• by Karl Greenberg , March 10, 2010

Kimberly-Clark's Kleenex brand is offering an at-home version of a product that people take for granted in public restrooms: disposable hand towels. The new Kleenex Hand Towels are intended to address consumers' growing concern with hand hygiene.

The company plans an integrated marketing program this spring comprising print and TV advertising, direct-to-consumer Web efforts, blogging outreach, sampling, magazine inserts, experiential marketing and public relations activities. The product is on sale now with a retail price of about $3 for a box of 60 towels, per the company.

The Kleenex Hand Towels come in box packaging, with pop-up delivery. The product is intended to complement bathroom décor and space limitations -- i.e., it can go on a towel bar or countertop.

Kleenex Hand Towels performed well in preliminary testing with consumers, the company says: Approximately two-thirds said they would use Kleenex Hand Towels as a substitute for cloth towels, and more than 90% reacted favorably to how the product and package design looked in their bathrooms.

"Based on early consumer feedback, we believe Kleenex Hand Towels will receive a positive reception from moms who are germ-conscious, appreciate the convenience of disposable paper products, and make a clean and orderly bathroom a top cleaning priority," said Ann Vanevenhoven, Kleenex senior brand manager, in a statement.

She says the company in January tested consumer reception of the product via the QVC shopping channel. "During its first seven minutes of being on-air, we sold approximately 3,000 cases of Kleenex Hand Towels. A second airing yielded an additional 4,200 cases. By the time we complete this program, we anticipate a total of 14,800 cases being sold on the QVC channel," said Vanevenhoven.