Get talked about without ruining your reputation.

When I first saw this, I figured they had to be joking.

(check it out in all it's glory here: www.charmin.com/en_US/enjoy-the-go/index.php)

But alas, Charmin's 'Enjoy the Go' Contest is a legitimate attempt to convert non-Charmin users on the basis that using Charmin will make the bathroom experience one to cherish. The implication being Charmin users are motivated to visit the bathroom simply because the toilet paper feels that good.

Putting context aside, because hey Charmin is toilet paper after all, let's focus strictly on the ludicrous proposition that toilet paper - soft, silky, beautifully designed or otherwise - has the ability to make people want to go to the bathroom.

I can't believe I'm writing about this.

I can't believe Charmin is promoting this.

And I can't believe someone with a marketing degree, the power to green light this, and a forecast to make is convinced there's anything believable about this proposition.

There is no RTB.

The only point I want to make with this one is about the insight - one that clearly did not come from a consumer. So, what's the upside? You get a bunch of juvenile videos from people who think bathroom humor is funny enough to spend 2 minutes filming themselves talking about it?

If the goal is to start a conversation about your brand, to what length should you be willing to go?

Naturally occurring conversation about ones' brand is a great thing - but for that conversation to translate to real value, it needs to become more than the butt of a joke - ideally, it's a conversation indirectly guided or influenced on some level by a real marketing strategy so the dialogue that evolves supports what you want people to remember about your brand.

This is a classic case of social media abuse and other decisions gone bad.

Do I even need to say it? OFF STRATEGY.