MiraLAX’s ‘Workstipation Reform’ Campaign Fights Stress Around Office Bathrooms

Over the past few months, we’ve watched as the nation has debated when would be appropriate for America’s workforce to return to their physical offices. In addition to health concerns, a surprising trend has emerged – people’s dread around pooping in their office bathrooms (1)! In response, MiraLAX’s new ‘Workstipation Reform’ campaign wants to reduce the stress of transitioning back to the office bathroom, after we’ve gotten used to the comfort of our at-home lavatories.

The laxative brand knows that being constipated can produce feelings of irritability and frustration. Even worse, that can be exacerbated when someone doesn’t have an ideal, private bathroom to work through it. After almost two years of people going to their own homes, MiraLAX wants to reduce Workstipation: the stress of ‘going’ at the office with a backed-up gut. The launch includes two longform films, digital tools to fight for bathroom reform, and a multipurpose poster that can be customised to physically improve office bathrooms.

The new campaign is by creative agency Energy BBDO, with support by Coyne PR. The digital campaign will live on Twitter and here. 

The multipurpose poster offers informational bathroom protocol and can be strategically torn to improve one’s pooping experience. The poster can be cut into a toilet seat cover, strips to cover wide stall gaps, and has self-adhesive sections to conceal shoes from prying eyes. They are also scented and come with a Spotify code to pull up relaxing and camouflaging sounds. You can request your own poster here.

As part of the integrated campaign, the brand also conducted a consumer survey and found that a whopping two-thirds ‘hold it in’ to avoid pooping at work. So, to help quell workplace bathroom worries, beginning March 1st through April 11th, MiraLAX invites consumers to share their stressful bathroom conditions on Twitter for a chance to win a deluxe 'bathroom comfort' prize pack. More details on the sweepstakes and survey can be found here.

“Being able to do ‘our business’ at home is a huge perk that some of us are about to lose,” said Gloria Dusenberry, creative director at Energy BBDO. “With this campaign, we want to give office-goers the right to talk about this source of anxiety that everyone’s thinking about, but nobody’s talking about… and give them solutions to cope.”