After the party, it’s the after potty, at least that’s the promise of our featured brand on the show this week: glow-in-the-dark toilet paper.
In this episode of Can They Brand That?®, watch Semiserious tackle glow-in-the-dark toilet paper and build a full brand strategy for it live: who buys it, how to market it (novelty? rave supply? practical night-light?), what to name it, and how to get Charmin-level awareness with a fraction of the budget. The brainstorm gets surprisingly deep into bathroom branding as we build this farcical, bath-tastic brand from top to bottoms.
This episode is for novelty product marketers, CPG brand enthusiasts, gag gift sellers, and anyone who’s ever stumbled to the bathroom at 3 a.m. Find a throne and watch the whole thing! Hosted by: Allie LeFevere and Lyndsay Rush Sanders
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro, Show Rundown, Best Friend Banter, and Discussing Today’s Branding Challenge: Can They Brand Glow-in-the-Dark Toilet Paper?
08:55 The Brainstorm Begins!
09:29 Building a Novelty Bathroom Brand From Scratch: Discussing Target Audience and Novelty vs. Practical Brand Positioning, Ideating a Brand Identity, Brand Names, Taglines, Brand Voice, Messaging, Packaging Design, Visual Identity, Funny Campaigns, Stunts, Activations, Product Lines, and Marketing & Retail Strategies for Bathroom Products
20:40 Mascot O’Clock [Funny Mascot Ideas]
33:40 Funded or Done-ded [Would this idea get funded? Should someone hire us to actually brand it?]
Key Branding Ideas from This Episode:
- Creative freedom in branding unlocks hidden potential.
- Stepping into a space with no constraints allows for more innovative ideas, so encourage unfiltered brainstorming and risk-taking, which leads to breakthrough concepts and compelling market propositions.
- Embracing absurd concepts stimulates memorable ideas, and humor makes brands relatable and memorable, so use exaggerated scenarios to spark branding narratives.
- Taglines as directives enhance consumer engagement, with action-oriented taglines inviting participation. This empowers consumers and reinforces brand identity.
- Playful exploration of taboo themes captures attention and builds strong, distinctive brand voices. This is an opportunity to develop playful mascots or product names.
- Relaxing constraints fosters spontaneous ideation and balances guidance with freedom for unconventional approaches.
- Humor from unexpected connections creates resonance, enhances recall, and differentiates brands.
- Use mascot characters to signal playful branding, humanize brands, and amplify brand personality.
- Design mascots that embody humor and energy to facilitate emotional connections and loyalty.
Semiserious is a female-founded humor branding agency for CPG brands. Their sweet spot is working with founder-led or venture-backed DTC startups to build brands using comedy as a core strategy to help brands stand out in a crowded market. Their roster includes industry darlings like Clif Bar, Native, Blue Bunny, Waterboy, Pie, Argent, JOI, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, Yogi Tea, Choice Organics, GEN Z, The University of Chicago, Alleyoop, Better Than Booze, Backwoods, Bad Rabbit, U Suck at Golf, Hobbyist, and the Dallas Cowboys, but they would never brag about it in their bio. This funny branding agency has offices in Chicago and Nashville, but works with clients globally.
Say hi or snoop around:
🔔 Subscribe for weekly branding brainstorms → https://www.youtube.com/@semiseriousagency
📺 Watch the full Can They Brand That? show series → https://bit.ly/can-they-brand-that-playlist
🌐 Work with Semiserious: https://semiseriousagency.com/
ICYMI, this show exists 1) to champion originality and creativity in a sea of AI slop, 2) to show potential clients the power and value of fun as a consumer-converting strategy, and 3) to bring some much-needed levity into the world where we can.
#ToiletPaperBranding #CanTheyBrandThat #HumorBranding #BrandStrategy #FunnyMarketing
