Global Ads Spotlight: Here's how Tide turned internet messes into marketing gold

Laundry detergent is not exactly what you expect to see dominating your social feed - unless it's Tide.

The American brand managed to turn a basic household chore into a full-blown cultural moment with its "Gonna Need More Tide" campaign, cleverly using internet behaviour to drive a surge in sales and change consumer perception.

And they did it the smart way: by weaponizing our obsession with viral masses.

Premise

The insight was simple but potent: washing machines have ballooned in size over the past decade, growing 20% larger. That meant bigger loads and more stubborn stains.

Yet consumers were blissfully unaware that their standard detergent simply couldn't keep up. Even worse, they were reluctant to pay more for a "solution" they didn't think they needed. Classic marketing conundrum.

Enter Power PODS - Tide's souped-up detergent packs, boasting 85% more cleaning power. The only question was: how do you convince people they're not cleaning well enough when they think they are?

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Enter the viral clean-up crew

The team at Tide and Saatchi & Saatchi spotted gold where many brands hesitate to tread: user-generated content. They noticed the internet is overflowing with videos of life's messiest moments - wine spills, food fights, muddy pets, toddlers gone rogue.

Instead of staging artificial ads, they leaned into the raw reality of these viral clips.

To glue it all together, they recruited actor and internet favourite Kumail Nanjiani, whose dry humour and relatable presence made him the perfect face of the campaign.

Tide seamlessly inserted Nanjiani into the chaotic footage, where he cheekily pointed out the need for stronger cleaning power. The tagline? "Gonna Need More Tide."

The campaign wasn't a one-and-one video push. Tide actively engaged with TikTok users, hopping into comment sections and feeding the conversation.

Soon enough, "Gonna Need More Tide" became part of the internet's lexicon - not just a slogan, but an inside joke for every coffee spill and sauce-stained shirt.

And it worked. The campaign chalked up 10.3 billion impressions, 145% sales increase for Power PODS, with it becoming the #1 selling form of detergent.

Awards and Recognition

Industry recognition followed quickly. The campaign cleaned up at Cannes Lions with multiple Golds, Silvers, and Bronze awards in Social and Film categories. It also earned top honours at D&AD, The One Show, and Effies.

What Tide's campaign reminded us is that people don't want to be told they have a problem - they want to see it (preferably with a kick of humour).

By making consumers laugh at their own messes and showing them an effective solution, Tide transformed Power PODS from a premium product into an everyday essential.

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