Client
Kimberly-Clark

Design Consultancy
Coley Porter Bell
Vicky Bullen
020 7824 7750
vicky.bullen@cbp.co.uk
www.cpb.co.uk

The Brief
In 2002, Kotex was a weak brand, with declining sales and a poor image that didn’t appeal to the younger consumer. The sanitary protection market was dominated by ’Always’ and competitors were almost forced to follow its lead in design and product. Kotex decided upon a new strategy for 2003 – intending to revitalise the brand and overhauling its image without spending any money on product development.

The Design
Coley Porter Bell’s strategy was to reposition the product as clearly distinct from the ‘san pro’ market, shifting it towards the personal care category, aware that previous product launches had done little to alter sales or perception. The major paradox in this particular market is how to create a product that stands out but is also discreet. Extensive research revealed that female consumers wanted to be empowered, proud of their womanliness, rather than hiding coyly on one side. American Kotex packaging used a red dot to symbolise menstruation. To this point, this was an unspoken taboo in the European market. Coley Porter Bell went all out on the colour red, appropriating assertive symbols like lipsticks, hearts and spiked heels for the package covers.

The Results
Market research shows the effectiveness of the new strategy. Kotex’s identification by distinctive packaging rose 780 percent in Western European markets. Shoppers particularly singled out the ’personal care’ angle. They commented that the new packaging showed that Kotex was more of a beauty product and therefore was a more attractive item to pick off the shelves. In Central Europe the perception of Kotex as a ‘feminine brand’ increased by 144 percent. Kotex is now in a far stronger market position; the company has increased sales in Eastern Europe in particular, especially in countries such as the Czech Republic, where it previously had no presence, and has won the admiration and respect of its customers.

Judges’ Comments
The judges were expansive about the design’s success. ‘The Kotex redesign answered a very difficult challenge’, said Jane Clancey, Head of Marketing Strategy, BBC, ‘how not to fight consumers who want discretion while [also] getting noticed. The resulting design crosses cultures and has a positive impact on sales as well as consumer perception, making Kotex a nicer necessity’. Stuart Cosgrove, Channel 4 believes the company took a ‘brave risk in a competitive product range – it was a bold attention-seeking concept which had a measurable impact on sales’. The redesign was a ‘clear winner in the category’, according to Martina King, who added that the ‘design is clean and the success is directly attributable to the new design’.