Squatty Potty knows some fantastic beasts and where to find them. That would be on the toilet, of course.
The brand, known for its candy-colored fever-dream viral videos, has added a sweet-faced purple dragon, a contorting centaur and a ginger merman to its stable of oddball spokescharacters.
The latest mini-movie, from agency Harmon Brothers, features a cameo from the now-famous pooping unicorn and the return of the handsome prince as narrator, regally spouting lines like, “Squatty Potty is a real product that makes No. 2 feel real good” and “I’m no doctor, but butt doctors agree that Squatty Potty is scientifically proven to help you poop better.” (Stick around for his Braveheart-style speech, complete with dramatic background music.)
The dragon shows off its active bowels, using “the stool for better stools,” setting up punny references to “crouching colon, pooping dragon” and making a priceless (solid gold) deposit in “smells fargo.”
The fourth quarter is a key selling season for the Utah-based brand, a veteran of Shark Tank that’s now carried in retailers like Costco, Target, Rite Aid and Bed Bath & Beyond. And execs wanted to return to the fantasy-based world that’s spiked its sales in the past few years.
The new long-form commercial “gives people more of what they’re hungry for,” said Bobby Edwards, Squatty Potty’s CEO. “It feels like a full-length feature advertisement, and it lets us talk about the subject of pooping without being too clinical.”
There’s no ignoring the Game of Thrones influence—dragons are so hot right now—which also informed the prince’s new streamlined outfit, according to Daniel Harmon, the agency’s creative director. Out with the puffy sleeves and in with an outfit that might pass muster in Westeros.
Other updates served practical purposes, and some were just for the fun of it. The hapless merman gives the prince a foil (he has no butt, but is the butt of several ruthless jokes), and the centaur struggling to wipe itself is a solid sight gag.
The ultimate goal was to recreate the acid-trippy magical tone and feel of the original Squatty Potty ad and its sequel last year, execs said. They used the same puppeteers to make the dragon from scratch, and gave it an even more expressive face than the fan favorite unicorn.
The video targets potential buyers ahead of the holidays, when “so much of the business relies on people gifting the product,” Harmon said. But there’s another target—consumers who might not think they need a Squatty Potty.
“People who have problems are an easier sell,” he said, “but the message here is that you can correct your toilet posture and avoid a lot of problems that come from doing it wrong.”
The ad, which just launched today on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, is officially named “Discover the most pleasurable way to poop.” Edwards hopes it’s another highly shareable video that can propel the brand past its expected $35 million in sales this year, which would be a 30 percent bump from 2016.
“It was a tall order to top the pooping unicorn,” Edwards said. But the CEO was an immediate fan of the new spot, citing its sharp script, production values, clever execution—and, of course, the dragon, which has been nicknamed Goldidrops. A plush version of the unicorn, now called Dookie, is a hot seller for the company, and depending on response to the new addition to the family, could get an adorable, crapping baby brother.
CREDITS
Agency: The Harmon Brothers
Creative Director: Daniel Harmon
Agency Managing Director: Benton Crane
Director of Accounts: Theron Harmon
Executive Producer: Theron Harmon
Production Company: Jamestown Films
Producer: Josh Stofferahn
Project Manager: Tiffani Barth
Writers: Dave Vance (lead), Kellen Erskine, Jessica Rigby, Robert Mac
Director: Daniel Harmon
1st AD: Willem Kampenhout
Prince: Wes Tolman
Centaurides: Kerry Kalu
Merman: Jeffrey Blake
Director of Photography: Tyler Stevens
1st AC: Jameson Dressen
Animatronics and Puppet Creation: Chris Hanson
Puppeteer Lead: Chris Hanson
Puppeteers: Kelly Donahue and Brandon Anderson
Script Supervisor/Editor: Kaitlin Snow
Visual Effects Supervisor: Nick Dixon
Digital Effects/Motion Graphics: Tyler Stevens, Nick Ritter, Narendra Moond, Josh Badger
Graphic Design: Brett Crockett
Production Sound: David Adamic
Sound Design: Jake Edvalson
Production Designer: Dillon Ellefson
Prop Master: Wray Featherstone
Greensman: Michael Orme
Set Decorator: Chris Kelly
On-Set Painter: Chad Davis
Wardrobe: Anna K Findley
Wardrobe Assistant: Shannon Poulson
Gaffer: Phil Shepherd
Key Grip: Kevin Woodward
Public Relations: Matthew Faraci
Behind The Scenes: Mike Henderson
Assistant Editor: Kayty Miller
Studio: Studio V, Brandy Gilliam Vega
Client: Squatty Potty
CEO: Bobby Edwards
Co-founders: Bill Edwards, Judy Edwards
CMO: Jason Burroughs
CFO: Devin Brady
Digital Content Producer: Carson Stilson
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