Who Gives a Crap? The Jenga of Reputation

Andrex’s “Permission to Poo” campaign

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv0W37Red9o

Reputation is built long before a crisis arrives. Andrex, owned by Kimberly-Clark, offers an interesting example. Its Permission to Poo campaign won both the Everyday Brand category and the overall Grand Prix at the Guardian Advertising Awards 2026. The recognition came from an independent judging panel, giving the campaign the credibility of third-party endorsement rather than the brand simply praising itself (Guardian Media Group, 2026).

The campaign addressed children avoiding school toilets because of embarrassment. Andrex-commissioned research found that around three-quarters of UK schoolchildren felt uncomfortable using school toilets, encouraging conversations between children, parents and schools about health, confidence and wellbeing (Newsworks, 2025).

But this created a debate like a little angel and a little demon on either shoulder.

👼

The Angel carefully places the first block…

“Children avoiding school toilets is a real wellbeing concern. Andrex has used its platform to tackle an uncomfortable conversation that affects families, schools and children’s confidence. That can build goodwill with several groups long before a crisis ever happens.”

This is the social responsibility pillar of corporate reputation, where organisations are evaluated on whether their actions create value beyond commercial objectives (Fombrun, Gardberg and Sever, 2000). The campaign also shows stakeholder marketing, extending its influence beyond customers to parents, schools, healthcare professionals and the wider community (Kotler and Keller, 2022).

😈

The Devil slides out a block…

“Or perhaps Andrex simply found the most sophisticated toilet paper advert ever made. Solve a social problem, win awards, generate positive headlines and suddenly nobody notices you’re still selling toilet paper.”

From a marketing perspective, the campaign combines cause-related marketing, strong brand-cause fit and extensive earned media, allowing Andrex to differentiate itself in a mature product category where functional differences are limited (Kotler and Keller, 2022).

“Then look at competitor Who Gives A Crap. It has built much of its reputation around sustainability, yet every toilet roll is individually wrapped in paper. The company explains that the wrappers are recyclable and account for only around 1% of its total paper and cardboard use (Who Gives A Crap, 2026). Even so, every additional wrapper is still another layer of material. If sustainability is the promise, shouldn’t every layer justify its existence?” A good cause can still serve a commercial purpose.

👼

The Angel steadies the tower… “That doesn’t automatically make it greenwashing. Who Gives A Crap says it makes recycled and bamboo toilet paper and donates 50% of its profits to improve access to clean water and sanitation (Who Gives A Crap, 2026). Perfect sustainability rarely exists. The question isn’t whether a company benefits from doing good. The question is whether society benefits as well.”

This reflects shared value, where organisations create economic value while simultaneously creating value for society rather than treating the two as competing objectives (Porter and Kramer, 2011).

😈

The Devil reaches for another block…

“Exactly. That’s the point. Reputation isn’t built by saying you’re responsible. It’s built when stakeholders stop asking awkward questions. Until then, every campaign, every wrapper and every decision becomes another block people can either trust… or pull.”

Publicity and reputation are different. Publicity can be generated quickly through a successful campaign, whereas reputation reflects stakeholders’ accumulated judgements formed through repeated organisational behaviour over time (Fombrun, Gardberg and Sever, 2000).

My view

I think the angel and devil are both holding part of the truth.

Andrex has clearly gained favourable publicity for its social responsibility pillar through independent recognition and extensive earned media. At the same time, the devil reminds us that awards recognise campaigns, not reputations. Reputation is earned when organisations consistently deliver on the values they communicate.

A campaign might win an award, buuut only years of consistent behaviour earn a reputation. That is the difference between favourable publicity and a pillar strong enough to remain standing when stakeholders start pulling blocks away.