Clorox taps Billy Porter for #YasClean song, challenge on TikTok

Dive Brief:

• Clorox Scentiva has tapped actor-activist Billy Porter to craft an original musical track as part of a TikTok hashtag challenge, per details emailed to Marketing Dive. The #YasClean campaign flips the slang phrase “yas queen” with the brand’s cleaning products in mind.

• Along with the hashtag challenge, Clorox is running a sweepstakes through June 30 wherein consumers can enter for a chance to win $5,000 for a home makeover and $5,000 for a charity, plus more than 100 runner-up prizes. The sweepstakes is being promoted by three of the brand’s TikTok influencer partners: Bonnie Lee, Beau & Matt and James Henry.

• Along with a sweepstakes that doubles as a first-party data play, the #YasClean campaign demonstrates continued interest in TikTok as a marketing platform, while showing how a brand can integrate LGBTQ culture into a broad-based marketing effort.

Dive Insight:

Clorox Scentiva’s latest campaign taps into several cultural trends to engage with consumers, especially those who have spent more time at home — and concerned about cleaning — due to the coronavirus pandemic. Clorox claims that its Scentiva products kill 99.9% of germs and viruses, including the virus that causes COVID-19.

The CPG marketer has experienced a steep sales windfall as interest in categories like disinfectant wipes and cleaning products remains strong. Savvy social media marketing could be one way to keep up the momentum.

By partnering with Porter, a star of FX’s “Pose,” on an original musical track and related TikTok hashtag challenge, Clorox seeks to engage with pop culture in an authentic way on a platform favored by younger consumers. “Yas clean” is a spin on “yas queen,” a phrase popularized by the LGBTQ community around drag and ballroom culture, which “Pose” depicts.The #YasClean hashtag has over 1 billion views at press times, demonstrating the significant reach of the platform.

The TikTok hashtag challenge and partnership with several influencers support a sweepstakes that taps into the interest in home makeovers — which are increasingly popular as people spend more time cooped up indoors and working remotely — along with a charity component. The sweepstakes will allow Clorox to collect first-party data from consumers, a growing priority for CPG brands as changes to the data privacy landscape make it harder to target consumers and measure campaign efficiency.