The Guardian and eco-friendly toilet paper brand Who Gives A Crap, have teamed up to help ‘uncrap’ the world, with a sustainability campaign revealing fun and easy actions that people can take to do good for the planet.
This deep, wide-scale content partnership results in a first for the Guardian with tailor-made and nuanced activity aimed at audiences in two major markets – the UK and Australia.
In the UK, this bespoke and impactful multichannel campaign includes a three-minute video with comedian Zoe Lyons informing audiences how they can do more for the environment, a full Guardian paper takeover, digital and print display ads, and an online collection of articles.
In Australia, the Guardian is hosting talent-led social posts featuring Maddy MacRae, a four part podcast series Changing the Bog Standard hosted by Dan Ilic, and online articles under the Uncrap the World digital tag, with pieces exploring the connection between loo paper and deforestation and making eco-swaps. Australian and UK audiences can also use the Guardian’s engaging video shoppable format that encourages direct action from consumers.
Who Gives A Crap’s partnership with the Guardian is part of a broader campaign asking consumers to make a switch from traditional toilet paper brands to Who Gives A Crap’s 100 per cent recycled and bamboo products. With more than one million trees cut down to make traditional toilet paper every day, switching is part of a drive to help stop “flushing forests down the toilet”. The campaign launch also coincides with Who Gives A Crap’s first entry into retail in the UK (Waitrose) and Australia (Woolworths).
The Guardian were the only media owner to be briefed as part of this campaign and the partnership comes as a result of key shared sustainability values between the two organisations. The Guardian is a sustainable media choice, famed for producing the best climate journalism and a climate conscious audience, concerned about doing their bit for the environment.
Another key format used as part of the campaign is Green eCPM. As the first UK publisher to utilise this, the digital streaming format can reduce data transfer up to 40 per cent compared to conventional technology, with data reduction closely associated with carbon reduction. Campaign performance also saw reduced load time, only showing the creative when in view.
James Fleetham, director of client sales, Guardian News & Media, said:
“This campaign and partnership with Who Gives A Crap is a brilliant example of the huge scale and impact of the Guardian. The formats used are big, bold and responsible. Significant scale across key markets means that we are able to work with brands to deliver messages in highly engaged environments. Sustainability is an important value here at the Guardian and it’s great to know that this is why brands are coming directly to us.”
Justine O’Donnell, content and strategy director, Guardian Labs Australia, said: “Partnering with Who Gives A Crap on a co-branded podcast series allowed us to dive deeper into local stories on saving trees and tackling deforestation – a subject that both brands care deeply about. At Guardian Labs, we tell brand stories in credible ways which in turn drives the enviable trust we have with our readers.”
Kat Kearney, brand experience director, Who Gives A Crap said:
“The partnership with the Guardian was a first of its kind for us. To launch our global brand campaign ‘uncrap the world’ we knew that we had to find a partner that shares the same values and would be able to bring some light and cheekiness to a heavy topic. While people are feeling overwhelmed by the climate doom and gloom, we wanted to show that big change can start from something small as sitting on the loo. Launching with innovative formats across multiple touch points, we managed to reach and engage a wide audience – because everyone can help save the planet from the bottom up.”
The campaign started at the end of May and will run until the end of July. Look out for more content and display ads over the coming weeks.