Ad Boost
Toilet paper manufacturer Cottonelle made this commercial early 2019, and was – of course – subsequently threatened with boycotts.
The “Down There Care” commercial features a man nervously waiting to meet his boyfriend’s parents. Touting Cottonelle’s cleaning ripples that help “give your booty a confidence boost,” the tongue-in-cheek ad even features a sparkling peach to show just how clean our prospective son-in-law feels “down there.”
The spot finishes with the two men smiling and happy, safe in the knowledge that our nervous protagonist has ‘a sparkling clean backside’.
The company wisely disabled comments on their YouTube channel: there were twice as many dislikes than likes – which is quite unusual. On twitter, the social conservatives branded the commercial “disgusting,” “sick,” “nasty,” and “tone deaf,” and threatened to stop using Cottonelle’s products.
Cottonelle was not phased by the criticism, instead it reiterated its commitment to diversity: “No matter a person’s orientation, gender, or anything else, being clean impacts everyone,” the company wrote in a tweet. “Here at Cottonelle Brand, diversity is embraced in all aspects and we are proud to share a commercial that is representative of that. Thank you.”
Read my article on boycotts here: s