Bathtub Creative

The Situation:
After hearing news of a country being invaded, you’d be forgiven if your first thoughts weren’t, “How will this affect people trying to build PowerPoint decks and get to meetings on time?”. But that’s exactly what millions of everyday Ukrainians have been forced to figure out. All in an effort to continue making ends meet while working in a full-time war zone. 

The Strategy:
Absurd situations call for absurd ideas. Our team was mindful of not simply adding to the media noise unless we had something new to say. So when Ukrainian PR pro and anti-propaganda activist Julia Petryk asked our agency to help ensure her story – and the story of millions of Ukrainians – wasn’t forgotten, images of her and people like her working from the discomfort of their bathrooms caught our attention. That’s why we launched Bathtub Creative – a fictional agency designed to shed light on the real-life working conditions Ukrainians are facing. Because for many remaining in Ukraine during the Russian assault, the safest place to work from home is their tub.

The Activation:
Like any agency trying to introduce itself, LinkedIn was a natural place to get the word out. No one had heard of our new Bathtub based agency. But plenty of people from around the industry know the people from Curiosity. So we had everyone at our agency add jobs at Bathtub Creative. Word got around fast. Media contacted us in minutes. We knew if we used Bathtub Creative’s hiring spree as a device to get our audience to the homepage, it would only take a few seconds for people to be inspired to give. Additionally, we declared 12/20/22 #WorkFromTubDay and donated $1 for every tagged photo of participants working from their bathtub. 

The Results:
We collected over $9200 to help the MacPaw Foundation purchase over 6,000 essential toiletries for Ukrainians in need. We’re proud to say the campaign made waves – racking up 12 million impressions, over 10,000 social engagements, and 55 global news stories.