Kleenex campaign uses animated underwear to endorse toilet-hygiene product

The 'PP Cleaner of China' campaign, in which animated undergarments speak frankly about the impact of poor hygiene, is designed to raise awareness for Kleenex Perineal Wipes. "PP” is a nickname for buttocks in China.

The video, produced by Mindshare China via GroupM Studio, rolled out on Youku today (12 October) as the initial part of a nationwide branding campaign. 

A spoof of a popular live show called "The Voice of China", the video features three undergarment characters—‘G-string Ding’, ‘Boxer Liu’, and ‘Thong Wong’—who act as judges, giving their verdicts on recommended toilet-hygiene options. A Mindshare spokesperson said that viewers will also catch glimpses of how people in past eras practiced toilet hygiene in the absence of such modern products as wet wipes.

Chungaiz Khan Mumtaz, head of invention, Mindshare China, pointed out that online video is huge in China, with more than 65 per cent penetration out of a base of more than 538 million internet users, "which is the key reason we chose to use this as a platform to launch this campaign, by injecting humour relevant to Chinese consumers”.

Many brands have jumped on the "micro video" bandwagon, including Shanghai Volkswagen. Due to the increasing importance of online video advertising in China, Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) has also restructured to become the first agency with a dedicated team for tactical planning for the medium, as reported in July.
 

This is the second time that Mindshare China has helped Kimberly-Clark tackle a taboo subject in a creative way. As reported in June, the agency used a fictional key-opinion-leader (KOL) cum 'aunt agony' character to promote its feminine care brand Kotex and to broach the taboo subject of menstruation among young women in China.