Situation: For years, there have been two categories for diapers - premium diapers and value diapers. This bifurcation of the category became a problem for Huggies Snug & Dry Diapers. While they were a more affordable quality diaper, they didn't quite fit perfectly into either of those categories. Huggies made a strategic move to solve this problem by re-launching their Snug & Dry Diapers to provide an even better diaper at a better value for parents.
Overall PR Objective: In the absence of a national consumer program, generate national media coverage and strong social chatter around the launch of new Huggies Snug & Dry diapers, highlighting the lower price.
While national media was desired, research and insights revealed that moms aren't watching programs like the Today Show or GMA.
- 20% of moms watch E!, only 5% watch the Today Show
- 41% of moms read news/entertainment weeklies, 25% read baby magazine titles
- Source: 2014 Doublebase GfK MRI (Moms w/children under age 2)
Moms also like to support brands that are closely tied to a cause.As Edelman's 2014 brandshare™ study and GoodPurpose 2012 Study revealed, consumers increasingly expect brands to show their commitment to societal needs. Consumers want to know a brand cares about things other than itself.
- 76% said they would buy/use and recommend products/services from a company that actively supports a good cause
- 53% said when quality and price are equal, social purpose ranks as most important factor in selecting a brand
Furthermore, consumers, and millennials in particular, love sharing status updates, Tweets and photos that they feel are helping others. (Chief Marketer)
Using these insights, as well as Huggies Every Little Bottom study (2010) that revealed 1 in 3 U.S. moms suffer from diaper need (the inability to provide fresh diapers), our strategy focused on targeting the core mom consumer audience by generating coverage in the entertainment/lifestyle media they're consuming while promoting the value price that could ultimately help contribute to the diaper need cause. Since 2010, Huggies has donated 160 million diapers to babies in need.
Strategic Approach:
- Leverage Huggies pre-existing relationship with celebrity charity Baby2Baby to negotiate celebrity partnership in a cost-efficient manner
- Negotiate diaper donations – instead of high celebrity participation costs
- Use celebrity to generate coverage in national entertainment/lifestyle media moms are reading
- Engage Baby2Baby and celebrity's large social followings to amplify conversation and messaging
- Use Huggies fight against diaper need as a way to rally moms and media to support a worthy cause and make a difference
Implementation/Key Features:
Creative Idea: Near Cinco de Mayo, Huggies teamed up with celebrity A-List mom Jennifer Garner and Baby2Baby charity to host a Spring Fiesta event and introduce the improved Snug & Dry diapers at an all new low price. Jennifer shared that she and Huggies were going to help moms everywhere gain access to the latest and greatest diapers by donating two million diapers to continue the fight against diaper need.
- Negotiated A-list mom Jennifer Garner – for free – with in kind diaper donation
- Launched tweet-to-give social amplification to generate additional reach and engagement; for every Tweet using #SnugAndDry, Huggies donated additional diapers to Baby2Baby
- Worked with Baby2Baby to have their celebrity supporters and fans such as Julie Bowen (Modern Family) tweet and retweet
- Cross-promoted socially through Jennifer's owned channels, as well as Huggies and Baby2Baby channels
- Pitched exclusive interviews with Jennifer; ensured key brand/product value messaging inclusion in exchange for exclusive access
- Created branded signage for photo backdrops to ensure visual branding; conducted on-site branded photo opportunities with Jennifer and babies Baby2Baby serves
- Distributed branded photos on the wire
- Shared diaper need statistics to round out story and convey Huggies commitment to fighting diaper need
We effectively integrated the price value message both visually and verbally and told a well-rounded story that generated national, earned media coverage and social conversations.
Program reached 54+ million, surpassing the goal of 30-50 million while helping contribute to increased repeat business and negatively impact a top competitor for the first time in two years
Event
- Reached 47+ million in one week time period as a result of the Jennifer Garner event
- Secured placements in the top two entertainment outlets for Millennial Moms, People Magazine and US Weekly, among others
- Garnered three broadcast placements on E! News reaching nearly one million viewers
- Generated additional national media coverage in outlets such as MSN and Daily Mail
- Secured quality branding with 78 percent of placements including a product image, which was a 10 percent increase over the goal
- Drove the price value visually and verbally with 83 percent of placements including this message
Tweet-to-Give
- Secured high social engagement, including 21.7K and 1.8K+ uses of #SnugAndDry (without any paid support; high engagement for the brand)
- Generated high engagement (6K+) on Jennifer Garner's Facebook post reaching 420K+ and 1,7K+ shares (significantly high compared to other branded/partner posts on her page, avg. 128)
- Secured additional branded social cross-promotions from celebrity mom influencers such as Julie Bowen (Modern Family), Rachel Zoe (designer), Elizabeth Berkley (Saved by the Bell, Dancing with the Stars) and Sasha Alexander (Rizzoli & Isles) without any participation costs
