Marketers take toilet paper to luxurious new levels

— -- There are no ifs or ands about it, some marketers are preoccupied with butts.

And in a bid to boost their "bottom lines," name-brand TP makers are rolling out massive marketing campaigns that play up the benefits of their tissues.

In March, Cottonelle will send a bus across North America. Consumers will be invited onboard to sample the toilet tissue, as well as to learn stretches that ease aches and pains in the behind.

The goal for marketers is to elevate their bath tissue above commodity status and make it a "personal care" purchase.

"Bottoms deserve to be treated with the same care that we treat the rest of our bodies," says Alan Loux, Kimberly-Clark vice president of brand development. "People have different needs, so we have different products."

The new campaigns come as consumers are more open to frank advertising about bodily functions. In the past, many people would shocked by more explicit ads, says Dave Praeger, author of Poop Culture: How America is Shaped by its Grossest National Product, but "These days, (companies) can discuss their functional benefits more directly, without worrying about grossing out their customer."

One marketing edge the TP makers have is that in most homes, their products are a necessity: 93% of households bought toilet tissue during 52 weeks ended June 30, 2007, according to Homescan Consumer Facts. (What about the other 7%? Don't ask.) Consumers use about 20,805 sheets per year, according to industry data provided by Kimberly-Clark. At an average 4.5 inches per sheet, that's 1.5 miles of toilet paper per person.