RATIONALE & JUSTIFICATION

SLIDE 2

Agenda

The PR Process as described by Leinemann and Baikaltseva, (2004) and Seitel, (2006) involving
Situation Analysis==> Planning==> Execution==> Evaluation

SLIDE 3

Situation analysis- The Company

Kimberly-Clark, a global health and hygiene company offering personal care and consumer tissue
products under brands such as Kleenex, Scott, Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex and Depend among others,
(Bird, 2015) has a strong portfolio of daily use brands sold across 175 countries, helping it to retain a
market leading position, (Kimberly Clark, 2015). It is however, working in an intensely competitive
environment which exerts continued pressure on the company’s results of operations and financial
condition, (Market line, 2014)

SLIDE 4

Marketing Mix 4P’s

From walmart.com, the price of Kimberly Clark products ranges from $2.26 to $47, (Walmart, 2015)
the different products of Kimberly Clark include: Poise,Viva, GoodNites, Jackson, Little Swimmers,
Kleenex, Scott, Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex and Depend. The presence of Kimberly Clark can be found
across 175 countries and promotions KMB does, are online competitions, partnership with Disney
junior, amongst others. (Kimberly Clark, 2015)

SLIDE 5

SWOT ANALYSIS

SWOT analysis is a framework for identifying and analysing the internal and external factors that can
have an impact on the viability of a project or company. (Rouse, 2014). Based on data from Mintel,
Keynote and Market line, the report of Quinn, (2015) and Kumar, (2015) the SWOT Analysis was
derived.

SLIDE 6

Market Share

The percentage of an industry or market's total sales that is earned by a particular company over a
specified time period, Investopedia, (2015) According to euromonitor, the market share of Kimberly
Clark in the US is 16.3%

SLIDE 8

Competitors and Customers

The competitors of Huggies diapers based on the report from Quinn (2015), are luvs and pampers
both brands from Procter and Gamble. According to data from euro monitor (2014), the competitor
of Huggies also includes Johnson and Johnson. Diapers are used by babies and mostly bought by
females. Huggies, (2015)

SLIDE 9

The Problem: Background

Currently, one of the products under Kimberly-Clark, Huggies Snug and Dry line is considered to be
involved in “diaper wars” with other leading brands like Pampers and Luvs, (Quinn, 2015). Industry
analysts say mums are either going upscale and choosing Pampers or going down-market with Luvz,
both P&G brands, leaving Kimberly-Clark’s mid-tier Huggies Snug & Dry line without a real identity,
(Peters, 2015, Kumar, 2015). P&G and Kimberly-Clark control about 80 percent of the U.S. diaper
market, but the Kleenex maker is losing its share according to Euromonitor International data.
(Kumar, 2015)

Kimberly-Clark U.S. profit margin dropped drastically from 10.3 percent in September to -1.7 percent
in December 2014. (Euromonitor, 2015) and this can be associated to the fact that Kimberly-Clark
don’t have a lower-priced product (Kumar, 2015) thereby reducing their market share.

SLIDE 10

Background: Diaper Need

A diaper need survey was commissioned by Huggies and carried out by Dr. Cybele Raver, Professor,
Department of Applied Psychology Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human
Development, New York University and Dr. Nicole Letourneau, Professor in the faculty of nursing and
a research fellow with the Canadian Research Institute for Social Policy (CRISP), and the result was
that:

 Diapering is basic to both children and mothers across financial standing – Diapers are
viewed as a basic necessity for children, much like food and shelter. The experience of
diapering is a conduit for connection and love, as well as a source of confidence and pride
for mothers.
 Diapering may create emotional and financial stress – The idea of not having enough
diapers for their child’s daily needs would be very distressing to mothers, and for many it
creates a level of stress when their supply is running short. Yet, many mothers have needed
to choose between buying diapers and other necessities, including choosing between basic
essentials like food, utilities or child care.
 Diaper need is a widespread issue – A number of mothers in the U.S. and Canada have had
to cut back on basic essentials, like food, utilities or child care in order to afford enough
diapers for their children. For many of these mothers struggling with diaper need buying
diapers creates financial difficulties and in some cases these mothers have run out of money
for diapers. These mothers who are struggling to provide diapers are also more likely to be
living paycheck to paycheck and struggling financially to meet every day needs.
  Financial standing is not only contributing factor – More importantly, the struggle with
diaper need, cutting back on basic essentials, like food, utilities or child care in order to
afford enough diapers, is one that affects a broad spectrum of mothers, including a sizable
portion of those above poverty who are living in financial hardship in the U.S. and Canada.
 Mothers in need are children in need – When mothers run short of diapers, children may
spend extended periods of time in dirty diapers or in more extreme cases mothers may need
to clean, dry and re-use disposable diapers. While children in general who cannot be
promptly changed out of a dirty diaper may face emotional and physical consequences, such
as showing signs of irritation and discomfort, crying or suffering more from diaper rash, this
experience is more prevalent among children living in diaper need.
 The inability to provide diaper care impacts maternal well-being – While mothers of young
children feel like good mothers no matter their financial standing, when they cannot provide
a basic need like diapers, their well-being suffers. Mothers tend to feel guilty and stressed
when they cannot change their child out of a dirty diaper.

Revealing this issue creates engagement – Many mothers have not thought about the problem of
diaper need, yet some know mothers who cannot afford enough diapers for their child’s daily needs
Mothers are currently helping others in a more grassroots way by giving away their leftover diapers.

However, in hearing that some mothers are compromising on necessities and only have a few
diapers for a given day, most mothers are interested in helping in a more structured way through
purchases or formal donations. Huggies, (2015)

SLIDE 11

National Diaper Bank Network

The National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN) is a leading national movement which aims to safeguard
one of the most basic needs of all babies and their families: access to clean, dry diapers and
dedicated to ending diaper need in America as fair access to clean diapers improves the physical,
mental and economic well-being of babies, families, and communities.

The dynamic network continues to grow as NDBN connects and supports the county’s more than
240 community-based diaper banks that collect, store and distribute free diapers to struggling
families.

In 2014, the network distributed nearly 35 million free diapers, including 20 million donated by
NDBN founding sponsor, Huggies, to more than 1 million children throughout the country. (NDBN,
2015)

SLIDE 12

Key Message

The PR Trick is to momentarily make the consumers forget about the high price by using a means
such as Corporate Social Responsibility. The idea is to convince the target audience to buy a pack of
diapers and insinuating that for every pack bought a certain number of diapers would go to the
needy. It is however dependent on how much the target audience are concerned by the need of
others. Therefore the message: “We Can Make a Difference, Together; we can help babies get the
diapers they need…”

SLIDE 13

Objectives

According to Winners 1990, a good proposal should state specifically, the objectives of a proposed
PR activity and these objectives should be SMART. Lulofs N. 2013; 2014 made a list of the
publications in America based on their circulation figures, types, country and use.

SLIDE 14

Proposed Strategy:

Communication strategies between various levels of communications have to be consistent. J. L.

Thompson defines strategy as a means to an end, Oliver (2001)

Tools of PR

They include: Cause related marketing: the prime motivator of CRM is that all concerned should feel
good, Stone, (1996), A feature article is one that is not necessarily news but usually is more for
human interest Kruckeberg, (2010), others include Website, Bloggers, Social media and Press release

SLIDE 15

Target publics

When it comes to purchasing disposable diapers and creating a PR campaign that will lead to
purchase, there are different roles and stages that are traversed.

PURCHASE

INITIATOR: Expectant mothers/ parents and mothers who just gave birth are the ones who originally
see the need for baby care products. This audience segment also includes the friends, family
members of such women and father figures who research and query about the quality and cost of
diaper brands.

INFLUENCER: These women (expectant mothers, mothers) often seek advice about baby care
products from opinion leaders: their family doctors, paediatricians, celebrity doctors and moms,
family, friends etc. From these sources the primary target builds brand attitude towards available
brands, assessing and evaluating positive and negative feedbacks.

DECIDER AND PURCHASER: The mother is normally the decider of which brand to buy for the baby,
however buying decision is sometimes affected by economical contemplations. Keynote, (2014)

USER: The babies are the ultimate users of the diapers. Huggies, (2015)

COMMUNICATOR: This is where the media comes in. The media is often the best means of reaching
a large audience simultaneously, Wilcox and Cameron, (2012).
SLIDE 16

Execution

Website

Online donation available for those who can’t go to a store directly: using the internet is cost
efficient, Wilcox and Cameron, (2012). Why Amazon? Amazon.com, Inc. is an American electronic
commerce company with headquarters in Seattle, Washington and is number 13 on Forbes World's
Most Valuable Brands List, Forbes, (2015)

SLIDE 17

Execution

Ambassadors

The labelled diapers to be in selected stores like Walmart, Toys R Us and Target: Why?

Walmart is one of the top 10 retailers in the USA Stone, (2014), Toy r Us- Britain’s greatest toy store
Toysrus.com, (2015) and Target is ranked number 36 on fortunes 500 list (fortune, 2014)

Campaign ambassador to go on air was Ellen Pompeo, why?

Ellen Kathleen Pompeo is an American actress and producer. She rose to fame for her portrayal of
Meredith Grey in the long-running hit ABC medical drama series Grey's Anatomy, which is one of the
top 25 rankings of TV shows in America, TV by the numbers, (2015)

She would be on shows like Ellen DeGeneres show, Why?

According to Forbes, (2015), Ellen DeGeneres is ranked number 50 on “the world’s 100 most
powerful woman”, with her show Ellen DeGeneres

The show features on channels like NBC and CW, which have been selected as viewing channels,
why? Well:

NBC is ranked number 16 on best TV channels and “the CW”, although ranked no 49, is known to
have the best shows, the top tens.com, (2015)

SLIDE 21

Special Hug

Ronald Reagan UCLA hospital was chosen because according to Werthan, (2013), it is ranked number
one for the Most Luxurious Birthing Suites in the U.S.

SLIDE 22

Press Release in what Publication

A press release would be sent to several publications but aimed specifically at Washington Post,
Chicago Tribune, and Woman World. Why?
Washington post is ranked number 7 on “Average Circulation at the Top 25 U.S. Daily” with
circulation figure at 473,462, Lulofs N. (2013)

Chicago tribune is ranked number 10 on “Average Circulation at the Top 25 U.S. Daily” with
circulation figure at 414,930, Lulofs N. (2013)

Woman’s world is ranked number 1 on “Top 25 U.S. Consumer Magazines by Single-Copy Sales” with
circulation figure at 934,205, Lulofs N. (2014)

SLIDE 23

Timing: Gantt Chart

The campaign runs for duration of 6 months and here is the breakdown of the different tactics:

 CRM runs for 6 months as it is a continues count of donations

 Social media and Website for 6 months as it remains being updated,
 Special hug for one month in December because that is the time of Christmas and the
strategy is themed for the Christmas holiday season
 Press release for two months, one at the beginning to launch the campaign and the other
close to the end of the campaign in December
 Feature article for three months to continually attract the attention of the target audience
 Bloggers for 5 months, being an informal method of communication, the bloggers would be
permitted to post and write after one month of the campaign launch, to maintain corporate
appearance
 In store for 6 months, to ensure availability of the labelled diaper packs, this would run for 6
months
 Ambassador for one month, due to popularity of Ellen DeGeneres, the time slot is based on
availability; October was selected because it acts as a mid-time of the campaign, close to the
end but not too far from the launch.

SLIDE 24

Evaluation

One of the methods of evaluating PR as given by Leinemann and Baikaltseva, (2004), is measuring by
Quantity using the formula:

Ι=∑𝑎°𝑏°

Where:

I = Impression
a= number of articles in newspaper/magazine
b= circulation of newspaper/magazine
∑= summation

Publications would be measured with the above formula, social mentions for the online platforms
and number of diapers sold for the cause related marketing.
APPENDIX

FURTHER RESEARCH

WHY IS HUGGIES NOT IN THE UK?

In 2012, Kimberly Clark Corporation decided to stop making and selling Huggies in countries in
Europe, asides form Italy, BBC, (2012). Tristram Wilkinson, vice-president and managing director for
the company's UK division, stated that the brand was being pulled out because it had not
"commanded high levels of loyalty" within its consumer base, Mae and Smith, (2012). He further
stated that the competition was strong for the Huggies diaper brand however, other brands such as
depend, Andrex and Kleenex were perceived separately and the pull out would not affect these
brands. However, customer’s perception of the brand was a different ball game entirely. A blog
“netmums” created a platform for people to comment and most of the comments were negative as
there were complaints about the Huggies diaper causing rash and having leaks. Individuals were sad
for the jobs that would be affected by the pull out but not by the loss of the brand from the market.
Clare, (2012)