In its campaign “The Big Day,” Kleenex teamed up with FCB Chicago to tap into a universal “Kleenex” moment, the first day of school.
The :60 spot follows a mother and son as they navigate the momentous morning together. As the young boy packs his backpack, he includes a pack of Kleenex tissues – a small detail that becomes powerfully significant by the end of the story.
The ad is amplified by a cover of Bob Marley and The Wailers’ “Three Little Birds” as the soundtrack.
Here’s what iSpot’s Creative Assessment platform revealed on actual viewer response to the campaign.
The Details:
- The :60 “The Big Day” connected very, very well with American viewers, with its Heartfelt and highly relatable storytelling. The ad ranks in the top percentile of paper products ads (past year) in breakthrough (Attention and Likeability):
- The message, while sad in tone to some, stood out as the Single Best Thing to viewers of the long-form at more than twice the rate of the average category ad, with response largely above-norm across age/gender. As a result of the new emotional approach, “The Big Day” :60 also ranked high in the category in delivering a Change in direction, and conveying Information.
- As such, 57% reported positive purchase intent (+4 points over norm) with 88% accurately recalling the Kleenex brand (unaided).
- The message, while sad in tone to some, stood out as the Single Best Thing to viewers of the long-form at more than twice the rate of the average category ad, with response largely above-norm across age/gender. As a result of the new emotional approach, “The Big Day” :60 also ranked high in the category in delivering a Change in direction, and conveying Information.
Sample viewer comments on “The Big Day” :60
“Being a parent, I can definitely relate to this advertisement. You stay calm and positive around them the whole time, sending encouragement the entire walk there. You finally drop them off expecting them to be upset, scared, worried, and crying. But they surprise you by being stronger than they knew they were. You also didn’t expect to be the one crying. It’s a very emotionally connecting ad for sure.”
Female 21-35
“Honestly, one of the best commercials I ever saw. Kleenex, you really did a good one on this commercial. Any parent who has school age children would be brought to tears by that commercial. I sure was. Great job!”
Male 50+
“That has to be one of the cutest and sweetest ads I have seen in such a long time. Brought back memories. Same thing even happened to me when I dropped my daughter at college. Needed some tissues. I cried the day I left her at kindergarten and cried when she left to go to grad school. Definitely needed those Kleenex, my favorite brand.”
Female 50+
“I love this. I feel like it tugged on the heartstrings. It’s a different approach than expected from Kleenex but in a good way. I feel like this message was more personal and is perfect for a back-to-school ad.”
Female 21-35
“It really touched me. I remember my son’s first day going to school. And how I felt at the time. I used my sleeves. Wishing I would have had a Kleenex at that moment.”
Male 36-49
“I actually was brought to tears. As a mom, I’m a sucker for depictions of moms with their kids in tender moments and ESPECIALLY with emotional music playing in the background. I can’t believe how emotional I got in such a quick amount of time.”
Female 21-35
“This is an extremely well done ad. I have seen so many parents over the years dropping their kids off at school and exactly that scene plays out. Well done, Kleenex”
Male 50+
- The :60 cut was much more connective than the :30 “The Big Day,” however, suggesting that Kleenex favor the longer form where possible:
- The :15 “Sick Days” sparked a norm-level of intent while being more Likeable and Relevant than the average paper products ad.
- The :60 “The Big Day” appealed more broadly vs the other new Kleenex spots, but the :15 “Sick Days” could also benefit from continued brand support, especially to viewers over 35:
- The strength of the :60 lay in its ability to foster stronger and more varied positive emotion.
- Second-by-second trace results reflect the effective pull of the positive turn in the storytelling behind “The Big Day” creatives, with the earlier (added) scenes in the longer form more engaging vs. those in the :30 counterpart:
- In fact, the long form “The Big Day” ranks as the best received paper products creative of the past year.
- While “Sick Days” saw a stronger skew to viewers with children, the deep connections in the :60 “The Big Day” extended equally as well to those without kids in the household:
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Creative Agency: FCB Chicago