Emily Kraftman, MD (UK and Europe) of disruptive loo paper brand, Who Gives a Crap, told MAD//Fest how humour, honesty, and a commitment to doing good turned a humble toilet paper company into a beloved brand.

"Do you have a photo of Simon on the toilet?" might be the weirdest question someone could ask during their first week at a new job. But Emily Kraftman, MD (UK and Europe), for the disruptive toilet company, Who Gives a Crap, told the MAD//Fest audience last month that this query was just the beginning of an inspiring journey of humour,  impact, and commercial success.

Kraftman told MAD//Fest that Simon Griffiths, the CEO and co-founder of Who Gives a Crap, didn't just want to start a company; he wanted to make a difference in the world. The company was born out of the simple yet powerful idea that everyone deserves access to clean water and sanitation. Simon's unique approach to fundraising—sitting on a toilet for 50 hours until he raised $50,000 for their first production run—set the tone for the brand's playful yet serious mission.

After the successful crowdfunding campaign that saw Simon sitting on a toilet for two days, the company faced another hurdle—getting their product into retailers. But instead of relying on traditional retail channels, they had to embrace the world of e-commerce. “We set up a subscription service so that you could have an easy and regular delivery before it was even a term, and without necessarily intending to, we had created a D2C business.”

Success was almost instant and what was supposed to be three months' worth of stock sold out in just five days. The Who Gives a Crap success story was underway. 

Kraftman’s key lessons from their journey included. 

Doing Good is Good for Business

“We've found that talking about impact is the biggest thing that drives customer loyalty…Whilst they might come to the brand for the first time because we offer great value or they like the name and the wrappers. It's our donation model that people remember and talk about.” Kraftman added that the donation can be seen as a marketing expense. “ It allows us to acquire new consumers efficiently and also engage with our existing customers”

Unexpected Delight in Marketing

“We don't want to fill every one of our interactions with consumers with a hard sell. We know that if we can make people smile, they're more likely to remember us and become more loyal.” Therein lies the Who Gives a Crap marketing mantra - make the brand memorable. “We take the causes that we care about incredibly seriously, but we do that by not taking ourselves too seriously.” Which leads on to Kraftman’s next key lesson…

Humour and fun

“Just having a sense of humor in this category is disruptive” Kraftman argued. This in itself is rather surprising, (there is an entire brand of comedy called ‘toilet humour’!!!) As she explained, when Who Gives a Crap started all toilet paper marketing was about feathers, pillows and cute animals and nothing about the actual product. Therefore, there was real opportunity “to engage with consumers that might otherwise be alienated by trying to do to make some difference, and when we saw that it worked, we doubled down, even when that means making fun of ourselves.”

Watch Emily’s great session in its entirety here and also find out, amongst other things, about:

  • How Who Gives a Crap is constantly innovating and finding new ways to engage its audience via its social channels
  • Why being open about mistakes and transparent with customers has helped them built trust. 
  • They have now branched out beyond online and can now be found in traditional bricks and mortar retailers like Waitrose 

Kraftman and Who Gives a Crap remain focused on the future and their mission. With plans to expand further into retail and increase their impact, they are not just changing and disrupting the world of toilet paper—they're changing the world, one roll at a time.

All the MAD//Fest 2024 sessions are now on our YouTube channel. Great to watch whilst you’re on the beach, on the train, or at work!  Over the course of the summer and next few months, we'll be summarising and highlighting several of the standout keynotes (like Emily's), so you can have a weekly dose of marketing inspiration!