Campaign turns to 'Ghosts' to rally paper towel sales in Taiwan

Communication World, May-June, 2004 by Darren J. Burns

Paper towel usage in western countries ranges from 70 percent to 92 percent of all households, and the towels are a fixture in almost every kitchen. But in Taiwan, use of the product stands at just 42 percent after a decade of marketing campaigns. Following a period of flat growth, Kimberly-Clark was looking to boost paper towel usage in the average Taiwanese household, which still relies on fabric cloths to clean up spills and wipe kitchen surfaces, despite well-documented evidence on the bacterial dangers carried by dishcloths, including salmonella and other food poisoning illnesses.

The company hired the marketing communication team at Golin/Harris Taiwan to create new motif designs for paper towels and to formulate an intensive media outreach campaign. The strategy was aimed at driving sales of the paper products during Ghost Month, a period on the Chinese lunar calendar when spirits of the netherworld and ghosts of deceased relatives are allowed to return to their earthly homes for 30 days to partake in meals prepared in their honor and to enjoy revelry in the world of the living. Tradition has it that the more lavish the food offerings, the happier the ghosts will be and thus the less likely to bring bad luck to a person or a family. Given the massive volume of feasting during Ghost Month, Kimberly Clark had a prime opportunity to make disposable kitchen towels a must-have accessory for cleaning and decorating during this period.

GOALS/OBJECTIVES

In creating the marketing campaign, KimberlyClark and Golin/Harris established the following objectives:

> Increase sales of household paper towels during Ghost Month (August 2003).

> Execute a successful campaign to raise awareness in the media of the need for disposable kitchen towels during Ghost Month.

> Portray Kimberly-Clark as an innovator that understands the consumer and creates products that meet specific needs.

To position the product for this audience, the team recognized that "design/color" was the leading factor in printed towel purchasing among all consumers, even ahead of price. With this in mind, they examined ways to create Chinese seasonal designs for the towels that would be appealing to the eye and have meaning for Ghost Month. Folklore specialist Dr. Liu Huan-yueh joined the team as a consultant to assist with the design process and to act as the spokesperson during the campaign.

IMPLEMENTATION AND CHALLENGES

Once the product was ready to go, the team organized a launch event to ensure wide press coverage in a concentrated period--the special-motif towels would be sold for one month only.

Media coverage would need to be broad and immediate to quickly drive sales in supermarkets. To maximize the effect of the media campaign, the press event was held just before Ghost Month to ensure greater awareness of Kimberly-Clark's disposable towel not only as a great household cleaning helper but also as a magic weapon for luck during Ghost Month.

Colin/Harris employed the expertise of a local fashion commentator, Rosalie Huang, to design and decorate the set for the press launch. The decorations reflected a traditional prayer altar and creatively used the Ghost Month paper products as decorations, including placemats, wallpaper and table decoration pieces.

During the press briefing, Kimberly-Clark's Grace Hong and folk custom specialist Dr. Liu elaborated on the meaning behind the new design motifs: "family peace," "wealth/prosperity" and "luck in study."

To increase media coverage, Colin/Harris created a video news release of the event and placed the story with leading cable television operators TVBS and ERA. To further enhance awareness among consumers, the firm pursued online promotion options with leading Taiwan portal ETtoday.com, as approved by Kimberly-Clark.

By far the greatest challenge Colin/Harris faced was timing the media coverage so that consumers would be influenced to purchase the paper products during Ghost Month. The team polled several newspaper editors and television producers to determine the best timing for the campaign.

MEASUREMENT AND EVALUATION

The new paper towel designs were successfully created and arrived in the sales channels in time for Ghost Month. In addition, the media relations campaign culminated with some 45 news clippings in the weeks leading up to and during Ghost Month.

Traditional media coverage and online promotion through ETtoday.com had the desired effect, with disposable towel sales for the month increasing 15 percent over 2001. In addition, Kimberly-Clark's share of the NT$600 million market (US$18 million) increased by 14 percent during the month, as consumers identified with the emotional elements of the brand that they had picked up through media coverage.

Building on its success in Taiwan, Kimberly-Clark is now in discussions to roll out this program in Hong Kong and China.

GHOST MONTH CUSTOMS DATE BACK THOUSANDS OF YEARS

In Chinese tradition, on the first day of the seventh lunar month, or Ghost Month, the gates of hell open wide and the spirits are allowed a month of feasting and revelry in the world of the living.