Eco-Marketing Magic: Dr. Bronner’s Soap
“We are All-One or None!”
That’s the motto of Dr. Bronner’s magic soap, the quirky California-based soap company that has gained millions of devoted American customers for its organic 18-in-1 Castile soaps, which, according to the soap bottle itself, can be used for everything from washing your body to your clothes to your entire home…even your teeth (I guess washing your mouth out with soap isn’t just for pottymouths anymore)!
Dr. Bronner’s is known for being an environmentally friendly, philanthropic, and outspoken — if not a little controversial — company. David Bronner, the CEO — self-proclaimed “Cosmic Engagement Officer” — recently made headlines for being outspoken about legalizing psilocybin for therapeutic use, a boldly controversial and yet entirely on-brand stance for the company to take.
I can’t recall exactly how I was introduced to Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap, but I do know it appeared in my realm of existence around the age of 13, around the same time I was sleeping over friend’s houses who had older brothers who smoked pot and went to Phish shows.
Yup, right on brand.
And while Dr. Bronner’s clearly appeals to the earthy-crunchy variety as a brand, it’s not just the hippies singing the soap’s praises — it’s celebs, too! In fact, Bobbi Brown, the founder of the namesake cosmetic brand, says Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint is her body-care essential, according to this Vox article. Even Lady Gaga, Drake, and the royal Meghan Markle are Dr. Bronner’s devotees!
They’ve never paid for any of those celebrity endorsements or any traditional advertising, according to Dr. Bronner’s President, Michael Bronner.
And yet the 5th generation family-owned soap company managed to accrue over $122 million in revenue in 2018.
It begs the question…how is such an unorthodox soap company so wildly successful?
To find out, I decided to go down the Dr. Bronner’s rabbit hole to investigate the marketing strategies the brand used to build their enormous loyal, yet ever-growing, customer base and become an all-natural beauty icon.
Messages On a Bottle: The Great Bathroom Read
Upon examining a bottle of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap, the first thing you probably ever noticed is the wordiest — and I mean wordiest — label. The big bottle of soap is arguably the most epic shower read of all time; I mean, it’s covered from head-to-toe in text. The bottle does not only contain instructions and ingredients but bold slogans and wordy moral principles (ramblings, really) which will leave you scratching your head as you’re rinsing the suds from your hair. Seriously. Read the very first line on the bottle….
Absolute cleanliness is Godliness! Teach the Moral ABC that unites all mandkind free, instantly 6 billion strong & we’re All-One. ‘Listen Children Ethernal Father Eternally One!
If the label reads to you a bit like the vague religious ramblings of some crackpot hippie who may have indulged in just a taaaad too much LSD in their prime, you wouldn’t be entirely off. “The Moral ABC” printed on every 32oz bottle of soap actually originates from the founder of Dr. Bronner’s himself, Emanuel Bronner.
Soooo, a quick backstory about Emanuel Bronner: He fled Nazi Germany for America in 1929, but sadly, his parents were murdered in Auschwitz. Having come from a family of soapmakers, Emanuel founded the soap company in 1948, not too long after he escaped the looney bin (seriously!).
A passionate activist with a hippie heart, Emanuel gave speeches at peace rallies in California on his “ALL-ONE!” philosophies — which were born from the misfortune of having lost his parents in the Holocaust — and would give away soap to the hippie community his speeches attracted. When he realized his crowds were growing not because of his speeches but because of the free soap, he started printing his messages on the soap label.
What’s interesting to me is that this not only explains the 3,000-word label, it also demonstrates the same grassroots marketing techniques that the company continues to use to this day.
Side note, Dr. Bronner’s now also has some limited-edition labels to promote various causes, such as the “Heal Earth” label which promotes climate change solutions. Which leads me to my next point…
Outspoken Advocacy Speaks For Itself
Dr. Bronner’s continues to be true to its roots, even 70 years later. Now run by Emanuel’s grandson, David, the family soap business has a strong commitment to ethical and environmental responsibility, social and environmental activism, and other philanthropic endeavors.
In fact, they even call themselves the “fighting soap company.”
Dr. Bronner’s was a socially responsible brand before being socially responsible was cool. Love it!
The company website features a yearly All-One Report, where they outline the green and community initiatives the brand is taking, from promoting the Green New Deal to building a Montessori School in Ghana to committing to climate positivity by 2025.
CEO David Bronner also uses the brand as a platform to promote causes he believes in, including the legalization of marijuana and — even more controversially — psychedelics, which lands Dr. Bronner’s in news publications regularly.
Overall, the media attention the brand receives due to activism and outreach is an excellent, organic source of marketing.
Eco-Friendly Over Everything
Dr. Bronner’s has always been committed to its products being all-natural.
Right on the bottle are a multitude of eco-badges of honor: non-GMO, fair trade, certified organic, etc. etc.
Americans today are increasingly more aware of the environmental impacts of their daily habits, and as such, there is an enormous market of environmentally conscious people — millennials especially— who pay close attention to what’s going into their products, seeking naturally sourced and cruelty-free formulas.
For about $18, you can purchase 32oz of soap that can do it all, is concentrated enough to last for months, and comes in lovely scents like lavender or peppermint. Furthermore, by being an 18-in-1 soap, Dr. Bronner’s magic soap is right on target for those who want to be less wasteful — ecologically AND economically friendly, at that!
Make it Social
While Dr. Bronner’s does not rely on any traditional advertising to promote its products, the brand does have a fairly robust social media presence, despite the CEO’s brother, Michael Bronner, calling social media “essentially immoral.”
The tree-hugging soap company certainly stays on-brand in their social media. Scrolling through the @drbronner Instagram feed, posts promoted a movie about climate change, indigenous peyote conservation, a bill decriminalizing all plant medicine, vegan banana bread, and a giveaway of How To Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan (great read, by the way!).
In April 2020, David Bronner hosted a Reddit AMA (“Ask Me Anything”), where he answered hundreds of customer questions and announced that Dr. Bronner’s would donate $1 million to a campaign to legalize psilocybin in Oregon this year.
In summary, Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap is more than your average all-natural body care company. They’ve truly been a “fighting soap company” from their inception — when founder Emanuel Bronner was preaching his “ALL-ONE!” philosophies at peace rallies (really gives a new meaning to the word “soapbox,” huh???) — to today, with the brand’s ongoing commitment to sustainability, activism, and donations to charitable causes and movements.
The magic soap’s long-winded label of loopy philosophical jargon has come to be an iconic bathroom staple of the conscious consumer.
Dr. Bronner’s even has a camp at Burning Man. I actually remember my friend telling me about it before my first (and only) Burn in 2017; unfortunately, I didn’t end up encountering Dr. Bronner’s Foam Experience myself, but just being told about it left quite an impression. Basically, it’s one of the few opportunities for dusty, dirty burners to strip down and suds up in the desert. What better way to promote Dr. Bronner’s than giving the gift of good, clean fun to a bunch of hippies? Emanuel would be proud.
