Meet Phyllis: Kleenex says we’re made for each other!
They say you can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family. Well, you can scrap that old adage now – Kleenex is letting you choose... your mom.
Wish she was more like your best friend? Try Jessica. Need some of that down-home kinda lovin’? Try Magnolia. Or how about down-to-earth lovin’? Check out Amber. Want mom around only when you’ve got time for her? Swap schedules with Veronica.
Even if you’re not sure what type of mothering you need, you can take the online quiz to see which one is best for you.
Kleenex’s getmommed.com is a campaign that really puts the “viral” in viral advertising by taking advantage of the widespread concern over H1N1 and what they say are people’s increased need for tissues and TLC during this year’s cold and flu season.
Kleenex gives people the opportunity to get that extra mothering via the Internet, and as for the tissues, don’t worry – they’ve programmed every mom on their site to insist that the best way to conqer an illness is “(insert character appropriate phrase) and a big box of Kleenex tissues.” (That’s the first sign something’s amiss – since when does mom ask if you want a “Kleenex tissue”? It’s “Kleenex”!)
The website alone has enough mom stuff to keep you occupied for a couple of hours (make that multiple hours if you’ve got even a moderate internet connection – there’s a lot of graphics to load), but if that doesn’t satisfy your mommy cravings, you can sign up to get email, text messages, phone audio, and Facebook messages from the mom of your choice (you can even “friend” your mom on Facebook – each character comes equipped with their own page.)
Without a doubt, Kleenex’s campaign is entertaining (watch out: you’ll end up spending all your free time listening to the spiels of all 10 mothers vying to be chosen as yours), but it is also highly effective.
According to Ad Age, the 30-second TV commercial titled “Homecoming” has had the strongest persuasion scores and ability to break through ad clutter in more than 10 years of copy tests for Kleenex.
It also reinforces what many advertisers have said for years: empathy works. If you can do empathy, you’re on your way to a great campaign.
That being said, it doesn’t take long before you realise that not only is the campaign is targeted at Americans, but it also targets American stereotypes.
Take the quiz to see which mom suits you, and you’ll be asked which is your favourite on-screen mom: all of which are well known, but all of which are also from good old American family programs.
Go and sign up for a Kleenex account to get emails from your chosen mom, and you’ll be asked where you shop – in the States.
But more than that, getmommed.com presents stereotypes galore. BrandChannel sums it up nicely:
”Kleenex also knows that "mother" and "motherhood" can't be defined singularly. Motherhood is a rich and dynamic tapestry, made up of women from various walks of life and nurturing styles. Unless you're a minority!”
It’s true. While the Caucasian moms are a little more unique in their characteristics, the African-American mother, the Asian mother, and the Hispanic mother are pigeonholed when it comes to their traits.
I’ll quote BrandChannel again, since they phrase it so eloquently:
“Perhaps you need some tough love? For that there's Sue, the Asian mother with a purely coincidental accent. More interested in a feisty mom? Okay, try Lisa. Everything about her is sassy! A sassy African-American woman? Unheard of. Are you from a big family? Well, say "Hola" to Ana Maria. You can't miss her, she's festively attired in a vibrant outfit.”
As for all the attention Kleenex is getting, there’s still no word yet on how real moms are reacting when they find out their son or daughter is going to the computer for affection and advice from their virtual mother.
But in any case, getmommed.com is the perfect procrastinator site for us CreComms. Go on over and take the quiz and let me know “who’s your mommy?”
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