Clorox® Puts the "Ick" in Improv via an Online "Ick-Prov" Comedy Event

Second City® Communications and comedienne Rachel Dratch helps to bring consumers' ickiest moments to life through personalized content based on real-time tweets

News provided by

Clorox

Apr 09, 2014, 08:00 ET

OAKLAND, Calif., Apr. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- #Eww #RuinedOutfit #PassTheWipes #IsItWineTimeYet. Whether commiserating, venting or simply laughing it off, moms and dads today are well-acquainted with the ick that accompanies parenting and aren't afraid to share it with their peers across social media. Taking inspiration from these messy parenting posts, pics, tales and tweets, The Clorox® Company, as experts in ick, is celebrating with the Clorox Ick Awards. This real-time social media, improv comedy event celebrates the messy moments of parenting, as shared by real parents.

Second City® Communications, the business solutions division of the world's premier comedy theatre and largest school of improvisation and sketch comedy The Second City®, will help Clorox celebrate the humor in life's ickiest moments with four hours of "Ick-Prov" from 6 – 10 p.m. ET on April 9. Twitter participants will be the creative force behind the Clorox Ick Awards, sharing funny stories from parenthood in real time using #Ickies. Chicago's best improvisers will then reenact for award categories like "Showdown Mess" and "Most Epic Mess." Adding to the laughs, Saturday Night Live and The Second City® alumnus and mom, Rachel Dratch, will host the Clorox Ick Awards. The result will be a chronicle of messy mishaps told through personalized video content any parent can laugh at, and very likely relate to.

"As a dad of two, I experience a daily dose of ick," says Charlie Capen, co-founder of parenting website "How to Be a Dad" and Clorox Ick Awards social media host. "Some messes can lead to tears of laughter, but too often they are just tears of frustration. My co-conspirator, Andy Herald, and I are excited to be working with Clorox to hopefully help other parents get past the mess and create some well-deserved tears of laughter through the Clorox Ick Awards."

The Clorox Ick Awards build on the Clorox® Ick-tionary® (www.icktionary.com), a wiki-style dictionary made for parents, by parents that was launched in 2013, bringing to life the new "language of mess." The online, interactive forum allows parents to gain a fun and positive perspective about the ick in their life, with terms such as:

Spillates (spil-Iah-teez) – Stretching exercises that tone muscles and improve flexibility when you're wiping up spills under tables and on countertops
Petrifries (pet-ruh-frahyz) – Week-old French fries found stuck in the toddler's high chair
Sasplotch (sass-ploch) – Mysterious giant footprint throughout the house

"We're always looking for new ways to connect with parents to celebrate the humor and humanity of real-life messy situations," says Jennifer McKnight, Associate Director of Marketing for The Clorox Company. "Their stories define our brand, and we're so honored to play a role in bringing those stories to life. With Ick-Prov, it's fun. It's personal. And now, it's live!"

To learn more about the Clorox Ick Awards and how Clorox helps fans laugh through the mess, visit www.clorox.com.

The Clorox Company
The Clorox Company is a leading multinational manufacturer and marketer of consumer and professional products with approximately 8,400 employees and fiscal year 2013 revenues of $5.6 billion. Clorox markets some of the most trusted and recognized brand names, including its namesake bleach and cleaning products: Clorox Healthcare™, HealthLink®, Aplicare® and Dispatch® products, Green Works® naturally derived products, Pine-Sol® cleaners, Poett® home care products, Fresh Step® cat litter, Glad® bags, wraps and containers, Kingsford® charcoal, Hidden Valley® and KC Masterpiece® dressings and sauces, Brita® water-filtration products, and Burt's Bees® and gud® natural personal care products. Nearly 90 percent of the company's brands hold the No. 1 or No. 2 market share positions in their categories. Clorox's commitment to corporate responsibility includes making a positive difference in its communities. In fiscal year 2013, The Clorox Company Foundation awarded $4 million in cash grants, and Clorox made product donations valued at nearly $15 million. For more information, visit TheCloroxCompany.com.

Second City Communications
Second City Communications is the business solutions division of the world's premier comedy theatre and largest school of improvisation and sketch comedy, The Second City. Drawing on The Second City's 50-plus year legacy of connecting audiences with powerful and incisive content, Second City Communications works with hundreds of Fortune 1000 clients each year to develop unique content marketing campaigns, blended learning campaigns and internal communication solutions. For more information, visit www.secondcitycommunications.com.

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SOURCE Clorox