Fast Facts

What
  Advertising on tissue boxes distributed free to schools for display in classrooms.

Who
   TissueBox Advertising, headquartered in New York.

How it works
   Ads are displayed on the four sides, top and bottom of tissue boxes, which are then distributed free of charge to schools.
   “This is an opportunity to reach young consumers in the early stages of brand loyalty with a healthy, helpful educational message,” says TissueBox Advertising co-founder Jim Cronin.
   Creative is supplied by advertisers, Cronin says.
   “Simple, bold graphics work for branding. Don’t clobber them over the head. Include contact information and a logo. You’re not going to get very far with small type.”
   Copy will vary with age of the target audience, Cronin says. Ads are displayed in full color. The entire side of the cube box, 5 1/4 inches by 4 3/8 inches, is used for ad copy.
   Advertisers are encouraged to dedicate one panel to an Ad Council campaign. “We use Ad Council copy, a public service announcement,” says co-founder Michael Ayer.
   Additionally, “Teacher’s Features” printed on the box bottoms and tops include facts that are deemed of interest to students. An example is noting what took place in history during the same month the boxes are distributed.
   Custom-sized and shaped boxes are available, Ayer says. “We have the capacity to insert leaflets, lesson plans, posters and other promotional materials.”
   One advertiser buys the box. “We don’t divvy up sides,” Cronin says. “They can put more than one of their own products on the box. It’s theirs.”
   Campaigns can be tied to specific seasons or events including spring break, cold and flu season or summer vacation.
   Local as well as national advertisers are a good fit for the program, Cronin says. “While national advertisers make the most sense, it could also be used by a local pharmacy or grocery store, for example.”
   Advertisers can buy any quantity, Cronin says. “If you want to buy one building in a district, we’ll vet it for you.”
   Service is turnkey.

Markets
   School systems in the top 20 DMAs are currently part of the program.
   The network includes 5,871 middle and high schools representing 5 million students, Ayer says. Of those, 1,221 received blind donations of tissue boxes and requested more. An additional 4,650 opted in when they received an email offer to become part of the network.
  The network also has 28,900 preschools with 3.2 million children and 8,100 elementary schools with 5 million students.
   Other markets can be added by request. “We research which schools meet the demographic criteria, then send them the boxes,” Ayer says.
   However, if an advertiser requests a specific target demographic or pre-approval from the school the boxes are sent after the schools are contacted.

Numbers
   Each box contains 100 tissues and each case contains 36 boxes.

How measured
   A minimum order of 1,000 cases produces approximately 2.5 million impressions. Delivery is documented.

Research
   TissueBox ads were test-marketed in 70,000-plus classrooms in 2,300 schools. Of those, 70 percent weren’t active in other advertising programs, Ayer says. The branded boxes were donated blindly to schools that had no prior notification. Of the participating schools, 87 percent asked to be included in future programs.
   In a separate test marketing survey, 5,000 school administrators were contacted with a program overview and asked if they would like to receive donated boxes. Of those contacted, 93 percent opted into the program.

What product categories do well
  Entertainment, especially educational channels, and consumer items, including healthy food and beverages, and health and beauty aids are naturals, Cronin says.
   “Obviously alcohol, tobacco, firearms, anything that could be questionable, we wouldn’t take,” Cronin says.

Demographics
   Advertisers can target students in high school, middle school, elementary and preschool. Specific demographic groups can be targeted, Cronin says. “For instance, high-density Hispanic and African-American schools can be part of a customized program. “

Making the buy
   Lead-time varies, with programs placed in the existing network of schools taking two to three weeks. Customized placements take an additional week, Ayer says.
   Artwork can be approved within 48 hours of receipt. Production time depends on quantity but creative usually can be turned around in one week, with distribution taking an average 10 days.
   The minimum order is 1,000 cases with a total of 36,000 boxes for $66,000.
   Volume discounts are available, Cronin says.

Who’s already on tissue boxes
   The program is launching during first quarter.

What they’re saying
   “They’re on the teacher’s desk. It’s interactive. Kids pull the tissues from the box. This program evolved from necessity. The New York Daily News did a profile on teachers who spend their own money on supplies. Tissues, toilet paper, all kinds of basics. Of the first 1,300 schools that we sent boxes to in a blind test, over 1,100 initiated a response to thank us and request more.” – Jim Cronin, co-founder of New York-based TissueBox Advertising

Web site info
   TissueBox Advertising at www.tissueboxadvertising.com