Press Releases

DALLAS, January 28, 2002—Moments of triumph and defeat highlight Kimberly-Clark’s (NYSE:KMB) Olympic–focused print advertising campaign to promote Kleenex tissues, the Official Facial Tissue Supplier to the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. The advertisements capture the emotional moments of past U.S. Olympians Dan Jansen and Tara Lipinski, and feature current Olympic hopefuls Jim Shea, Jr., Picabo Street, and the U.S. Women’s Bobsled team. Ads featuring Jansen and Lipinski are now running in select consumer publications, while the ads highlighting Shea, Street and the Women’s Bobsled team will appear in February. 

“We want to pay tribute to these incredible athletes and all the athletes competing in the 2002 Olympic Winter Games who prove that dreams are always within reach,” said Gary Keider, Director of Marketing for Kleenex Folded Products. “During Olympic competition, years of sacrifice and intense preparation can come together in a single performance. It is during these moments of high emotional drama, whether in the ‘Kiss and Cry’ area at the figure skating arena where skaters await their scores or at the finish line for downhill skiing, that Kleenex tissues will be there to offer comfort in times of victory or heartbreak.” The campaign embodies the competitive spirit and determination of each athlete at the Olympic Winter Games. The ad featuring 1994 gold medalist speed skater Dan Jansen captures the emotion and heartache when an ill-fated turn shattered his 1988 Olympic dreams only hours after learning of his sister’s death. Figure skater Tara Lipinski is pictured after giving the performance of her lifetime in the 1998 Olympic Winter Games to become the youngest-ever gold medalist at age 15.

The advertisements beginning in February will spotlight Picabo Street, Jim Shea and the U.S. Women’s Bobsled team. Street will compete in the Downhill after serious leg injuries sidelined her for more than two years. Jim Shea, the first third-generation Olympian competing in the Skeleton, is carrying on the family tradition from his father, Jim Shea, Sr., a Nordic Combined Olympian in 1964, and his grandfather, Jack, who won two speed-skating gold medals in 1932. And making its Olympic debut for the first time is the U.S. Women’s Bobsled team—a giant step for women’s sports. 

The ads expand upon the Kleenex brand campaign of, “... thank goodness for Kleenex tissues” and will appear through March in major daily newspapers and leading consumer magazines. (Download photos of the print advertisements at www.kimberly-clark.com and go to news/press photo page.) 

Kleenex Olympic Sponsorship

Kleenex brand involvement with the 2002 Olympic Winter Games is just one example of the ongoing campaign in which consumers interact with Kleenex facial tissues—not just during cold and allergy seasons – but in times and places that are emotionally important. Kimberly-Clark will celebrate its Olympic involvement with commemorative facial tissue cartons that will be available in the “Kiss and Cry” area in the skating arena, limited edition Kleenex UltraSoft Pocket Packs that will be included in gift bags to athletes, and sweepstakes that offer consumers the opportunity to win a trip to the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. 

The commemorative Kleenex tissue cartons featuring the 2002 Olympic Winter Games mascots and pictograms, as well as limited edition Kleenex Pocket Packs will be available in retail stores beginning in January.

About Kleenex Tissues

The world’s first and best-selling facial tissue, the Kleenex brand is recognized by families in more than 150 countries. Invented in 1924, Kleenex tissues were initially marketed as a sanitary way to remove cold cream and makeup. Once advertising was shifted to emphasize the product’s use as a disposable handkerchief, however, sales soared. Always the innovative leader, the Kleenex brand has met the needs of consumers for more than 75 years with products that provide the comforting, reassuring touch to make things better.

About Kimberly-Clark

Kimberly-Clark Corporation is a leading global consumer products company with manufacturing operations in 41 countries. Kimberly-Clark brands of tissue and personal care products, such as Kleenex facial tissue and Cottonelle flushable moist wipes, are sold in more than 150 countries. For more information about Kimberly-Clark’s well-known brands, visit the Kimberly-Clark Web site at www.kimberly-clark.com.