• by Wendy Davis  @wendyndavis, November 10, 2004

Kimberly-Clark today will launch the online component of its latest branding campaign for Kotex feminine hygiene products. The Internet effort, which includes a video of an animated ad, will run on evite.com, VH1.com, People.com, Pogo.com, and Bolt.com--all sites that Kotex hopes will be visited by its target audience of women ages 18-24.

The video starts with a cartoon of a woman standing in front of a mirror, then shows her in different outfits--each of which supposedly represents a female archetype: girlfriend, tomboy, vixen, maverick, and genius, according to the marketing copy.

Web users can stop the stream at any time, or click on different components of the campaign: a "What role do you play" quiz; the Kotex Web site; and a product selector. Users can also follow a link to sign up to receive e-mail promotions. "This puts the consumers in control of their experience with the Kotex brand," said Allie Savarino, senior vice president at Unicast, the advertising company that provided the technology enabling the online version of the ad campaign.

The Web initiative is "a sigificant step forward" for Kotex, said assistant brand communications manager Andy Stawski, because it integrates elements of the TV campaign into an online campaign in ways the company hasn't done before. For instance, the quiz asks users to cast themselves in one of the five roles identified in the video ad.

In addition to the online ads, Kotex is sponsoring a game, Poppit, on Pogo.com, and is sponsoring a "most embarrassing moments" competition on Bolt.com.