I uncovered the creative brief to one of my favorite campaigns of the past five years the other night. It was in our bathroom. It involved a two-year-old and a bottle of shampoo.
Me: Okay, it’s time to wash your hair.
Two-year-old: Why?
Me: Because that’s what we do at night.
Two-year-old: Why?
Me: Because your hair gets dirty.
Two-year-old: Why?
Me: Because you played in the sand today.
Two-year-old: Why?
Me: Because we went to the beach.
Two-year-old: Why?
Me: Because the beach is fun.
We were washing her hair because she had fun that day. My fifth answer seemed to satisfy her need to know. I bring this up for two reasons:
First, I’m not-so-secretly hoping my daughter is the next Sakichi Toyoda. She has already mastered “root cause” – one of the key principles of Kaizen, lean manufacturing and Six Sigma. She turns three in November.
Second, asking why is really important. We need to ask why more. To follow the thread to the end. And to not be afraid of that being a long journey. The longer the thread, the more interesting sometimes.
No other laundry detergent had ever said “dirt is good.” But the message clearly resonated. While the idea lived across multiple campaigns, sales increased significantly. Awareness and market share rose. Customer trust strengthened. Why? Because they asked “why?”
