Smile!

Last week, Scrub Daddy appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank for a 10-year update on how its business is going. The brand originally launched on the show in 2012, and since then has sold 25 million sponges.

It is a cool positioning story. There are unique product benefits to Scrub Daddy.  The sponge solidifies in cold water so that it can be used for heavy-duty scrubbing, and then softens in warm water for lighter duty. It also is odor-free and extraordinarily durable.

But it also has differentiated itself in its brand image. 

• The sponge resembles an emoji smiley face – there is a yellow Scrub Daddy and a pink, dual-sided Scrub Mommy. (You can put your fingers through the eyes for a better grip, if necessary.)

• There is a Sad Daddy/Sad Mommy for people who really hate to clean. 

• They even have seasonal sponges for events like Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day, and summertime

• And brand has a goofy social media presence, with nearly 3 million followers on TikTok. 

It’s a great example of a brand finding emotional white space in a category. There were few, if any, archetypal Jester brands playing in the kitchen-cleaning space. Scrub Daddy fills that role. The product is great, but the clever brand voice really makes it stand out.