The innovation team at SC Johnson wanted foresight into bathroom cleaning. Sense Worldwide would take them to the extremes to find it.
Seeking a fresh perspective we turned to The Sense Network, our community of creatives, rebels, misfits, and outliers. Working with radical consumers makes an insight easier to observe because the contrast is sharper and brighter at the extremes.
During the discovery phase, we observed one collaborator who was living with OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). They were interested in the minutiae of cleaning and were willing to go into details most people would rather not think about.
They wrapped toilet paper around the head of a toilet brush, used it to clean, and then shook the paper off. For this homeowner the thought of a contaminated brush sitting next to the toilet all day, every day, was unbearable. This observation is a textbook example of a latent or unarticulated need.
Our insights helped the innovation team at SC Johnson reframe the future of bathroom cleaning and create a tight design brief for the R&D team. The Scrubbing Bubbles disposable toilet cleaner was born and it was able to accelerate a fringe behavior into the mainstream.
Don’t believe us? The product tapped into everyday consumers’ needs, “A must in every bathroom!”, “Least gross method of toilet cleaning” and “Saved me from a nervous breakdown”. With 19,000+ ratings on Amazon and a score of 4.7/5.0, that’s more and better reviews than an iPhone X. Not bad for a toilet brush.
Everyone is referring to the Sense Worldwide work as gold standard.
Market Research Director, SC Johnson International Markets
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