Kimberly-Clark Repackages Depend Line

Irving, Texas -- In an effort to give a heightened sense of normalcy to its customers, Kimberly-Clark Corp. is dressing up its Depend incontinence product."Incontinence has carried a significant stigma for a long time," says Blake Boulden, Depend brand manager. "The product solutions that have been available for this condition have been very much like a white diaper. Unfortunately, that is not seen as a win for our consumer, and we can all understand why. What these customers continue to tell us is they want to feel normal."To answer this call, the company launched new packaging and restyled product last month that looks more like regular underwear. The products themselves are similar to the gender-specific lines introduced a year ago, except they come in different colors and patterns. The packaging, on the other hand, is completely different. Rather than 18-packs, the male- and female-specific packages contain six units each in a variety of colors and patterns. To make it look as much like regular underwear as possible, there is a transparent window showing the products, a hangtag for display purposes, and a smaller Depend logo than what appears on the brand's other packages.The suggested retail price is about 50% more than the regular white product -- a price many people are willing to pay, says Boulden.Kimberly-Clark is using TV, print and online ads for the product launch, but is relying most heavily on in-store marketing. With a package that doesn't look like an incontinence product, "in-store is going to be where this comes to life," he adds.The company worked with CBX, New York, for the package and product designs. Ogilvy Action, Chicago, powered by the WPP (London) network, helped develop "high-impact shopper marketing programs with the objective of driving awareness and trial," including through News America's Shelftalk and FSIs, "which will be key communication vehicles for targeting consumers currently within the category," Boulden says.Point-of-purchase materials include floorstands and shelf trays. The floorstands are unique for this category in that they have pegs, so the presentation is like regular underwear, he notes. The company is looking to take advantage of traditional display space, endcaps and secondary locations with "disruptive launch plans" to capture shoppers' attention and let them know this is something new. The campaign message is: "Same best protection, now in prints and colors."Kimberly-Clark relied on market research in preparing for the product launch. This included focus groups, Internet surveys, and Nielsen BASES research to help gauge demand for the new product line, Boulden notes.One way the company used focus groups was to determine the colors and patterns. When people looked at the new prints and colors, they also asked if the product still worked. As a result, a sticker was added to the packages, saying: "Same great protection." And the research helped gauge receptivity to the higher price point -- about 80% of consumers surveyed indicated that they'd be willing to pay more for the product, Boulden says."One of our key strategies as a brand is to re-frame this condition and the category away from being a white diaper, to something more like underwear. So the message isn't just for folks within the category, but also for the general population," Boulden says. "For the category and for retailers, this product launch is going to represent faster dollar growth, faster category growth, as well as more premium margins."

Kimberly-Clark Repackages Depend Line

P2PI MEMBERS

JOIN P2PI

Related Images

Business Topic

Company

Market Segment