Toilet paper, tampons and... mouths

Yes, I did watch the wedding. 15 to 20 minutes of it, on and off. I mean, do you need to see more? In come the cars, off they go into the church, they stand, they kneel... and I stopped watching then. I trust I missed nothing. I mean... what I think happened next was that they eventually stood up again and left. So unless everybody inside the church broke into song and dance... I think I’m safe to say, yes, I saw the wedding.

But I digress.

Ever heard of SCA? What about ZEWA toilet paper?

The Group (SCA) develops, produces and markets personal care products, tissue, packaging, publication papers and solid-wood products, and has sales in more than 100 countries. In 2010, SCA had annual sales of SEK 107bn and about 45,000 employees. They are Swedish. Apparently one of the most ethical corporate entities out there, but that’s what their website states so let’s keep our brows raised and pants on.

Early this year, SCA, like any other company, had their annual kick off conference where they  presented to their employees the company's marketing strategy for 2011. I got some insight into that through ways that I’d rather not mention but yes, their main focus this year is: word of mouth. And how are they going about talking about toilet paper and diapers or feminine care? Through social media, of course. That is their main focus for 2011. And it shows. They are on Facebook, they are on Twitter, they are on LinkedIn, Flickr, on YouTube, you can download their stuff off SlideShare or Sribd, they have podcats and whatever else. They engage the audience, they have a very localised strategy... and it probably pays off (I will be interested in having a look at their yearend figures).

So if a colossus that hires 45 000 people is engaging in social media and recognises its relevance... why aren’t others more clued in?

P.S.: I just checked, ‘’SCA reported a 6% increase in sales for Q1 2011 as we've seen stable demand in mature markets with good growth in emerging markets’’.