K-C Reaches Hispanic Moms Through Kids

Neenah, Wis. — Looking to tap an underserved Hispanic market for its Kleenex brand, Kimberly-Clark recently rolled out a promotional campaign in which kids were the catalyst. The program ran from January through March 2011 and invited Hispanic children to become Kleenex brand ambassadors (aka, "Sneeze Catchers," or "Atrapa Estornudos") through a combination of promotional events, a sweepstakes and retailer involvement at grocery and mass outlets in Florida, Texas and California.Previous company research suggested that Hispanic moms tend to choose economical products that come in family sizes and/or have multiple uses, such as paper towels, rather than products with specific uses, such as facial tissues. In addition, Kimberly-Clark knew that less acculturated Hispanic moms often learn about American customs from their kids. These insights created an opportunity for the company to drive sales among Hispanic consumers by delivering an educational message during the cold and flu season to children ages 6 to 10 regarding proper hygiene. Kleenex drove consumers to stores in several ways. Kids who signed up to become certified Sneeze Catchers (with parental permission) were entered into a sweepstakes with a chance to win an all-expense paid trip with their families to an Orlando, Fla., theme park. All registrants received a cinch bag containing a branded T-shirt, cap, ID card, storage case and activity book. Kids could sign up by taking a quiz on a dedicated website, Atrapaestornudos.com, which also featured the brand's Spanish-language TV ads.Registration also occurred at locations such as the San Antonio Rodeo and Miami Zoo, where Kleenex set up an inflatable booth, distributed materials and conducted games for the kids. Samples of pocket-sized Kleenex were given out at booths in store parking lots, while in-store demos (to get the feel of the product) were conducted primarily at Publix and Kroger Co.'s Food for Less locations. Other retail partners included Walmart, Family Dollar, Safeway and H-E-B."Whatever we came up with needed to be fun and intriguing, but also had to link back to the product's benefits," says Dmitriy Kuzin, Kleenex brand manager. A proprietary sneeze-shield formulation slows the absorption of moisture and differentiates Kleenex from other tissue brands, Kuzin says, hence the "Sneeze Catcher" theme.That product benefit was not new, and Kimberly-Clark had previously conducted Hispanic market outreach. However, discussions between the Kleenex brand team and its agencies, including Miami-based MASS Hispanic Marketing, focused on creating an original program that would capture kids' imaginations while impacting moms' buying decisions at the store."Hispanic moms are pragmatic about how to stretch a dollar and manage the household economy," says Monica Duran, account director at MASS Hispanic. However, she says, "For the less acculturated Hispanic consumer, there are so many choices [of household products] that it's a difficult decision. She may have been here for 30 years, but she thinks and shops as if she's just arrived."Kimberly-Clark used a variety of in-store merchandising materials – including shelf banners, shopping cart wraps and free-standing displays – to promote the campaign. All of the materials were bilingual to reflect the preferences of retailers as well as the majority of today's Hispanic shoppers.Some elements of the merchandising mix were adjusted to conform to different retailer strategies. Door hangers at Food for Less featured employees dressed in Sneeze Catcher garb, along with $1 coupons for Kleenex, to capitalize on the strong connection between that retailer's employees and community. "Shoppers know the employees by name, so having the instant recognition brings more shoppers into the Kleenex aisle," says Kuzin. "We've had very positive feedback from retailers in terms of increased orders, and we've already certified over 100,000 Sneeze Catchers through all the different touchpoints."MASS Hispanic Marketing managed in-store materials, including the door hangers, and worked with Studiocom, Los Angeles, on the website.

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