Press Releases

First Consumer Goods Company to Create Online Resource for Parents; Powerful Business Model for Online Partnerships DALLAS, April 17 -- Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NYSE: KMB) today announced the launch of parentstages.com (http://www.parentstages.com) - the first online network designed to enable parents to quickly access the best parenting information available on the Web. The parentstages.com network is comprised of leading online partners like iVillage.com, the No. 1 online site for women.

"In essence, parentstages.com is a virtual compass that helps busy parents quickly navigate their way through the wealth of parenting information available on the Web," said Kathi Seifert, executive vice president of Kimberly-Clark. "Working in partnership with a number of leading online content providers, parentstages.com puts consumers in touch with credible and useful information that allows them to make well-informed decisions. It marks the first time a wide range of parenting information from independent, unbiased sources has been collected into a single site."

The initiative combines the strength and reach of those online partners with the power and recognition of Kimberly-Clark's market-leading infant and child care brands: Huggies diapers, Huggies baby wipes, Pull-Ups training pants, GoodNites youth pants and Huggies Little Swimmers swimpants.

Designed to help moms and dads through the various stages of parenthood, parentstages.com is aimed at couples who are expecting through parents of 12 year olds. It is organized into three channels: "Expecting," "New Parent" and "Savvy Parent." Core subject categories include parenting, health, women and finance. The network of online partners and strategic alliances is expected to expand as additional online partners join.

Until now most packaged goods companies' Internet presence consisted of developing a content web site, creating big-ticket sponsorships or buying banner ads. "With parentstages.com, we are establishing true partnerships, as opposed to simply buying banner ads and being a paying passenger on someone else's site," Ms. Seifert said. "The network sets a new standard in marketing and building strong affinity for our brands."

The concept for parentstages.com is rooted in a challenge Kimberly-Clark presented to its long-time advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather to find a way to help the manufacturer leverage its strong consumer brands to better reach consumers online. Ogilvy & Mather recommended that, rather than developing content, Kimberly-Clark focus on creating a context in which parents or anyone involved in raising children can easily find relevant information.

"It is our belief that unless publishing is - or is slated to become - a company's primary business, it is better for manufacturers like Kimberly-Clark to place themselves in the relevant context rather than try to create content from scratch," said Mark Nathanson, Account Director at OgilvyOne, the division of Ogilvy that specializes in interactive and one-to-one marketing.

Remarking on parentstages.com's unique ability to provide users with information from many of the leading experts in parenting and related fields, Ms. Seifert said, "From our proprietary consumer research we learned that today's moms and dads are seeking the broadest and most reliable information from which to create their own individual parenting style. By condensing the best of the Web, parentstages.com will help facilitate access to different points of view, giving parents - the true experts - the freedom to decide what is best for their children."

Parentstages.com's initial online partners are:

iVillage.com
http://www.ivillage.com
The #1 women's network

This leading online women's network provides practical solutions and supportive online communities to women around the world. iVillage is a fully comprehensive site for women that covers all kinds of topics, from astrology to parenting to ealth.

UrbanBaby.com
http://www.urbanbaby.com

This online resource for planning and raising your urban baby offers Urban Mommies (and mommies to be) an opportunity to find everything from a local obstetrician to a local playground. They also provide parenting tips, resource guides, interactive communities and select products for both moms and babies.

Salon.com
http://www.salon.com/archives/mwt/index.html
Makes You Think

This online resource covers a broad range of topics: everything from parenting to politics, from celebrities to Silicon Valley. Salon.com includes a site called "Mothers Who Think" which takes a look at the myths and realities of being a mother.

CBSHealthWatch.com
http://healthwatch.medscape.com
Manage Your Health. Enjoy Your Life.

CBSHealthWatch offers an array of high quality information and interactive tools to help consumers and their families manage their daily personal health. From basic information to advanced healthcare topics, CBSHealthWatch provides the right information at the right time.

TotalWoman.com
http://www.totalwoman.com

TotalWoman is an affiliate network designed to be informative and entertaining, fun and easy to use. It focuses on the themes that are at the core of every woman's life: health, work, home, style and the relationships she treasures with friends, lovers, husbands and children.

Kimberly-Clark Corporation is a leading global manufacturer of tissue, personal care and health care products. The company's global brands include Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex, Depend, Kleenex, Scott, Kimberly-Clark, Tecnol, Kimwipes and WypAll. Other brands well known outside the U.S. include Andrex, Scottex, Page, Popee and Kimbies. Kimberly-Clark also is a major producer of premium business, correspondence and technical papers. The company has manufacturing operations in 40 countries and sells its products in more than 150 countries.