Andrex ads to focus on price cuts

Kimberly-Clark (K-C) is launching a radical advertising campaign for its premium toilet tissue brand Andrex, that for the first time will mention the fact that it has reduced its prices.

The new discount message is part of an advertising blitz for the “improved” toilet paper, but will not mark the end of its “soft, strong and long” strapline.

The change in strategy follows K-C’s recent decision to reduce the number of sheets on an Andrex roll from 280 sheets to 240 sheets, and slash about 50p from the present price of £2.19 for four rolls (MW June 28). The reduced price undercuts most own-label brands The campaign, created by J Walter Thompson, will break later this year.

Andrex has also repackaged the new reduced-priced rolls with the lines ‘Touch Me’, “Hold Me” and “Feel Me” on different coloured packs. The brand name Andrex appears at the bottom of the packs.

According to K-C, the company has made the sheets thicker, which in turn led to the reduced sheet-count, and as a result the price was cut.

K-C European marketing director Ben Anderson says: “The price reduction is in line with the number of sheets taken off. We will be very honest and transparent with the consumer. The new advertising will talk about both pricing and quality of product.”

Procter & Gamble’s Charmin Ultra, which is set to be rebranded as Charmin Comfort early next year, is expected to follow K-C’s footsteps and reduce the number of sheets on its rolls from 192 to 184 (MW last week).

Last year, K-C almost doubled its ad spend behind the Andrex brand in order to fight back against P&G’s onslaught on the toilet-tissue market. The Andrex brand was supported with a £14m ad budget in a move to fend off P&G’s brand Charmin Ultra, which hit the UK market in February with an estimated £25m total marketing spend.