Cashmere doubles down on its fashionable approach to marketing

Who: Kruger Products (Cashmere) and John St.

What: Cashmere: The Luxury Roll,” is a new campaign that positions the toilet paper as a luxury product while at the same time poking fun at luxury advertising.

When & Where: The campaign broke today and includes TV, online video and social content. It will run into 2020.

Why:  For a decade, Kruger has connected the Cashmere brand to fashion including its annual Cashmere Collection (couture clothes crafted from its products). This campaign represents a pivot “in the sense of runway shows and fabric metaphors” towards what it means to be luxury product, said John St. account director Tina Obersnel.

“The Cashmere bathroom tissue dress has been a component of the brand work for years, depicted on runways, red carpets and even store aisles,” says Obersnel. “This is the first time we’ve leaned into luxury and acting like a luxury product through fashion advertising and pulling from those category cues.”

How:  The :30 anchor spot is like a Gucci ad, but for toilet paper, says Simon Au, associate creative director at John St. It contains all of the over-the-top hallmarks of a fashion ad, including a beautiful model, moody lighting, and a breathy voiceover—except the model is interacting with toilet paper. The spot highlights key brand traits such as “soft” and “thick.”

“We entered the world of haute couture with tongues fully in our cheeks,” says Au. “With a name like Cashmere, it allows you to lean into the inherent tension between something as everyday as bathroom tissue and something as luxurious as high fashion.” The spot uses the oxymoronic phrase “exclusively everywhere” to playfully reinforce Cashmere’s distinct traits in a crowded category.

And we quote: “In an increasingly competitive category, we leveraged our number one leadership position to re-establish ourselves as a high-quality bathroom tissue… The campaign helps solidify our position as Canada’s favourite bathroom tissue, allowing Canadians to see Cashmere in a new light, with a bold and confident campaign.”—Nancy Marcus, chief marketing officer, Kruger Products. 

 

Chris Powell