BIDET COMPANY TUSHY SEARCHES FOR AMERICA’S MOST ‘BOTTOM-FRIENDLY’ BAR
Originally Posted On adage.com By Parker Herren On June 22, 2021
Pride contest will award one bar the title plus bidets for all of its toilets
When toilet paper hoarders started cleaning out supermarkets and convenience stores last year, the comfortable feeling of a clean backside became equally scarce. Thousands (this reporter included) with unwiped, itchy butts found new, eco-friendly respite in Tushy, an affordable bidet that attaches to one’s toilet seat and bathroom’s clean water supply rather than requiring separate plumbing.
Tushy demand erupted at the beginning of the pandemic, up to ten times what it was pre-March 2020. Tushy reports multiple million dollar days last year not just in March, but even later in the fall.
Now, Tushy is giving some of last year’s profit back to one its largest customer demographics: gay men. In a cheeky new Pride campaign, Tushy is holding a contest to crown America’s Most Bottom-Friendly Gay Bar.
Miki Agrawal, Tushy’s founder, knows how hard the pandemic hit small restaurants and bars. Business at her gluten-free pizzeria, Wild, dropped 80% last year.
“I have such a raging passion for supporting small businesses,” Agrawal tells Ad Age. “And to support LGBTQ-based businesses is even more important and empowering because it really does celebrate true equality.”
That celebration of equality took form when Tushy’s Head of Organic Growth Marketing and “Lead Homo,” Tyler Mead, proposed this year’s campaign center on how Tushy makes better bottoms, i.e. how it keeps gay men’s downstairs sparkling clean and ready for participation in sexual activity.
“Over the past year, we’ve seen dozens of queer venues across the country close or resort to crowdfunding to keep the lights on,” said Mead in a statement. “By contrast, this past year was one of prosperity for Tushy (because everyone finally realized that water obviously cleans better than dry paper, especially down there where bacteria spreads the most), so we wanted to help.”
The winning bar will not only be able to brag that it’s the most bottom-friendly in America with a custom trophy, but Tushy will also promote the bar to its 105k+ social media followers and large email list. The bar will receive a $5k cash prize, sponsored party and Tushy bidets for all of its toilets. To enter, share a video about what makes the nominated bar the most bottom-friendly on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or TikTok, tagging @hellotushy and using the hashtag “#TushyPride.”
Agrawal says the winning video will be “the most creative and passionate,” but that all nominated bars will have the opportunity to be promoted by Tushy.
“Passion builds believers and passion’s like a light,” said Agrawal. “The more we can learn about the bars that people love, the more light can be shown on that particular place. So at the end of the day, we want to support all of them.”
Tushy isn’t the only brand shifting focus from spotlighting organizations to queer businesses. Sparkling water brand Bubly also launched a Pride campaign and contest benefitting queer nightlife this month.
