How Soap Became The Hottest Gen Z Status Symbol Overnight

Nobody wakes up thinking "You know what would make my shower better? If it smelled like dessert." And yet, Dove and Crumbl Cookies created exactly that - a collaboration so random yet so perfect that Gen Z emptied shelves faster than free concert tickets.

WHEN BAR SOAP BECAME THE COOL KID

The marketing wizards at Edelman faced a classic challenge: how do you make people excited about something as mundane as soap? Andrew Simon, Edelman's global executive creative director, acknowledged the hurdle in the most corporate-speak possible, essentially saying "soap isn't exactly the sexiest product to market."

But rather than going the traditional route of another forgettable commercial, they went for something completely different - turning Dove products into cookie-scented experiences. The collaboration rolled out fragrance drops, including Confetti Cake, Strawberry Crumb Cake, and Lemon Glaze, across various personal care products. It's like someone finally listened to that weird kid in elementary school who ate soap because "it smelled like food."

THE ANTI-PRESS RELEASE APPROACH

The marketing strategy here is what makes this story particularly delicious. Instead of the dusty old "send out a press release and pray" approach, Dove's team recognized that Gen Z wouldn't care unless the news came through channels they actually pay attention to.

So on November 19th, they dropped a mysterious Instagram teaser featuring a Crumbl cookie that sparked speculation. Then on December 2nd, they executed what they brilliantly termed a "controlled leak" - strategically feeding information to selected superfans and micro-influencers who already had credibility in both the Crumbl and Dove communities.

It's like when you tell your most gossip-prone friend a "secret" specifically so they'll tell everyone else. Except in this case, it was marketing genius.

FROM WHISPERS TO ROARS

The strategy of letting fans "discover" the collaboration worked spectacularly. Food blogger Mark Vayntraub was among the first to break the news, which quickly spread to larger accounts like Snack Betch with their 580,000 followers. Meanwhile, Reddit threads exploded with theories and excitement.

Simon explained that they intentionally avoided traditional media channels because they knew their target audience doesn't consume information that way. Gen Z wants authenticity (or at least the carefully manufactured appearance of authenticity) from people they already follow and trust.

The campaign hit critical mass when Dove recruited the @TurnUpTwins to remix their jingle, generating over 900 TikTok videos and 59 million views. That's the kind of organic spread marketing executives dream about while sleeping on piles of money.

QUALITY OVER QUANTITY IN INFLUENCER SELECTION

Perhaps the smartest move in this whole campaign was prioritizing cultural fit over follower count. Rather than throwing money at mega-influencers with questionable relevance, they targeted creators who were genuinely embedded in the communities they were trying to reach.

By the time the official Christmas Day launch rolled around, complete with a Netflix ad during an NFL game, the buzz had already built to a frenzy. Fans weren't just interested - they were actively hunting down these products like they contained the secret to eternal youth instead of just smelling like cookies.

THE FOURTH SCENT PLOT TWIST

The campaign maintained momentum by releasing a new scent each week through mid-January. Then they pulled a marketing rabbit out of their hat by surprising everyone with a fourth scent - Nilla Bean Cupcake - nearly two months after the initial launch.

They supported this late addition with pop-up trucks at Walmart stores and doubled down on creator content, particularly from the TurnUpTwins. This final release even scored coverage on Good Morning America, bridging the gap between social media buzz and mainstream awareness.

THE BLURRED LINES OF SUCCESS

Simon attributed much of the campaign's success to the seamless collaboration between Unilever, Edelman, and Crumbl's in-house team. "We are an extension of each other," he said. "I couldn't even remember who came up with what, which is the best sign possible."

That level of integration is rare in client-agency relationships, where territorial behavior is often the norm. It allowed them to move quickly and adapt to the evolving campaign without getting bogged down in approval chains and ego battles.

RESULTS THAT ACTUALLY MATTER

Unlike many PR campaigns that celebrate meaningless metrics like "potential impressions" (which is marketing speak for "people who might have seen this if they weren't scrolling past it"), the Dove x Crumbl team focused on tangible business results.

Their tracking showed Dove products reselling at three to four times retail price, with sales exceeding forecasts by over 50%. Demand was so high they had to expand Walmart distribution just to keep up.

Simon put it bluntly: "PR isn't an impressions game anymore. This is a sales game now."

The most impressive stat? Surveys showed 52% of buyers were new to Dove. That's not just moving product - that's expanding your customer base in a significant way.

THE LESSON: BE WILLING TO GET WEIRD

The key takeaway from this campaign is that staying relevant means taking risks and trying new approaches. As Simon concluded, "We certainly recognize the importance, especially for a brand like Dove, to stay relevant. And to stay relevant you have to try new things."

In this case, "trying new things" meant making deodorant smell like a dessert shop explosion. And somehow, it worked brilliantly.

The next time someone tells you your marketing idea is too strange, remember that someone in a boardroom once said "What if soap smelled like cookies?" and ended up with one of the most successful collaborations of the year.