I was drawn to this article in the NY Times mostly because I was looking to read about diapers, but it turned out to be an interesting twist on the familiar topic.
You know how in a group of moms on the playground there’s always one that seems to be more knowledgeable and accepting of new trends? If that sounds like you, then you probably already know about the “jean diaper”. If not, read on!
So apparently Kimberly-Clark has come up with a new type of baby diaper with a denim pattern and they’re selling a limited edition available until the end of July. Their brand – Huggies – has been running a commercial that goes something like this:
Two women are eating lunch at an outdoor cafe when something suddenly catches their attention, and they lower oversize sunglasses for a better look.
In slow motion, an 18-month-old boy struts nearby wearing a yellow oxford shirt and Little Movers Jeans Diapers, which have a printed denim pattern, including seams and back pockets.
In the 30-second spot, by the New York office of JWT, techno music plays as an announcer says, “My diaper is full — full of fashion.” As a tuxedo-clad driver opens the door of a limousine for the boy to climb in, the announcer continues, “When it’s No. 2, I look like No. 1: I poo — in blue.”
Don’t you just love it?! When it comes to networks though, not everyone seems to be thrilled. 13 networks did agree to run the original video with the original script. But ABC and ABC Family, as well as Sprout, seem to have objected to the word “poop”. For them the text was changed to “When you gotta go, go in style”.
I can relate. Poop is neither interesting nor pleasant and lacks celebrity quality, but isn’t that what moms talk about and have to deal with on a daily basis? Yeah, we don’t pour blue liquid into our babies’ diapers. What we have to work with is pretty real and is as brown as it gets, so I think moms would appreciate both, the realistic approach, well, to poop AND the humor.
While many diaper producers spend millions and millions of dollars on advertising their new brands (and still fail to make profit because our economy has been staying well, sorry, in poop), the jean diaper idea sounds almost crazy.
For years and years we’ve been trained to think that diapers win in functionality. If a diaper absorbs well, doesn’t irritate skin and doesn’t release too much smell, it’s a winner. But Huggies says: “You know what, we’ve come up with something that you already know works PLUS your kid is not going to look like he or she walks around with just a diaper on”.
You know that feeling. You see a kid in a t-shirt and a diaper and sort of think he might need to put a pair of shorts on. The jean diaper takes care of that problem (in my eyes). It’s a cute summer idea.
Also it’s very relatable. The guys at Huggies are no fools. They do their homework and they know that mommies live in jeans (yes, we do), so the new diaper is like an answer to our prayers: our kids are kept dry and they’re fashionistas!