell on time spent in the bathroom, and toilet paper that's done its job well is easily—and best—forgotten.
But Quilted Northern, a brand forever condemned to bathroom humor, is out with six new spots from Droga5 about the plight of those bathroom accoutrements fated to bear witness, over and over again, to the ill-made products of even the most banal human existence.
There's "Daddy Gator," a reptilian ship captain—a child's toy—perpetually landlocked with his eyes fixed on the john. There's "Little Miss Puffytail," a porcelain rabbit with a similarly distasteful vantage, who wants nothing more than for someone to put her out of her misery. There's "Sir Froggy," the toilet paper holder, who's never flown anywhere, but boy are his arms—and eyes—tired.
Perhaps the best is "Great Grandpa Thaddeus," whose noble visage some ungrateful and spiteful descendant has poised in a most undignified position overlooking the family throne. The "Birds" on the wallpaper are similarly doomed, save one that's been liberated by an even worse outcome. The sixth and last spot returns to child's play with "Conductor Randy," a figurine forgotten underneath the radiator—and a more unfortunate friend.
Based on Quilted Northern's research that people only remember toilet paper when it doesn't work, the campaign's sales pitch—it's so good you'll forget it, but please keep it in mind because of these silly ads—borders on convoluted. But it works well enough, in the end, because they actually are pretty amusing and memorable.
It is a bit surprising that the brand, though, opted against making a stand-in for the Charmin bear one of its tortured animals. Nobody, try as they might, can forget that guy.
CREDITS
Client: Quilted Northern
CMO: Douwe Bergsma
General Manager, Tissue: Vivek Joshi
Senior Brand Director: Jason Ippen
Senior Brand Manager: Ann V Anderson
Senior Marketing Director, Brand Center; Shari Neumann
Campaign: Designed to be Forgotten
Agency: Droga5 NY
Creative Chairman: David Droga
Chief Creative Officer: Ted Royer
Creative Directors: David Gibson, Nathan Lennon, Mike Long, Alex Lea
Art Director/Copywriters: Molly Jamison, Eric Dennis
Chief Creation Officer: Sally-Ann Dale
Head of Broadcast Production Ben Davies
Senior Broadcast Producer: Anders Hedberg
Global Chief Strategy Officer: Jonny Bauer
Group Strategy Director: Matt Springate
Senior Strategist: Nick Maschmeyer
Head of Communications Strategy: Colleen Leddy
General Manager/Head of Account Mgmt: Susie Nam
Group Account Director: Brett Edgar
Account Director: Michael Arani
Account Manager: Jasmine Moesel
Production Company: Smuggler
Director: Bennett Miller
Executive Producer: Patrick Milling Smith, Brian Carmody, Shannon Jones
Producer: Suzie Greene Tedesco
DP: Adam Kimmel
Editorial: Exile
Editor: Conor O'Neill
Assistant Editor: Rex Lowry
Executive Producer: CL Weaver
Producer: Denice Hutton
Post Production: Method NY/Atlanta
Flame Artists: Mike Wardner, Glen Bennett, Jay Tilin
Head of Production: Jennifer Hargreaves
Producer: Natalia Wroble
Music: Adelphoi ("Daddy Gator," "Great Grandpa Thaddeus," "Sir Froggy," "Conductor Randy" Adelphoi, "Birds")
Composers: Jamie Masters, Andrew Sherriff, Ashley Bates, Stephen Patman
Producers: Jonathan Watts, Lotte Bowser
Music: Manners McDade ("Little Miss Puffytail")