Thank God for Kimberly Clark, Kotex and Kleenex

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Today’s Blog Post


Thank God for Kimberly Clark, Kotex and Kleenex
Even writing this today is kind of embarrassing for some folk. Not for me... but for some of my readers and some of my listeners.

Oh boy!

Last Thursday I was conducting our “New Friends” program at the Senior’s residence from 2 to 4 PM.

“New Friends” is a group that my Mom and I attend together. I launched it a while ago at this Home to help new people feel more comfortable coming into the new place to live.

It is an easy discussion group that allows almost anything to be discussed and bantered about.

My Mom is 90 years old and she is the youngest person in the group. Most are between 92 to 97 years of age – but are very lively and very with it! They know what is going on in their world and will question what they don’t know. Most are very capable business folk before retiring and all are well connected with their previous world and still are today! Believe me!

So it stands to reason that almost any topic that I bring up is a good one. From Osama bin Laden to Stephen Harper; from the Manitoba Flood problem to the war in Afghanistan – all topics are part of what they want to hear about.

One day one person asked me point blank what I thought of the idea that the world would end in three years time. That was one question that came out of the blue for sure. Most in the group will be in Heaven in three years time – specially this lady that is now about 96 years old.

So we discussed the End of the World for a while, until one person told us that we needed a new topic in that this one was depressing her!

Over the week before I had been listening to the CBC Radio Program entitled, “The Age of Persuassion” with Terry O’Reilly. His topic last week was how certain ad programs can make a Brand name so popular that the product can commit “Genericide” – that is when a Brand Name becomes Generic.

The best example was the one of Kleenex tissues. I thought this was a great topic to share at the New Friends group on Thursday. It just kind of popped up.

Now remember I am the only man, I am 67 years old in a group that are all older than my Mom, who is also sitting there as well.

Should be a good topic right? Oh boy – maybe not. And after I told them the fascinating history and where the Kleenex came from their reactions were hilarious to say the least.

Before their reactions… here is the story that Terry O’Reilly shared on the program(you really need to hear it all – see Links below and down load the MP3 File – it is really good!)

I began to set up the Kleenex story by asking the question, “You all know what Kotex is don’t you?”

There was a stunned look on their faces and they shook their heads ‘yes’… At that moment I knew I had kind of crossed over into an area they had never been before… with a man talking to them about Feminine Hygiene Products.

I trucked right along and told them Terry’s story.

“You will remember that when Kotex first came out the product was fairly stiff and ladies found it difficult to use…” I stumbled on, but the ladies all nodded their heads. They were there when this happened. It was a little before my time… but as a teen I had heard the rumours and stories… ahem. Then when my wife started telling me the stories of her own adventures with the Hygiene products or her early days… I become almost an expert.

(Pause here… you may now click out of this Blog if the words Hygiene Products, Monthly Period, Menstruation etc make you blush or uneasy – come back tomorrow – Thanks)

I proceeded to share how the Kimberly Clark paper company had developed the wadded paper to help absorb “the flow” and it was too stiff… so they kept working on the paper product until it become very soft and pliable so that less discomfort was felt.

In fact the new product was so comfortable and so strong that it could be used for something other than absorbency… it could be used on your face.

Relief came to the New Friends group when I asked if they remembered the “Cold Cream” that was used to take old makeup of. I asked if they remembered the Cold Cream or Makeup towel that become pretty grimy and needed to be washed like the old handkerchiefs that men used – full of some ugly stuff.

There was relief… we had moved from Hygiene products and the down there thinking – to their faces. Oh boy!

The new, soft tissue was marketed as a replacement for the Cold Cream Towel and Makeup Towel problem… and it was suggested that a woman’s face could be like a Movie Star’s face by using the new facial tissue.

But what should Kimberly Clark name the new brand and still suggest its roots?

Well… the product was “Clean” for sure and Clean is what everyone was hoping for. So with a little twist here and little change there… the word sounding like Clean was inserted using “leen” and the “C” was replaced by a “K” from Kotex… with the “ex” was also grabbed to add a good ending to the word. So then you have “Kleenex”… and brand new Feminine Hygiene product!

With that short story my audience of Senior Ladies all in their 90s – stared at me for a moment… then one said, “I have never heard that before.” Another said, “That is a great story about Kleenex!”

Then one lady said it all for the rest of the New Friends group members… “I have just never had a man talk to me about Kotex before!” And they all giggled.

My how things have changed! A minister actually using the word Kotex in front of an all ladies group… I HAVE NEVER USED THE WORD KOTEX in a sermon – but who knows – maybe times have changed… sheesh!

The Kimberly Clark story is wonderful. The fact that people will ask for a “Kleenex” when asking for something to blow their nose in – is amazing but hard for Kimberly Clark – their product name is robbed!

But as amazing as this is – Men stopped using that horrific Snot Rag, filled with their Nasal Mucus and Throat Gobs, which their wife had to wash each week in a soupy pail filled with the slime and grime of the male human bodies…

And are you ready for this men…? Men started using something that they were never allowed to talk about in mixed audiences… or maybe even with all the men together… They STARTED BLOWING THEIR NOSES INTO A FEMININE HYGIENE PRODUCT THAT IS A CLOSE SISTER TO KOTEX!

Thanks goodness they invented Kleenex! And that we didn’t have to carry a pocket full of… or a purse full of Kotex! I would still be using the old Snot Rag if that was the case… and washing it myself.

But then Kleenex could have been called Kotex as well… maybe “Kotex II” or “Man Tex” for the really heavy days of nasal drips… and throat stuff…

The look on the faces of New Friends group of ladies… was priceless.

As they were leaving one lady said to another new lady, “You just never know what we will talk about in this group!” The other new one giggled.

Too funny. Oops - Gotta run and blow my nose!

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/ 

Resource:
http://www.cbc.ca/ageofpersuasion/episode/
http://www.cbc.ca/ageofpersuasion/episode/season-5/

Full Program available here
http://www.cbc.ca/podcasting/includes/aop.xml
Scroll down and Look for Season 5: Genericide - When A Brand Becomes Generic

http://www.cbc.ca/ageofpersuasion/episode/season-5/2011/05/06/season-five-genericide-when-a-brand-name-becomes-generic-1/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kleenex


http://www.kleenex.com/BrandStory.aspx


http://www.mum.org/paddir.htm