In a hot flash of marketing brilliance, Kimberly-Clark has created an entirely new category of feminine products aimed at menopausal women.
The Poise Feminine Wellness line includes roll-on cooling gel and body-cooling towelettes for women having hot flashes, personal lubricant for vaginal dryness, feminine wash and panty fresheners for those with odours. The Wellness line is an extension of the Poise brand, which includes pads for bladder leakage.
According to Kimberly-Clark, whose brands include Huggies, Cottonelle and Kleenex, 50 million women across North America are approaching or experiencing menopause. Poise Feminine Wellness—first test-marketed in Chile in 2009—is designed to help cope with menopausal symptoms on a daily basis. “And, more importantly, to ask them to talk about it and feel more comfortable while they’re going through this life stage,” said Paula Montoya, Poise brand planning manager at Kimberly-Clark Canada.
The launch is being supported by an integrated marketing campaign, “The 2nd Talk,” developed by Ogilvy & Mather New York.
“We have that first talk when we’re 12 or 13 when we get our period, but we really don’t get a chance to have that second talk,” said Montoya. “The insight of all our research was that [menopausal women] have a lot of symptoms, but don’t get a chance to discuss them and therefore can’t find a solution for them.”
Television spots show women talking frankly about menopausal symptoms and the lack of conversation around them. “There’s the big talk about the period. There’s no talk about the menopause,” says one woman in a 30-second spot. “Lordy, help me. I am so hot,” says another. The ad introduces the new product line and invites women to “join the second talk” at The2ndTalk.com, which features an “ask the expert” section, educational resources and a community forum.
Kimberly-Clark hopes to have one million women join the conversation by October 18, which is World Menopause Day.
Copy from a print ad for the cooling products reads: “It’s like someone put a hot frying pan on my face,” while one for the lubricant reads, “Sex? Sometimes you have to get a little creative.”
The campaign, which will run all year, also includes online ads, shopper marketing and PR. In Canada, Ketchum is handling public relations and Mindshare is handling the media buy. A separate campaign for the Quebec market was created by Ogilvy & Mather Toronto.
While Kimberly-Clark has high hopes for the new line, the products are getting some flak in the press. An Associated Press story, published by hundreds of media outlets, included a quote from a doctor who said feminine washes are usually not recommended by many doctors and that products that mask vaginal odour could cause people to not treat what is causing the symptom in the first place.
“The idea of covering it up with a freshener is an inappropriate approach,” Dr. Lauren Streicher, a gynecologist and assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, told AP. “I’m thrilled people are paying attention, but I don’t want to see people taken advantage of.”
But Montoya said there may be a misconception about what the products are really for. “Our products are not here to solve the issues, they’re here to relieve the symptoms.”
