Kleenex Reaches Out To Corona-Weary Consumers With Free Subscriptions To ‘Calm’ App

As the global coronavirus pandemic drags on, emotions are running high as people grow stir crazy from being cooped up in their homes with their families. At times like this, consumers tend to gravitate to familiar products like Kleenex tissue.

The Kimberly-Clark brand recently announced it was giving away 100,000 free three-month subscriptions to the Calm App, which provides guided meditations to promote emotional well-being and relieve stress. Consumers can share their stories on Twitter with the #AllTheFeelings.

Kleenex’s brand team developed the promotion in conjunction with the FCB Global advertising agency to address the challenges of living in an uncertain world where social distancing is the norm, according to Keegan Coulter. Kleenex’s brand manager.

 “Our consumers are literally navigating `all the feelings’ right now,” Coulter wrote in a statement. “We know they are separated from traditional support networks while navigating worry for loved ones or homeschooling. But, it’s also a time for comforting phone calls with family and video chats with coworkers.”

Kleenex has been one of the most recognized U.S. brands for nearly a century. The product debuted in 1924 as a cold cream remover. Five years later, Kimberly-Clark’s head researcher grabbed a Kleenex during a hay fever-induced sneezing fit instead of his handkerchief. It was a huge hit. Sales doubled during the first year, and the brand has been the market leader since then.

Kimberly-Clark’s Consumer Tissues business, which includes Kleenex and Cottonelle toilet paper, was a bright spot for Irving, Texas-based company during its recent quarterly earnings report. Sales in the division rose 13 percent to $1.7 billion as consumers worried about COVID-19 stocked up on supplies so much that many stores restricted purchases. Operating profit at the business rose 51 percent to $365 million. North American volumes for toilet paper and tissues rose by double-digit percentages. 

The company’s profit overall rose 45 percent to $660 million, or $1.92 per share, thanks in part to double-digit percentage price increases. Sales rose 8 percent to $5 billion. Even so, Kimberly-Clark isn’t sure how long the good times will last given the uncertainty caused by the worst public health crisis in more than a century and temporarily withdrew its forward-looking guidance.

According to Nielsen, for the two weeks ended March 21, total U.S. Consumer Packaged Goods sales rose $8.5 billion from the prior two-week period. That’s 15 times higher than the typical rate of change, which research company indicates “purchase behavior aligns with what we would expect from consumers in restricted living situations.”

Alcohol sales are skyrocketing, and makers of cleaning supplies have stepped up production to meet the surging demand from consumers. People are stocking up on vegetables with long shelf lives like potatoes and onions. and not-so-healthy foods.

Demand for Campbell Soup’s snack brands, including Pepperidge Farms cookies and Kettle Brand potato chips, is on the rise. Sales of the company’s condensed soup, which have declined for years, gained 1 percent in the most recent quarter.