Effie Winner Spotlight: Kimberly-Clark & VSA Partners, “Kleenex. Someone Needs One.”
September 15, 2016
Images courtesy of VSA Partners.
Kimberly-Clark’s Kleenex brand has become essentially synonymous with tissues for many consumers. In 2015, the brand was the category leader - but the category had seen consistent year-over-year decline. Research revealed that consumers didn’t see a reason to purchase tissues unless they were sick, and even then, didn’t see the value in paying for a superior product over a store brand.
To overcome the decline, Kleenex needed to go beyond communicating the functional benefits of their product, and reconnect with consumers in an emotional way. Kimberly-Clark and agency partners, VSA Partners and Mindshare, launched “Kleenex. Someone Needs One.” to reposition Kleenex as a simple and universal gesture of care. The program was brought to life with TV spots and emotional films that were shared on social, and a pioneering partnership with Facebook, which used data to target consumers with messages tailored to their moods. It was also supported by a “Careboard” - a billboard made up of real Kleenex boxes - that was used to spell out encouraging messages with tissues at real-life events.
After launching the effort, Kleenex increased sales by 2.7% vs. expectations, and delivered nearly 12 million social engagements in the first 11 weeks of programming - 44X more than the entire year prior. “Kleenex. Someone Needs One.” earned a Silver Effie in the Home Supplies & Services category of the 2016 North American Effie Awards.
We asked Victoria Tylinski, Senior Brand Manager at Kimberly-Clark, and Bob Winter, Executive Creative Director at VSA Partners, to share insights from “Kleenex. Someone Needs One.” Click below to read their perspectives on how the Effie-winning work came to life.
Victoria Tylinski, Kimberly-Clark >
Bob Winter, VSA Partners >
Entry materials for the 2017 North American Effie Awards are now available. To download & learn more, visit effie.org/north-america. Entry deadlines run October 11 - November 9, 2016.
