Kleenex: The Saga of a Super Brand - Case Study
Problem:
The problem in this case is how Kimberly’s struggle to balance product quality and environmental impact along with Kleenex’s overly strong brand identity, has affected Kleenex’s brand loyalty.

Situation Analysis:
Over the years, Kimberly-Clark Company had managed to turn Kleenex into a “super brand.” The brand identity was so strong that Kleenex became a generic term for tissue paper. With the sales for the category shrinking since 2001, Kimberly decided in 2006 to rejuvenate the Kleenex brand. In late 2006, the 'Let it Out' campaign was launched. The campaign has been noticeably successful, however, Kleenex brand has faced significant criticism on the environmental impact of its products. Kleenex has always dedicated more to product performance, which has required more harm to the environment. Kimberly’s struggle to balance product quality and environmental impact is significantly harming the Kleenex consumer-brand relationship.

Major Alternative Actions: 1. Offer environmental incentives to customers who purchase Kleenex brand tissues. For every box of Kleenex sold, Kimberly-Clark should promote they will donate a sum of money to an environmental charity. a. Pros: * If properly executed, this could mask a lot of the negative media surrounding Kleenex. * Could potentially attract a new customer segment that is interested in helping the environment. b. Cons: * This could negatively impact the success of the “Let it Out” campaign by reducing the emotional brand identity currently displayed to customers.

2. Gain attention to consumer’s semantic memory by introducing new linguistic cues that will help them correctly categorize Kleenex with different tissue brands. This should emphasize Kleenex’s high quality product. c. Pros: * By getting consumers to categorize Kleenex tissues, customers will begin to differentiate Kleenex from its competitors. d. Cons: * If not implemented properly, this could re-position the Kleenex brand away from its current emotional position.

Selected Alternative:
I chose alternative action #1 because I feel Greenpeace and their protests against Kimberly Clark are of large importance to the long-term brand identity of Kleenex. This action will get consumers more involved in their purchases by offering additional thoughts and feelings about the outcome of their purchase decisions. By masking their current environmental issues, consumers are less likely to pass negative judgment on the brand making Kleenex more susceptible to repeat purchases.

Conclusion:
Kleenex being a low-involvement product makes acquiring brand loyalty a difficult accomplishment. If Kimberly Clark would be more motivated to create environmental incentives for their customers they could be benefitting by masking the negative images of their brand along with creating a more loyal consumer.