Kleenex cries out for caring messages in interactive Facebook effort
Kimberly-Clark?s Kleenex brand is leveraging an interactive tissue box to let users deliver Messages of Care as part of a Facebook campaign that points to the power of linking social and a personalized approach, but suffers from the lack of a stronger mobile play.
Smartphone users who accept the site?s invitation to create and send a personal message on the Kleenex box-shaped Careboard are offered a coupon and encouraged to share it with others to raise the coupon?s value. While the campaign reflects understanding of the value of translating heart-warming sentiments to the intimate small screen, it suggests the lack of a coherent mobile strategy, since the user experience pertaining to the coupon offer on smartphone differs significantly from the Web site UX.
?Facebook members like, share and engage on what many would consider the most mundane things,? said Jeff Hasen, founder and CEO of Seattle-based marketing consulting firm Gotta Mobilize and the author of ?The Art of Mobile Persuasion.?
?It isn?t a stretch to believe that some will be compelled to send a Message of Care, especially since there is something in it for them ? a discount ? and others through a share.?
Meaningful gestures
The campaign is part of a multi-platform commercial program including documentary-style videos featuring stories of people showing meaningful gestures of care.
The objective is showing that no matter how big or small the moment, the act of giving a Kleenex Facial Tissue to someone who needs one ? whether it's a stranger, someone we care about, or even ourselves ? can equalize, connect and uplift us all, Kleenex said in a release.
Exploring the connection of Kleenex.
Facebook's Creative Shop Studio worked with the Kleenex brand to deliver stories to News Feeds at the most relevant moments in people's lives, based on a variety of inputs such as demographics, stated interests and time of day.
A smartphone user on the Facebook Kimberly-Clark/Kleenex site first is invited to ?Create and send a personal Kleenex Careboard message spelled with the soft touch of Kleenex tissues.?
A short message can be typed into the preview box. Tapping the preview message button brings up sharing options through Facebook, Twitter or email. The message invites the recipient to view the message of care and to share their own message with someone and receive a coupon for Kleenex Tissues.
After the message is delivered, the sender receives a ?Message sent!? acknowledgement. The notification adds: ?When you share this Kleenex coupon, the value of your coupon increases.?
Tapping the ?Get Coupon? button takes the user to a coupon page offering 50 cents off a box of Kleenex or 75 cents off three boxes when the coupon is shared.
Typing message in preview box.
Tapping the ?share and save 75 cents button? brings up a form for signing in with a Kleenex account ? or to register for an account with an email and password.
The campaign is based on a recent Kleenex survey showing that nearly 50 percent of United States residents say they have missed an opportunity to show someone they care, especially when it comes to everyday moments.
It aims to reframe the category and demonstrate the ability of Kleenex Facial Tissue to deliver real-time care to consumers who need it and prove that the simple gesture of handing someone a Kleenex can change the course of someone's day, Eric Higgs, Kleenex brand general manager, was quoted in a release.
The program did not work identically across all platforms. For instance, while a coupon was offered to the smartphone user after sending a message, the coupon also could be found on the brand?s Web site without sending a message.
The campaign is the latest evidence that marketers are gaining skill at delivering heartfelt moments on the small screens that hold the attention of mobile users.
Winning followers
Brands have grasped that personalizing communications with relevancy can deliver a more meaningful response and depth of interaction. Marketers can win new followers by connecting with consumers on the personal devices they feel they cannot live without.
The pitfall of this approach is that just as brands can make tremendous connections by hitting the audience where it lives, they also can quickly alienate present and potential customers with a misguided message.
Delivering real-time care to consumers.
?As we know, pre-recession, during the recession, and now, mobile users have shown that they want free stuff,? Mr. Hasen said. ?Often, we don?t hear about redemption from brands.
?Hopefully in this case, we will eventually learn how this campaign performed,? he said. ?I don?t think it will be a home run, but more likely a moderate hit which, to use a pun here, is nothing to sneeze at.?
Final Take
Michael Barris is staff reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York
