Kleenex, a Kimberly-Clark brand, is celebrating its 100th anniversary by launching a new global visual identity and marketing campaign. Known for its widespread recognition, Kleenex faces challenges of commodification as its name has become synonymous with facial tissues, similar to brands like Band-Aid and Thermos. To address this, the brand has collaborated with Turner Duckworth for a brand refresh and FCB for a new advertising campaign, aiming to create a unified brand personality and platform for storytelling.
The new campaign marks a shift from a purely functional message to an emotional narrative, focusing on the brand promise of providing strength during everyday vulnerabilities. Jennifer Kasmarick, Kleenexs director of creative excellence, emphasized the importance of updating the visual identity to enhance the brands storytelling impact. The redesign features a cohesive look across markets, a distinctive logo, and a bespoke serif font, all centered around a crown device that symbolizes Kleenex’s iconic status and the act of pulling a tissue from a box.
The refreshed visual identity and campaign are designed to reinforce Kleenexs leadership in the tissue category, with the visual assets supporting a range of emotional and narrative tones. The first major advertisement, “The big day,” produced by FCB Chicago, captures the emotional moments of a child’s first day of school, underscoring the brands new narrative focus. This ad, along with others, highlights how Kleenex is used beyond cold and flu seasons, connecting with consumers during moments of laughter, tears, and other emotional experiences.
Kleenex’s new identity is not only visible on television but will also extend to out-of-home advertising and brand merchandise, allowing for a consistent and iconic presence across various channels. This comprehensive approach aims to solidify the brands mental memory structure and reassert its market leadership through a cohesive and emotionally resonant brand image.