Marina Maher Communications

It’s launch week and the U by Kotex buzz has certainly begun! 

News about Kimberly-Clark’s latest line of boldly-designed feminine care is spreading rapidly thanks to an outstanding placement in The New York Times, the launch of the brand Web site, the distribution of the corporate press release and MMC’s media outreach and influencer mailing. Just four days in and media impressions have already surpassed the 100 million mark. 

As part of this exciting campaign, MMC created an integration on “The Tyra Banks Show” that aired yesterday.  The program served as a platform to spark a much-needed national conversation on vaginal health.  The result — more than 35 minutes of air time, at least ten mentions of the word “vagina,” U by Kotex logos and product visuals, as well as key brand messages delivered by two U by Kotex advocates.  A true success! But for several reasons… 

1. The Right Integration to Reach our Young Female Target: MMC recommended an integration specifically with Tyra Banks because she has a reputation as an outspoken advocate for issues that impact young women.  She doesn’t shy away from real talk, and isn’t afraid to tackle embarrassing topics.  In addition, Tyra resonates as a peer among our target audience of women aged 14-22, even though she is viewed as a celebrity.
2.  Integrated Effort: We worked closely with our colleagues at Mindshare, the media buying agency for U by Kotex, to negotiate the terms of the buy.  As a joint team, we recommended purchasing multiple segments on the show to ensure depth of messaging for the brand.  We also worked with the team to make sure our integration air date coincided with the brand launch.
3.  Driving Content: Once the integration was locked in, one of the most important items became the brand document, which the show uses as a guide to develop the segments.  MMC was able to own this document and outline our wish list for content.  We summarized our campaign elements, key messages, call-to-action, requests for U by Kotex advocates to appear on the show, and suggested branded placements for product and logos.  Key reason whyt it was so strong! 

If you didn’t get the chance to watch the integration live, you can view a portion on the Tyra Show Web site: http://tyrashow.warnerbros.com/kotex/  Enjoy!!

I’m about to embark on a ten day vacation to Turkey/Greece, and have never felt more disorganized! Normally, I am the queen of lists. I mark down every item I intend to pack, errands I need to run, and my necessary beauty appointments for my big trips. I typically purchase travel guides and even take the time research my destinations online. But, for whatever reason, I have not gotten my ducks in a row and now it’s crunch time!

While this lack of organization may keep me up at night panicking that I forgot to pack my passport, I can at least rest knowing that my work projects are moving and that everyone knows where things stand. This is not the first time I have left the office for a significant length of time, so I know just what it takes to get my teams and clients prepared for my absence.

Here are a few things to keep in mind the next time you find yourself heading out for vacation. Whether it’s a two week honeymoon, a week-long adventure, or just a weekend trip, there are some basic steps you can take to put your mind (as well as your supervisors’ and teams’) at ease. Happy travels!

1. Assign a person (or persons) on your team to serve as the point of contact for any urgent matters and/or ongoing client initiatives that require immediate attention…empowering others is one of the best ways to keep the trains running
2. Notify your teams, management committees, and reception that you will be out at least a few days prior to your departure
3. Alert your clients that you will be unavailable and assure them that there will be appropriate team coverage while you’re out
4. Set up account team meetings to cover off on your assignments and discuss next steps
5. Set your out-of-office assistant on email and inform people the dates you will be unavailable
6. Don’t forget to change your voicemail too
7. And, finally, enjoy your time off… coming back refreshed and rejuvenated is what a vacation is all about!