There’s no right or wrong way to parent, yet 92% of Australian parents were feeling pressured to do more and be better (source: Bellamy’s Organic, Mounting parenting pressure can hurt the health of Aussie mums).

As the market-leader, Huggies had established themselves over time as the premium brand in the baby care category, and with this came a very premium and ‘perfect’ depiction of parenthood. But now this ‘perfect’ depiction was working against them.

We were challenged to create an overarching brand platform idea for Huggies that would not only address the share decline across total infant care but would also challenge the category stereotypes of perfection in parenthood to reconnect with modern Australian parents and help alleviate the unnecessary pressure they were feeling to be ‘perfect’.

Nobody knows your baby better than you. Despite all the opinions and advice, parents should feel comfort in the choices they make. As long as your baby is happy and healthy, you should feel as comfortable in your skin as your baby’s skin feels in Huggies nappies.

Huggies set out to be a positive voice by starting a national conversation, encouraging people to parent fame, not parent shame.

By taking a stand on the growing issue of parent shaming was the perfect way for Huggies to win back its place in parents’ hearts and on babies’ bottoms.

Parents have always received unsolicited advice from friends and family, but now on top of that, social media has given complete strangers an opportunity to ‘parent shame’. In fact, we discovered that 71% of Australian parents say there is more parental judgement now than in the past and they’re feeling pressure and judgement about everything. To breastfeed or not to breastfeed? Should I return to work or stay at home? Should I really be buying the expensive nappies?

The social issue of parent shaming and constant judgement is causing parents to doubt their own instincts, and no brand was reassuring parents in an authentic way. This created an opportunity for Huggies to be the brand that provides comfort and reassurance to parents who are questioning their instincts.

The campaign launched with a social experiment in January 2020, a longform film that showcased a diverse range of real Australian parents. Supported by PR and paid media, the campaign aimed to start a national movement that encouraged people to ‘parent-fame’ not ‘parent-shame’.

To amplify the impact of the campaign through earned media, a national survey was commissioned to discover the true scale and impact parent-shaming can have. Being the first Australian-commissioned research that addressed this issue, Huggies also partnered with psychologist Sabina Read and celebrity mum Snezana Wood to highlight the mental toll parent-shaming can have, as well as providing advice for parents should they be parent-shamed.

For maximum reach, a large-scale screens strategy across TV, BVOD and Online Video was deployed. This was complemented by a partnership with Australia’s largest women’s network, Mamamia, to help parents feel comfortable in their skin, no matter how they choose to parent.

Huggies social experiment hit a nerve with parents, achieving three quarters of share growth for the first time in 8 years. Even more impressive was the increase in consumer brand sentiment, the campaign achieved +46% increase positive sentiment. On social, the campaign genuinely resonated. Facebook/Instagram posts ad recall 3 x higher vs Norm. For YouTube, 65% of those who watched say they would purchase vs Norm 43%.

This connection and buzz also started a real conversation in social, away from product proof points and towards the loftier, more important topic of feeling comfortable and confident in your own parenting choices. We saw parents showing support on social, tagging and faming other parents, Mums openly shared their unique stories with Huggies online. By challenging category stereotypes of perfection in parenthood, the campaign helped shape a healthier conversation around parenting and alleviated some of the pressure parents were feeling to be perfect.