Kimberly-Clark Shakes Up Feminine Care

Dallas -- Kimberly-Clark Corp.'s new U by Kotex brand launched in March looking to shake up a dull category and break the taboos surrounding menstrual periods. It's the company's biggest feminine care launch to date.Seven in 10 women believe it's time for society to change how it talks about vaginal health, but less than half (45%) feel empowered to make a difference, according to a study, "Break the Cycle: A Study on Vaginal Health" by Harris Interactive on behalf of U by Kotex. The research was conducted online last August with more than 1,600 North American women aged 14 to 35.U by Kotex had launched in Australia in 2003, and academic research showed there was a "cycle of shame" surrounding menstruation. "All of that led into the study," says Deborah Hannah, senior brand manager, shopper marketing. "We knew the cycle of shame existed and wanted to find out where we can make a difference in North America; what are the myths and misconceptions? Research shows that when a woman is ashamed of her period, she's ashamed of her body and it lowers her self-confidence. As a personal brand, we thought if we can help break that cycle and give young women tools and information, we could raise their self-esteem and sense of empowerment."While the line's target market, young women ages 14 to 22, had progressed, Hannah says brands had not caught up with her. "They are really into putting themselves out there online," she adds. "They are very frank and talk about everything. This new line is all about who she is and not who we want her to be."To reach the target where they are -- online -- San Francisco-based Organic Inc. created the UbyKotex.com community-driven website to put the brand's tagline, "Break the Cycle," into action. The website features health information, video spoofs of traditional feminine care advertising, product information and more. There are also details and ways to get involved with the Declaration of Real Talk campaign (developed by Marina Maher Communications, New York), that supports the national organization Girls for a Change. The brand is also utilizing Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.In-store, U by Kotex is looking to capture attention with its nontraditional packaging -- black boxes and neon wrappers -- designed by New York-based CBX Strategic Branding. Several rounds of qualitative and quantitative research showed that the colors resonated with shoppers.Hannah says about eight to 10 unique types of in-store displays have been created, from sidekicks and floorstands to PDQ trays and half pallets (Menasha Corp., Neenah, Wis., created the displays, while Malone Advertising, Akron, Ohio, and the Wilton, Conn., office of TracyLocke designed most of the in-store creative). More than 200,000 displays shipped in the first three months of the campaign."We've had a tremendous amount of support at retail," says Hannah, noting that they brought retailers into the process early for feedback and that stores believe this is long overdue. "We're able to do promotions and put displays in places where we had not had the opportunity before."For the first time, the brand will have an impulse tray designed for checkout and other areas of the store and will also utilize in-store TV networks. Several cross-promotions have taken place with more in the works. In March, Walgreens conducted a national "coming soon" promotion on every 25th print in its photo center. In April, a regional promotion was held with retailer H-E-B in its beauty section. The tampons, pads and liners were cross-merchandised with N.Y.C. lip colors (a brand of Coty Inc.), and anyone purchasing a U by Kotex product received a free N.Y.C. Ultra Last Lip Wear.In-store sampling began in May, but online sampling has been taking place since the launch on UbyKotex.com as well as on Walmart.com and elsewhere. Other marketing includes print and TV advertising, PR and product integration on the "Tyra Show" and online integration with "Keeping Up with the Kardashians." Some print ads will be more mom-focused since it's still mom buying for the 14- and 15-year-olds, explains Hannah, while others will be directly targeted to teens in magazines such as Seventeen and In Touch.Success of the launch will be measured with store audits, marketing mix modeling, household panel and retailer loyalty card data mining, ad hoc surveys and brand equity tracking.

Kimberly-Clark Shakes Up Feminine Care

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