Two recent videos from partners in the sanitation business illustrate a key shift in thinking in the field: households that lack sanitation are customers, not beneficiaries. This change in mindset, which has been growing for the past few years, means that instead of saying, “I know what this household needs!” we are asking families, “What are your sanitation needs, and what type of toilet will meet them?” Better yet, we are asking how we can make toilets an aspirational product that households will actually want to use.

The first video, “Meet Mr. Toilet,” (shown below) features Jack Sim, head of the World Toilet Organization.  Jack is an articulate, outspoken advocate on the normally taboo topic of shit. As a former businessman, he understands marketing to consumers, and he wants to make the toilet a status symbol.

The second video, “Poo Highway,” was shot and narrated by Ned Breslin, head of Water for People, a U.S.-based NGO. He’s walking along a road in Bihar, India, that is littered with human feces. He’s also observing that the local community, especially women, want and need better toilets. But the local sanitation supply chain and toilet product offerings can’t meet demand.

As Ned points out, there is good awareness in some communities of the importance of having a toilet. But this often isn’t the case. Stimulating demand for sanitation, as well as improving the supply of toilets, are both essential elements of success. And focusing on the needs and preferences of the customer is vital to making both approaches effective.

Meet Mr. Toilet | Jessica Yu from Focus Forward Films on Vimeo.