Charmin launched a new service the other day where they offer toilets to Times Square tourists in need for a pee. The story has been picke dup well in the blogosphere and a couple of folk dropped us a line to let us know that they thought the service was a Branded Utility.
Elizabeth Talerman pinged us and said,
“I’ve been thinking lately about ways in which brands can be of service in every form they take - especially in advertising. There is a flurry of writing and thinking being done, especially in the digital word around the notions of branded utilities. And I’ve heard more than once this month that applications are the new advertising.
“Here’s a fantastic example of a brand being of service through its advertising. Charmin is gifting the city of New York with toilets in Time Square for the holidays. My question to P&G is why not make it permanent?”
And Scott Burns wrote and said:
“…for an example, just look at what Charmin is doing in Times Square over the holidays, giving tourists & New Yorkers 20+ nice, heated, well-kept bathrooms to use featuring their products.”
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Sadly many if not most companies would only see the toilets as an expense to be eliminated after the initial flurry of news coverage.
A gimmick and nothing more.
The idea that such things are an investment, with perhaps no measurable cash return, or even a service to the greater public, is one that seems to be lost to Corporate America.
A much different outlook can be found today in a story on Seth Godin’s blog here:
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2006/11/a_friend_in_nee.html
November 18th, 2006 at 11:02 am
More pics:
http://www.gothamist.com/archives/2006/11/20/charmins_times.php
November 21st, 2006 at 9:47 am
DO YOU GUYS PROVIDE DENPSENSER FOR FREE WITH PURCHASED OF PAPER????
November 29th, 2007 at 1:17 pm