KIMBERLY-CLARK PROFESSIONAL* | Suzanne Howe Communications

Take Control of Poor Hand Drying

Background

Good hand hygiene became an important issue during 2009 as one of the most effective ways to stop the spread of germs and viruses. New research showed evidence that the type of hand drying method selected in the hand cleaning process was a vital factor in reducing germs. The most effective was found to be the paper hand towel.

KIMBERLY-CLARK PROFESSIONAL*, the market leader in the supply of hygiene solutions for away-from-home washrooms, created the campaign ‘Take Control of Poor Hand Drying’ to highlight this new information. It also wanted to lobby for effective hand drying to be acknowledged as a key factor in the fight against the spread of germs.

Objectives

SHC was briefed to create a PR programme to support the campaign in five market segments across the UK, Europe and Russia. Objectives were to:

create awareness of the benefits of paper hand towels in achieving good hand hygiene
create a link to the overall business benefit of a hygienic workplace
underline KIMBERLY-CLARK PROFESSIONAL*’s position as a leading authority in washroom hygiene across targeted market segments: healthcare, high traffic areas, food service, food processing and contract cleaning
initiate contact with influencers and stakeholders across the identified target segments
provide support to the company’s marketing teams across Europe and Russia.

Strategy

SHC recommended four areas of focus:

Media relations: generate news angles to drive core campaign messages, tailored to each market segment and translated for each market.
Stakeholder engagement: undertake specific activities and one to one briefings with key influencers
Positioning and preparation: messaging for each segment, plus detailed Q&As and media training for key spokespeople to ensure effective communication with the media
Development of materials and resources: the creation of an electronic PR Toolkit for pan-European markets and their agencies to ensure consistency and clear communication

Key Campaign Elements

Trade media briefings and tailored press releases: SHC organised, on behalf of the UK market (first to launch the campaign), one to one briefings with journalists from six trade media in the market segments. Press information was distributed to all targeted segment print and online media and a business story issued on the cost of sick-leave to European employers.

Media Mailer: SHC also created an innovative UK journalist mailer pack, designed to highlight the campaign’s launch and encourage journalists to take a few minutes to view a special video link on the Campaign website.

Industry Round Table, Brussels: an event was created to encourage open debate amongst industry experts into the issue of hand drying and its importance in the hand cleaning process. Leading hand hygiene experts took part and the event was covered exclusively by a key trade sector title.

PR Toolkit: SHC created an electronic PR Toolkit with campaign resources for use by the Take Control teams in 7+ countries.

Hand Drying Survey: a pan-European survey was commissioned to probe consumer attitudes to hand washing and drying. 700 participants across the UK, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Benelux and Russia took part. Results were used in a consumer story issued across all the markets.

Stakeholder briefings: Briefing influential third parties on the importance of hand drying completed the final stage of the campaign.

Results

Extensive coverage in the cleaning, food processing, healthcare and food service press and online media, with a total circulation of 227,000 and an advertising equivalent of £31,500.