Theory in practice: when tissue becomes an object of design

Perini Journal

Last year, the doors of the Salone Internazionale del Mobile (Design Furniture Fair), held in Milan from April 16 to 21, 2008), opened its doors to the world of tissue by hosting Kimberly-Clark with its Kleenex® brand (see Perini Journal #28, March 2007), synonymous of facial tissue across the world, and that in the course of the years has conquered consumers for its superior quality together with a particular attention towards innovation and aesthetics. Through its partnership with the Doimo Salotti brand, Kleenex® performed a strategic operation of what is called horizontal co-marketing. These agreements between companies belonging to different fields are useful in order to establish synergies based on the competences and value of both, as well as on the customer segments involved. And these are not just definitions found on books about marketing; here is what actually took place.

ON THE OCCASION OF THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENT FOR THE WORLD OF FURNITURE AND DESIGN, the Kleenex® Oval boxes, the latest of the Kleenex® line products, were “positioned” next to the elegant couches on the Doimo booth. This partnership allowed Kleenex® to present the Oval box in a prestigious showcase that each year dictates the new trends of the company and anticipates novelties and styles. In this way, Kleenex® was also able to reach an extremely particular target that perfectly exposes its innovative product: even though it belongs to a field perceived as at the antipodes, the Kleenex® Oval boxes fit perfectly within this context. With this brightly colored product, Kleenex® succeeded in establishing a new positioning for the tissue product, transforming it from a useful object into a stylish detail. And this was the aim of Kimberly-Clark in this operation: to make people appreciate not only the practical application and daily use of the Oval tissues, but also to compare their aesthetic value to that of a perfect accessory to furnishings that can decorate the most refined living rooms in the world as well as every room in the house, and more.

WITH KLEENEX® OVAL, FACIAL TISSUE BECOMES AN OBJECT OF DESIGN. The boxes of the Kleenex® Oval line stem from this revolutionary idea and have been produced with this ambitious concept in mind. The innovative oval-shaped packaging decorated with geometric and flower motifs makes them easy to coordinate with any room of the house to give that extra touch that personalizes, furnishes, decorates. Launched in Italy in 2007, Kleenex® Oval brings an added innovation to the tissue market: the new oval box certainly represents the most revolutionary change in the world of tissues, an idea that goes well beyond the traditional Kleenex® tissue box available since the 1960s, and opens new horizons in the world of tissue-design for K-C. Behind this product lies not only a company that has always shown its interest in focusing on the aesthetic and artistic aspects of its products, all the while maintaining the quality and softness of its tissues, but also a staff of experts constantly studying and observing the surrounding world in the quest for new trends in other fields besides tissue. From furniture design to art, passing through fashion: all that takes place in these fields can constitute an inspiration and creative idea at the basis of a winning product such as Kleenex® Oval. Once again, we have the practical application of what most people have studied in books: marketing is the art and science of discovering, creating and supplying added value to satisfy the demands of a reference market and making a profit. K-C’s way of working has always been based on the application of this concept. For 85 years, it has been placing its products on the market, perfectly answering the practical needs of consumers, and has succeeded in establishing its brand as the undisputed synonym of facial tissues. With Oval, too, it has demonstrated that it was able to detect a wish and to promptly answer it, like preference tests performed by K-C have shown. The Oval product represents the ideal answer for those who are looking for the softness and strength of a Kleenex® product without giving up style. Aimed at a consumer target who loves beauty and caters to detail, Oval is the Kleenex® product that conjugates undisputed quality with a product that allows to express the personality and style of its consumers, making them feel protagonists of their choice.

Kleenex® Let it out™

The partnership with Doimo was born by exploring the distribution channel and placing the Oval boxes in the 330 company showrooms throughout Italy, then continued on to the prestigious Salone del Mobile showcase, and terminated with another Kleenex® project that took the name of “Let it out™”. The Kleenex®-Doimo partnership concluded with a “Kleenex® Let it out™” tour that consisted in bringing a blue sofa from the Doimo collection to all the main Italian piazzas on which Kleenex®, recreating the atmosphere of a home living room, hosted all those who wanted to tell about their emotions and memories. “Are people ready to let it out?” ...Turns out, all it takes is a good listener and Kleenex® tissue. Kleenex’s promotional campaign invites us to express our emotions. “Let out your emotions. It’s time to laugh until you cry. Show your love and show some tears. Sing at the top of your lungs. Jump for joy. And when tons of stuff stuffs up your nose, blow it loud and blow it proud. Experience the release. It’s a cleansing of the soul. Emotional releases help ease the load. Laugh out loud, sing from the top of your lungs, or have a good cry. When people let go, they feel free and relieved. We all carry a lot of emotional weight inside, and it’s high time we let it out™.” These slogans were accompanied by TV adverts where viewers can see two people speaking together, telling each other stories, sharing feelings and experiences comfortably sitting on a blue sofa in front of the ever-present box of tissues that can always come in handy! See what others have let out and share your own stories” is the invitation by Kleenex® to go to its Internet site and read about the Let it out™ campaign. Anyone can write, tell and share a story. In this interactive way, Kleenex® enhances the familiarity with its product and loyalty to its brand. And these, too, are not just theoretical definitions!