By: A tissue with lotion to soothe that "ah-choo"?
As cold season approaches, the makers of Kleenex hope it can overtake Puffs as the lotion tissue that people reach for the most.
Kleenex maker Kimberly-Clark Corp. started shipping a new version of its tissue this month that scientists spent a decade to make softer and stronger. It is the company's attempt to take on Procter & Gamble's Puffs brand, the biggest seller of lotion tissue ? an area where sales are growing faster than for regular tissue.
Kimberly-Clark says scientists used a combination of manufacturing and chemistry to make the three-ply lotion Kleenex with a new mix of ingredients to treat the "surface" tissues, which are the ones that touch your face.
They worked on it for "at least 10 years on one level or another," said Angela Fisher, senior brand manager for the Kleenex brand.
Kleenex is the leader in overall tissue sales with about 49 percent of the market, compared to Puffs' 25.6 percent, according to data from The Nielsen Co. But Puffs, which started selling Puffs Plus with Lotion in 1987, is the leader in the growing area of lotion tissue, with 13.4 percent of the market to Kimberly-Clark's 5.7 percent.
The new version of Kleenex tissue is Kimberly-Clark's attempt to take away some of that market share, and the company is throwing its marketing muscle behind the product launch.
It is the brand's first attempt to use free samples to attract shoppers ? about 60 million of the new tissues will be distributed in sample displays at stores, in Sunday newspapers and other print ads over the coming months. TV ads begin Sept. 29 and will run until the end of March. The company declined to say how much it is spending.
The new product is identified with a handprint logo to go with the slogan, "It feels good to feel."
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