Cleaning may not be everybody’s favourite free time activity – but it’s a popular content category in social media. Underlining the point, communications agency MullenLowe UK has just teamed up with Unilever to launch a new TikTok series ‘The Worst Guest Ever’.
The five-part series was created on behalf of Unilever’s cleaning platform Cleanipedia. Described as a ‘cleanertainment’ comedy series, it features Steve, dubbed ‘The Worst Guest Ever’ by rental BnB hosts, transforming into an unexpected ‘cleanfluencer’.
MullenLowe claims the series is among the first to focus on a social media-centric marketing strategy, following Unilever CEO Fernando Fernandez’s statement on increased spending on social media and the growing value of influencers.
“With The Worst Guest Ever and introduction of the ‘cleanertainment’ genre, we set out to challenge conventions around functional content by demonstrating that it can be both informative and genuinely engaging,” said Eduardo Salles, global creative director, MullenLowe UK. “Long-form storytelling remains highly effective, even on platforms like TikTok. By transforming an intentionally exaggerated ‘worst guest ever’ into a cleanfluencer, we have created a distinctive character who captured attention, sparked conversation, and resonated across the cleaning industry and wider public.”
Throughout the series, Steve experiences ‘the ultimate cleaning crash-course’ whereby he completes a variety of cleaning challenges in some weird and wonderful locations. In the first episode he cleans up after a raucous hen-do using Cleanipedia hacks to help him deal with vomit and fake tan stains before facing fish guts on a boat, unmentionable stains at a nudist camp and polishing armour in a spooky manor house.
“Our goal is to provide trusted, expert cleaning guidance that resonates with today’s audiences,” said Mario Dughi, marketing director, Cleanipedia. “We’ve demonstrated that even the most unlikely candidate can become an advocate for better cleaning habits, engaging our audience in a way that is disruptive, unexpected and incredibly impactful.”
Cleanipedia started posting on TikTok in 2023 and has seen traffic reach a total of over 2.4 billion views globally (October 2024 figures). Data shows that these fans convert to consumers. In general terms (not Unilever-specific), over half (54%) of users have bought a household product after seeing it on the platform, with almost three-quarters (71%) of these being unplanned purchases. Almost 70% say that TikTok played a role in their discovery of household products.
Until now, the Cleanipedia brand has mainly used TikTok to provide advice and hacks. Underlining the scale of the opportunity, Cleanipedia is active on TikTok’s #CleanTok community, which is currently the most followed hashtag (with almost 150 billion views), outperforming even #BeautyTok (with 112 billion views). Also active on Instagram, Cleanipedia goal is to connect Gen Z with Unilever’s Home Care power brands including Persil, Cif, Domestos, and Comfort.
Rather than working with one big-name content creator, Cleanipedia said it has a programme that gives all creator types – from nano to mega influencers – an opportunity to work with its brands. “We provide creators with product know-how, and in return get insights into their audiences. As well as allowing us to be a part of authentic conversations, this approach is boosting sales. In 2023, cleanfluencers sparked a trend for cleaning white trainers with Cif Cream Cleaner, contributing to a 38% uplift in UK adults under the age of 28 buying the brand.”
