Who Gives A Crap: Going viral on a toilet and selling 300 million rolls of toilet paper, with Co-Founder Simon Griffiths
Dec 13, 2022
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Simon Griffiths, Co-Founder of Who Gives A Crap, discusses the viral marketing success of their toilet paper brand and their mission to provide sanitation in the developing world. They explore the challenges of entrepreneurship, choosing a brand name, and the unexpected success they experienced. The podcast also touches on their innovative design features, balancing playfulness and expertise, and their charitable impact and future goals.
Patience and determination are crucial in building a successful and impactful business.
A creative and viral marketing campaign, along with unique packaging and branding, can help drive significant word-of-mouth growth.
Designing a frictionless consumer experience with delightful touches can differentiate a product in a mundane space.
Deep dives
The Startup Journey and the Importance of Perseverance
Starting a toilet paper company called Who Gives a Crap, which donates 50% of its profits to building toilets in the developing world, was initially met with skepticism by investors. However, the founders persevered, bootstrapping for nine years and working on product development for three years before launching. Despite the challenges, they have sold over 300 million rolls and donated more than 11 million Australian dollars to charity. This highlights the significance of patience and determination in building a successful and impactful business.
The Power of Crowdfunding and Viral Marketing
To gain visibility for their toilet paper brand, the founders decided to run a crowdfunding campaign. To make it more interesting, they filmed the founder sitting on a toilet and pledged to stay there until they pre-sold $50,000 worth of product. The campaign went viral, generating 2.5 million social media impressions and attracting customers from around the world. This creative approach to marketing, combined with the unique brand name and the high-quality packaging with funny and informative messages on each roll, helped them create a strong customer base and achieve significant word-of-mouth growth.
Scaling the Business and Making a Social Impact
After the initial launch, the company focused on direct-to-consumer sales, leveraging platforms like Shopify and Facebook ads. They experienced rapid growth, tripling their business in the first few years and doubling it afterward. With their success, they expanded their product line to include shampoo, conditioner, and body care under the brand Good Time. The company has donated over 11 million Australian dollars, with the goal of helping the 2 billion people without access to adequate sanitation. They aim to become a major player in the industry, like Kimberly Clark, but with a focus on making a positive social and environmental impact.
Designing a Frictionless Customer Experience
During the podcast episode, the speaker discusses the process of designing the packaging for their toilet paper brand. They explain how they dissected the customer experience, from purchasing to delivery and usage, to identify areas where they could innovate and create moments of delight. The goal was to create a frictionless consumer experience that allowed customers to easily navigate the product, while also incorporating unique touches like limited edition wrappers and regularly changing copy on boxes and wrappers. By doing this, they aimed to bring a sense of delight to an otherwise mundane space in people's homes.
Navigating the Challenges of Starting a Business
The podcast episode also delves into the early years of building the toilet paper company. The speaker shares that during those three years, they faced financial challenges and had to make difficult choices. They worked part-time jobs to support themselves and committed significant time and effort to building their own business. Despite uncertainty and skepticism from others, they remained focused on their passion and the mission of their brand. The speaker discusses the importance of balancing personal fulfillment with financial success and the power of perseverance in the face of adversity.
Where were you when you came up with the idea for your business?
Simon Griffiths was sitting on a toilet when he had the idea for Who Gives A Crap, a subscription-based toilet paper brand that donates 50% of its profits to help build toilets in the developing world.
Since they launched in 2012, they’ve sold more than 300 million rolls of toilet paper and donated more than 11 million Australian dollars - just over £6 million - to charity. They now have more than 200 employees spread across 7 countries selling into the USA, Europe and Australia. In September 2021 they raised over $40 million in their first fundraising round.
It’s taken a lot to get to this point. They bootstrapped for the first 9 years and spent 3 years before that working on the product before launching. Simon didn’t get paid for the first 18 months of trading.
What does it take to build a brand that actually tries to change the world? Is entrepreneurship really for everyone? And does Simon fold or scrunch his toilet paper?
