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Viva Takes The Testosterone Out Of Paper Towel Marketing

  • Brandweek, Monday, September 28, 2009 10:43 AM
Kimberly-Clark's Viva paper towels has cut a deal with the Food Network to run 30-second interstitials on cook Sunny Anderson's show that aim to counter a category that traditionally is a bit too heavy on "male testosterone," Elaine Wong reports.

"It's that Brawny man everywhere when you step back and think of it," says Viva brand manager Joe Kardel, referring to the mascot for Georgia-Pacific's line of towels. "We're the girl in the aisle." Adds Kardel: the "Viva diva likes to entertain, she is the hostess with the mostess and she values the little things in life."

The ads show Anderson, star of the "Cooking for Real" series, enhancing the experience of utensil-free eating by, for example, using Viva towels to squeeze moisture from basil leaves.

Kardel says the campaign hopes to thwart private label's growth in the category (generic's dollar sales grew 8.57% in the 52 weeks ended Aug. 9, according to IRI), mainly by highlighting its key product attributes, which are that it's "strong and soft and cloth-like."

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