• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, November 2, 2012

Two years ago, light bladder leakage was no laughing matter in the U.S. Then Kimberly-Clark and its media shop Mindshare turned to actress-comedienne Whoopi Goldberg to do a series of funny spots for the client’s Poise brand of leakage control pads to address taboo subject matter.

Now, sister agency Ogilvy & Mather is doing something similar for K-C in China, where incontinence is prevalent and even less talked about than here. The client’s adult care line of leakage control products Depend and O&M Advertising Shanghai have launched a digital campaign that targets children of incontinence sufferers in China to raise awareness of a widespread, yet seldom-discussed health issue.

According to the agency in China, at least 34% of adults ages 35 years and older experience urine leakage at least once per week. Most sufferers refuse to discuss it.

Like the previous American effort, the new China campaign also takes a somewhat humorous approach. It includes a 60-second online video that shows the “little white lies” that parents tell to express their love, such as saving the best things in life for their young ones.

The video is linked to a micro-site featuring a “lie detector test”  that asks adult children about their elderly parents’ habits, like whether  their parents frequent the bathroom often and whether they have recently started to avoid going outdoors. The caregivers can then apply online to receive free samples of Depend products that can be sent directly to their homes.

To drive traffic to the campaign micro-site, Ogilvy created online banner ads for Chinese Web sites PPS, Baidu and Health Portal 39.net to encourage consumers to openly discuss the incontinence health issue.

Jaja Lang, marketing director for Kimberly-Clark Adult & Feminine Care, stated: “Incontinence is a universal health issue that impacts many elderly Chinese, but they often feel embarrassed and voiceless to openly discuss the problem. In an effort to alleviate their physical and emotional discomfort, this campaign offers an intimate and comforting way to raise awareness of the issue with the people who are best positioned to help these sufferers--  their children.”

The campaign will run through mid-December in mainland China.