And by that I mean, that is the name of the brand we are covering in this blog, and not the sentiments of a jaded copywriter who has been worn-down by the merciless marketing industry. Founded in July 2012 by Simon Griffiths, Danny Alexander and Jehan Ratnatunga with a crowdfunding campaign on IndieGoGo, WGC? has since captured the minds, hearts and bums of many people. In fact, one of their biggest fans happens to be Giant Propeller’s very own email marketing manager, Casey.
So, I sat down with him over a couple rounds of methyl cellulose (laxative, for you science-hating laypeople) to discuss what he loves about this brand, and in the process I found myself developing an emotional attachment to toilet paper in a way I never thought possible…
How did you find out about WGC??
I was actually gifted my first box by some old coworkers for Christmas. I happen to make a lot of poop jokes so they thought it was fitting, and it was. I loved it and still do.
Toilet paper has been around for a minute (Joseph C. Gayetty created the first commercially packaged toilet paper in 1857). What about this brand do you love? How does it distinguish itself from other TP brands?
Having no plastic is awesome and I love the individual wraps and themes on their packaging. It helps bring a little fun to a task most people don’t usually associate fun with. For example, I really love their Emergency Roll, which is the final roll in every shipment with bright red wrapping and a warning to order more, or else. It’s definitely saved my ass on more than one occasion… literally.
WGC? paper is made from 100% recycled material. This is great because it doesn’t cut down any new trees, but do you feel weird about using paper someone else used?
Seriously? Recycled toilet paper isn’t made from used toilet paper at all, but from recycled office paper or newspaper. Was that a real question?
… Moving on. Is the fact they don’t use any inks, dyes or scents important to you?
Believe it or not but it is. I actually have ulcerative colitis so quality toilet paper without a bunch of crap (ha!) to cause irritation helps a ton.
Puns abound. Tell us about the convenience of their subscription / delivery and why that’s important to you.
I’m all about subscription plans for anything my family uses on a daily/weekly/monthly basis. My wife and I both work full-time, so little tasks like having legit quality products with a purpose sent to our home on a regular basis is amazing.
50% of WGC? profits go toward getting toilets to impoverished communities around the world. Tell me why their charity work is important to you? Do you feel like you have better karma every time you wipe?
My wife and I travel a lot which means we have seen a lot. And a lot of people need help. While traveling in the Philippines I saw people that did not have access to clean water or toilets. I was given a calendar a few years back that had tons of facts about poop and I remember it saying that more people in the world have mobile phones than toilets, which is pretty crazy when you think about it. And then I read on the WGC? website that 2.3 billion people (roughly 40% of the world’s population) don’t have access to a toilet, and this causes a lot of illness and death that could totally be avoided. The convenience of going to the bathroom is totally something we all take for granted. Knowing that Who Gives a Crap? is helping the world definitely gives me an extra good feeling while cleaning my bum.
Do you think this brand is going to get bigger and become more popular? Or is the TP industry too set in their old-fashioned ways to evolve?
As subscriptions become more and more a part of our everyday life, WGC? will continue to grow. It’s going to take some time but with a great product that is reinforced by doing good in this world, I have no doubt Who Gives a Crap? will be the new name in the #2 business.
This blog would have been longer, but a deep rumbling in our bowels sent us running to the GP powder rooms, which are now – thanks to Casey – fully-stocked with Who Gives a Crap? Yes, Giant Propeller does its part to support emerging brands while also saving the world… one glorious flush at a time.
