A really filthy web site
I dare you to click on this URL. I double dare you, if the kids are around.
You definitely don’t want the children around for this. You see, for years detergent makers have been saying dirt is bad. Dirty clothing, yuk. Bring on the soap. Remove the dirt. Well, now Persil, a Unilever brand in the UK, is saying dirt is good. If you ever had to wash a pair of kids jeans after a day of tree climbing or leap frog, then you see where this is going.
Evidently research showed that detergent buyers see dirt, filth and grime (we can’t forget grime) as a sign that their kids aren’t sitting behind a computer, game boy or vegging away in front of a TV. In that context dirt is good. Dirt is fresh air, exercise, sweat, weight control, muscle tone, healthy arteries. Hell, the Persil people have built an entire healthy lifestyle industry around this. Side of the angels, baby! Ya’ gotta’ love dirt! Ya’ gotta’ love open-mindedness.
In DIY Lobotomy parlance we call this 180° Thinking™, going directly against convention. If you want to read a bit about it see my post about 359° Thinking.
To give credit where it’s due the general concept did not originate with the Persil product. Another Unilever brand in Canada, Sunlight, originally introduced the idea, if not the theme line, with “Go ahead, get dirty.” The campaign was created by my friends at Ammirati Puris. I understand in 1999 it won the Grand Prix at the CASSIES (the Canadian effectiveness awards, equivalent to the IPA or EFFIES). Just another example of the versatility of a great idea, and a marketer willing to adapt it for different situations.
Got any other examples of fresh thinking in business? Marketing concepts like this? Creative ways to serve customers, like my post on DHL? Theory is great, but real world examples definitely bring it home, baby!
