Title	PAUL POTTS' BATHROOM
Brand	K-RAUTA
Product/Service	DIY WAREHOUSE
Category	A06. Retail
Entrant	TBWA\STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
Idea Creation	TBWA\STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
Production	BLECK Stockholm, SWEDEN
Production 2	MORE DIGITAL STUDIOS Stockholm, SWEDEN

Name	Company	Position
Johannes Ivarsson	TBWA Stockholm	Copywriter
André Persson	TBWA Stockholm	Art Director
Cecilia Bauman	TBWA Stockholm	Account Director
Ylva Windolf	TBWA Stockholm	Account Manager
Kalle Widgren	TBWA Stockholm	Creative Director
Ingrid Wallmark Hjerpe	TBWA Stockholm	Designer
Tobias Bergenwall	TBWA Stockholm	R&D / Producer
Louise Sallander	TBWA Stockholm	PR strategist
Sofia Swedenborg	TBWA Stockholm	Digital Director
Marcus Svanberg	Bleck	Director
Pål Åsberg	Bleck	Executive Producer
Robert Feniger	Bleck	Producer
Johan Broomé	The Talent Group	Architect & Production Designer
Claes Olsson	Eora Ljudteknik	Acoustician
Lars Nilsson	Nilento Studio	Sound Engineer
Karl Bolin	KTH Royal Institute of Technology	Assistant Professor
Katarina Lindblad	Örebro University	Music Therapist MA
Niklas Nyman	Niklas Nyman	Photographer

Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation ?

By showing K-rauta’s bathroom expertise hands on – and inviting people to actually buy the acoustic bathroom built for the world-famous tenor Paul Potts – we created a bridge between inspiring, building and buying which is key in the DIY/bathroom-category. We also created a bridge between the physical and digital experience of K-rauta: See the unique bathroom on TV and other platforms, think and feel through the campaign site, and buy in one of the 17 stores in Sweden.

Background

A new bathroom is a major investment and the king of revenues for the DIY/hardware/bathroom-warehouses. During September and October, homeowners start their indoor projects and there is a small spike in the market for bathrooms. All the national retailers in Sweden (app. 11-12 of them) – and the countless number of local businesses – want people to visit their stores with the bathroom money. Since K-rauta is far from the biggest retailer on the market, we needed to stand out in a very macho, power tools kind of category. We needed to stop alienating women in the marketing and find a way to inspire all households to find their dream bathroom.

Describe the creative idea

We needed to inspire people to find their inner bathroom dream – and to let them know where to turn for expertise. If you can think it, K-rauta can help you build it – no matter the size, shape and color of your dream. We started with a simple, human insight: Everybody sings in the bathroom... But what if there was a bathroom optimized for singing? Customized for the most famous opera voice in Sweden? In short, we built Paul Potts’ dream bathroom, documented the entire building process, recorded four TVCs and Verdi’s entire aria “La Donna e Mobile” in it – and created a website where you could buy Paul’s acoustic bathroom tile for tile (or start imagining your own).

Describe the strategy

Homeowners, 30-55 y/o, upper middle-class and beyond, with a 50/50 split in gender. Studies show that, in Sweden, the woman in the household usually makes the decisions regarding interiors and renovation, while the man is responsible for making it happen. Hence the split. We needed a softer approach and tonality on a macho market without losing the inspirational heights that can break through. The insight that everybody sings in the bathroom gave us common ground with the target group. We then chose a voice that people easily could identify as “a great singing voice”. In general, opera-voices are considered the best and most highly trained. However, an elitist opera diva that the average Swede had never heard of would be counterproductive. Paul Potts is a household name in Sweden after his breakthrough in 2007 and the most famous opera voice by far. Also, he’s likable.

Describe the execution

After the summer months, people start thinking about their indoor projects and renovations. Hence, the bathroom was built in August and the campaign was launched early September on nationwide prime time television (TV4 and Kanal 5) and online. A few days later, the behind the scenes-footage and interviews with Paul were launched on various web platforms and through PR, creating momentum and authenticity. Shortly thereafter, billboards went up at K-rauta’s warehouses and in key surroundings, and VIP-invitations (bathroom tiles signed by Paul Potts) were sent out to key customers who were able to visit the warehouses before the general public on a special Bathroom Weekend September 16-17. The instore material focused on bathrooms in general, and Paul Potts’ in particular, and the major exhibition areas displayed the materials and interiors used to build the acoustic bathroom, together with some limited offers.

List the results

In the crowded DIY-category where campaigns usually feature macho men with power tools, the acoustic bathroom for a gentle tenor broke new ground. Campaign measurements showed that Paul Potts’ Bathroom scored 188% higher than the DIY-category reference on “Inspirational” and 263% higher on “Purchase intent”* However, a new bathroom is a major investment and not something you buy on a whim. The lead times are long, and the purchase lags. La Donna e Mobile – Bathroom Edition has made it into Paul’s Top 10 on Spotify. 43% of the target group felt that K-rauta strengthened their position as bathroom experts, vs 5% who claimed ‘not at all’