Bissell cleans up your secret mess

Have you ever had a slice of toast land on your friend’s white couch cushion (peanut-butter face down, as luck would have it) and in a panic, you stealthily turn it around before they notice? Well, Bissell wants you to set that dirty little secret free and in turn, show others what could be lying deep below the surface.

For the holiday season, the vacuum cleaner brand enlisted Capital C to show consumers, in an entertaining way, the need for deep-cleaning products, says Jason West, senior account director, Capital C.

The agency came up with a simple and somewhat CSI-inspired website called “Dirty Little Secrets” that asks visitors to login with their Facebook page and share their secret in less than 120 characters. The idea behind the set amount of words is so that the brand can tweet some of the more unique secrets to its followers, says West.

With a digital budget of just under $100,000, Bissell hired Toronto-based media agency 24/7 Real Media to place banner ads on websites as well as on Facebook.

The brand’s Facebook page was set up in conjunction with the contest and so far, the “Dirty Little Secrets” page has garnered over 3,000 “likes,”  West says.

“[The brand has executed] some one-off contests in the past, but never to this level of engagement or degree where they are using Facebook and Twitter for amplification,” he says.

In exchange for visitor engagement, the brand will place contestants’ names into a draw for a trip for two to Las Vegas, as well as for the chance to win Bissell products and a cash prize.

West adds that family and friend gatherings, when people want their homes to be in its most pristine condition, are common during the festive season, which is why the brand chose to launch its campaign now.