This post is sponsored by Cottonelle. Thanks, Cottonelle!
A few months ago I was invited to go behind the scenes at a hidden-camera commercial shoot for Cottonelle. I was really excited because when I was growing up my brother and I loved to watch the TV show Dick Clark’s Bloopers and Practical Jokes, so I had high expectations – and I was not disappointed.
I, along with Jessica, Ciaran, and Jaime, were able to watch innocent people get pranked from the safety of the crew tent behind a restaurant. However, it was a prank with a purpose: to show people that you need both wet and dry to get something truly clean…more specifically, you need wet and dry after you use the bathroom to get truly clean down there. Honestly, when it was first explained to me I cringed a little, but it was handled perfectly – and hilariously.
In the video of us behind the scenes, you can see us all cringing and laughing (including a lovely shot of me with my hand over my mouth).
I thought Cottonelle did a great job of giving everyone a good visual without, you know, THE visual. But in case the restaurant scene didn’t drive it home, Cottonelle also pranked people at a car wash and a hair salon. It totally made an impression on me – I started buying the wipes after this shoot, and now we all use them in our house.
I love the actors. They never broke character once, and there were lots of opportunities to. Also, the whole crew was just so exceedingly awesome. I was thirteen weeks pregnant when this was filmed and my hyperemesis was on overdrive. Everyone was so kind to me and I appreciated it so much! Plus, I’ll tell ya, those wipes aren’t just good for getting you clean, they are very refreshing on your face after getting sick. Added bonus!
Cottonelle is giving away four $10,000 bathroom makeovers! Just head over to Cottonelle.com between now and June 30th to test your cleaning logic and enter to win.
Megan says:
I’m not a Cottonelle user, but I could use a bathroom makeover so I entered. The ad and behind-the-scenes are cute, and you looked great! I would’ve never known you were getting sick.
Auntie_M says:
I absolutely agree that wet & dry are necessary!!!
And you are adorable!!!
Allison Zapata says:
My butt loves Cottonelle.
Steph says:
Sorry, but what incredibly bad advice. Promoting this way of using wet wipes is so bad for the environment. I’m also not a fan of the guilt tactics involved in this ad.
kathleen says:
totally agree, an environmental nightmare, and just a desire to sell more product. Especially wasteful considering most people bath daily.
Amy says:
I completely agree with Steph. Wet wipes are bad for the environment, and can also create irritations “down there” due to the chemicals they use. If regular toilet paper didn’t work, as suggested in the ads, we would be able to tell by looking at our panties – and I know that mine do not look like the table in the restaurant (!)
I do admit that it IS a great marketing ploy by Cottonelle (and other similar companies) – instead of making you buy just toilet paper, they are creating a need for a new product – and lining their pockets in the process!
Alexandra says:
How is this worse for the environment than regular toilet paper? Seriously wondering.
Kathleen says:
Twice the product going to sewage treatment plants, take a tour of a sewage treatment plant sometime and see what happens to your waste, very educational. As well as the energy to make a totally unnessary product that is soaked in who knows what, when in the past a couple sheets of unbleached paper would do the trick.
Heather says:
We use one sheet of the wet in place of toilet paper for this reason. They’ve been nice for Annie during potty training.
Kate says:
I would say that it’s actually less going down. I know for me sometimes without a wet wipe I’m wiping and wiping and wiping and a ton of toilet paper is used. Each wet wipe (for me) is used for 3-4 wipes and then I just need one square of toilet paper to dry off. Without the wet wipe I’d be using a lot more toilet paper.
Lindsay says:
I’m sorry, Heather, but I agree whole-heartedly with Steph. This just made me cringe. We bathe and shower to take care of the “wet” part of cleaning. No need to use this chemically-laced, non-biodegradeable product.
Heather says:
You don’t have to apologize!
abbie says:
this comment isn’t about cottonelle, though i do love the product, but about maddie.
today i found myself missing her. though i never met her she was very much a part of my everyday through the posts and photos. as my heart began aching i decided to go through some of your old posts and photos… what a beautiful baby:) i watched a few of the videos on youtube and wished there were recent ones of her dancing and talking as a 4 year old. i couldn’t find my favorite video though, maybe you can help? its the one of her in her highchair saying “wooowwwwww” and then she busts out in a dance move. it always makes me smile but i can’t find it anywhere…
anyway, i sent a kiss and a prayer up to heaven for her. know that so many strangers from all over miss your daughter. please don’t ever stop telling stories about her.
all my love from maine. xo
Heather says:
Oh Abbie, your comment couldn’t have come at a better time. I’ve been struggling lately, and to know that you were thinking about Maddie means so, so much to me.
There are a bunch of Maddie videos on my flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/plasticcandy/sets/72157619715273773/
And the video you’re asking about is here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/plasticcandy/3462561021/in/set-72157619715273773
It’s one of my favorites, too. xoxo
abbie says:
thank you! don’t you love her so much in that video?!? ugh, i cn’t deal with how cute she is in it.
i’ve read every post on your blog since i discovered it when maddie was about 6 months old. reading is part of my morning routine every weekday. i’ve cried with you, laughed with you, celebrated with you and grieved with you. thank you for sharing your joys and heartbreaks with me. i am always rooting for your family:)
Electronics DC says:
Wow, that’s…really cool. Behind the scenes shoots are always amazing, but for such a big company as Cottonelle? I can only imagine.