Andrex’s latest advert – created by FCB London – featuring a lady going for a dump at work is actually a masterpiece of storytelling as well as imparting the important message of encouraging people to look after themselves properly by breaking through “shame”.
If you haven’t seen it, watch the minute long advert first;
“Facts tell, stories sell”
I’m sure you’ve heard this, but it’s not quite true – ironically it doesn’t tell the full story. “Facts tell, GOOD stories sell” would be a more accurate but less snappy way to put it. Why do I say that? Well, we’ve all got stories and we can all tell stories but not all of our stories are very interesting – do you really want to hear about that time I made scrambled eggs for breakfast and… that’s it, I made scrambled eggs for breakfast – and even when they are, not all of us can tell them very well.
Narrative Transportation
You see it’s one thing to tell them in the moment. When you, the storyteller, are reliving that moment. Your moment. That’s narrative transportation, you’ve time traveled. Placed yourself back there and if you’re sufficiently deeply into your situation and your manner of storytelling is pulling people in, you’ve dragged them into that moment as well. Bingo, THAT’S a story.
But crafting a story that does the same thing using video, that’s planned and intentional, that shows as much as tells the story? That’s a witchcraft mixture of art, science and technology.
The Science of Storytelling
I use the Muse Science of Storytelling framework in my multi-step storytelling video production process. Why “Science”? Well, storytelling is actually part of our DNA. Storytelling has helped ensure the survival of our species. That ability to impart information in a way that we ingest it, understand it and retain it, ready to be recalled when we remember instinctively how the tribe leader actually managed to outwit that sabre-toothed tiger and lived to tell the story! There are cues that scientific research has identified in story that we respond to and understanding those cues can help you to tell stronger stories – and it’s these stronger stories that sell.
Flushing Out the Facts: Why This Ad Doesn’t Stink
Whilst other articles have looked at the ad’s wider intention, reception and performance I’ll step through the advert and relate it to the basic ingredients of a good story.
Story is obviously used in a number of different contexts, but rather than looking at the longer narratives of films, novels, even documentaries, the Science of Storytelling is focused on brand stories – essentially adverts (even if the form is usually longer than your “traditional advert”, our and my peers work are effectively adverts, intended to create a Call To Action).
Heart Character
A single main character gives us a focus, someone to root for that we call our Heart. Out of all the potential characters for a given intended story, the Heart will be the one who scores most highly in The Big Three Things.
- Uniqueness – This is what will attract our initial attention. For our Pooing Lady she’s a short, lovely & cuddly, slightly frumpily dressed – but well coordinated.
- Desire – Our Heart wants something, badly – hint: your audience will NEVER want to watch your story MORE than your Heart wants their outcome. Pooing Lady, needs, well, a poo!
- Motivation – Similar conceptually to desire but distinct. This is their why. Pooing Lady is determined to face the “shame” of taking a dump at work.
These big three things will cause us to fall in love with our Heart – at least for the duration of the story.
Plot
A story is nothing without a plot, steps that our Heart will go through. Without a plot that hits the right plot points, even the strongest Heart character won’t hold your story.
Hook
The opening to your story. The Hook determines whether people watch the rest. You must grab their attention immediately.
00:01-00:02 In “First Office Poo” this is the fart. Farts are always funny, but rare in content designed to sell us something.
Conflict
This is the moment your character runs into a challenge or obstacle. Conflict creates a question in the minds of your audience – will she be able to overcome?
00:04-00:09 Her co-workers are turning around to look at her. An embarrassed grimaced smile and she turns to her mentor character for support. Can she overcome the “shame” of going for a poo at work?
Initiation
The moment the character decides to take on the conflict. Their first meaningful step towards overcoming.
00:10-00:16 The mentor character, Andrex’s consistent hero puppy character is wise beyond its years, gives her a “go for it” nod and she confidently reaches for her roll of Andrex (that she keeps in a cupboard next to her desk and for some reason the company doesn’t seem to guarantee enough toilet roll in the cubicles despite this being an advert to encourage more people to poo at work. Well, stories often need “poetic licence”!)
Journey
These are the main milestones, including setbacks, that happen as she tries to overcome the conflict. We identify these as one or more of;
- Win: A moment of success for your Heart, an early sign of progress toward overcoming the Conflict.
- Wipeout: A setback for the character. It’s an additional conflict that the Heart needs to overcome, serving to show the depth of their Desire.
- Wild: An unusual or extreme event. It’s an experience that most of the audience doesn’t get in their daily lives, which helps to maintain their engagement with the story.
- Wonder: An informational point that is needed in order to provide some key information for the audience, either because they may need it to understand one or more pending or prior plot points or because the information is important to the desired jab and outcome for the film.
00:17-00:20 Win – She walks confidently past her immediate co-worker neighbours, a smile on her face.
00:21-00:24 Wipeout – There’s a moment of doubt now as she contemplates the vastness of the office space she has to walk through, people staring.
00:25-00:33 Wipeout – Everyone in the office is now staring at her as she walks towards the toilet.
00:34-00:35 Win – A moment of comfort as she strokes her roll of Andrex – positioning the product as providing confidence.
00:36-00:40 Wipeout – More intense (and disapproving?) stares, especially as she passes the meeting room where everyone stops, turns and stares.
These wipeout moments are building the tension as we sense the increasing, and quite frankly disgusting concept of, “shame” which is pulling us in to root more strongly for Pooing Lady.
00:41-00:43 Wonder – She’s stopped to browse the reading desk, giving us a sense that “this is going to take some time”.
00:44-00:46 Wild – She picks up a French/German dictionary – something we all understand but almost none of us will have actually seen never mind own!
Resolution
This is the emotional crescendo, the climax, and the resolution to the conflict and question setup earlier.
00:47-00:49 She has conquered “the walk of shame”, she has reached the door to the single-sex toilet facilities.
Come Down
Whilst not an essential plot point, for those slighter longer narratives it allows a breathing gap for the audience to “come down” from the high of the resolution and makes the Jab all the stronger as it “hits them” at a time when they are more relaxed.
00:50-00:54 Even in this short 1 minute narrative they squeezed out, sorry I meant squeezed in, a come down. A moment of reflection and confident defiance as she looks back at the office full of staring “shame-mongers”.
Jab
The ending of your story, and the opportunity for a Call To Action to spur action for what you want the audience to do.
00:55-00:59 As Pooing Lady disappears into the toilets to have her poo, we see “Get Comfortable” the slogan for Andrex’s latest marketing campaign followed by the familiar Andrex® with comes on screen right when the toilet door closes.
In the most recent one I’ve seen on the telly – and I think it is better for that – at this point they also throw in a statistic aimed at reducing, what shouldn’t be, the stigma of pooing at work.
Cinematic
In this noisy world of content, whilst a strong hook is going to grab and a strong story is going to hold attention, many times we scroll past content on mute and we need something to visually grab attention. Often this is a strong and intentional thumbnail image but for those platforms that don’t offer a thumbnail and just go straight into autoplay, the initial look of your piece is so important.
Visuals
Strong visuals and lighting. Pooing Lady is very intentionally dressed with a frumpy (that’s actually quite an insulting phrase to use but I can’t think how else to convey what I mean) but very nicely coordinated outfit and the dim lighting is extremely well done. Toilet roll adverts typically avoid the shit the product is designed to deal with, instead focusing on puppies and sparkling clean & bright bathrooms. “First Office Poo” is a great example of how strong cinematography is also crucial in elevating a video into a brand film.
Sound Design
Often overlooked, sound is half of the picture, often more – how many times poor visuals are carried by great soundtracks. It’s why so many YouTubers and irresponsible video production companies use commercial hits as soundtracks without paying their proper dues to the license holders. “First Office Poo” uses great sound design. The background noises that tell us we’re in a busy office – telephone rings. Typing. The fart. The sound of chairs squeaking as their occupants turn to look. The creak as people shift themselves to stare. The music, delayed to add to Pooing Lady’s initial discomfort. The short whimper of the puppy as it gives encouragement. The sound of the chair being pushed confidently back to reach for the toilet roll. It goes on, culminating in the dramatic and epic pounding drums. All of this is intentional and extremely well thought out and executed.
A Clean Finish
Well, there you have it. Andrex’s “First Office Poo” isn’t just a cheeky bit of toilet humour – it’s a prime example of how great storytelling can elevate even the most everyday products to memorable heights. From the attention-grabbing fart to the triumphant toilet door close, this advert showcases the combination of narrative elements that make up a compelling story.
Each component – the relatable Heart character, the carefully crafted plot points, the sound design, and the intentional visual choices – works in harmony to create a piece that resonates far beyond its 60-second runtime. It’s a testament to the power of well-executed storytelling, where each moving part, no matter how small, contributes to the overall impact.
What Andrex has achieved here goes beyond selling toilet paper. They’ve created a moment of shared human experience, tackling an awkward subject with humour and empathy. It’s a brilliant demonstration of how, when all the storytelling elements align just right, an advert can make us laugh, think, and yes, maybe even change our behaviour – all in less of the time it takes to have a good dump. Now that’s what I call a clean finish to a dirty job!
