You won’t hear anything about how soft Kleenex is or about its cool oval dispenser in the brand’s latest campaign. Instead you will see regular people from across the country and London letting out their emotional stories on topics like how they met their mate, coping in the wake of Hurricane Katrina or having a child at the recently launched website LetItout.com. TV spots rolled out earlier this month to steer people to the site.
“The message used to be ‘thank goodness for Kleenex’ and they were looking for a completely new brand story, one that was able to touch a lot of different places–TV, online, print, even a live event experience,” explained Richie Glickman, creative director and copywriter for JWT New York.
The footage was shot in London, New York, New Orleans and San Francisco and was directed by Brett Morgen of bicoastal Anonymous Content whose recent documentary Chicago 10 was chosen as the opening night film for the Sundance Film Festival.
In the web films and spots, we see a “good listener” with a big blue couch on the streets of the various cities inviting passersby to have a seat, talk and open up. In case opening up results in happy or sad tears, a box of Kleenex is on hand to wipe them away. “We were able to get a lot of people sitting on the couch sharing their stories. We sat 150 to 200 people down and many had compelling stories with a lot of emotion that really came out. In addition to the spots, there are about 20 web films that will slowly be fed onto the site,” Glickman said.
User participation Other elements are in the works to contribute to the stickiness of LetItOut.com, which opens with, “Why do people keep things bottled up inside? It makes no sense. Nothing good comes from that. With that in mind, we invite and encourage you to let it out. Let out your tears, your joy, your anger, your frustration, your laughter and even your snot. Why? Because you’ll feel better. How do we know? Because we recently went across America and watched all kinds of people let out all kinds of stuff. Some of those moments ended up on TV. Others are right here for your viewing pleasure. So go ahead, check them out–then let it out.”
The site is designed as an outlet for user-generated content, where people can upload text, photos or videos in response to different questions, like “When was the last time you laughed so hard you cried?” There is also a link to the MySpace page of indie band Starrfadu whose music can be heard throughout the campaign. Ironically their song, “Let It Out,” was not created for this campaign, although it is a perfect fit. Glickman said he loves the fact that they didn’t spend a million bucks for a song from some established band that would not have suited the nature of the campaign. “The fact that it’s these three guys is perfect for this campaign–organic, no celebrity and real,” Glickman commented.
Also on the site is a letitout blog overseen by an editor, who will be introducing topics or timely themes that will spark some sort of dialogue. Glickman hopes to have the site up and running smoothly in February. “The real challenge is that this was designed and built here but it has to be integrated with the Kimberly Clark system. That is the thing we are struggling with,” he said, adding that despite any struggles, the project has been satisfying because the people’s stories were so compelling “The people were very willing to show themselves, not only to the listener who is a total stranger but on camera and on film, especially in New Orleans. Inevitably all stories moved to Hurricane Katrina. People were putting it into perspective, exhibiting a lot of strength. It’s amazing to see the strength of that community.”
He added that Morgen was key in getting people to show themselves. “His treatment and approach were pretty amazing,” said Glickman. “It was his vision to have three cameras going and to shoot HD so we could just be rolling continuously, and to really have the cameras pushed back so people weren’t aware of them. It became a very safe little bubble for them to spill it.”
Watching people “spill it” is resonating with audiences. “I did a Google alert for Kleenex ‘Let it Out’ so when anyone starts blogging, I would be aware of it,” said Glickman. “I am astonished that there are 50 or 60 separate blogs mentioning it. People are talking, are interested in and like it. The fact that people are responding so well is that Kleenex is a brand that belongs in this world.”
