One year into COVID, many groups had been recognized for how hard COVID hit them (and rightfully so) — the immuno-compromised, frontline workers, teachers, and kids. But the expectation to perform at 100% seemed to be amplified with parents. Parents couldn’t find support or encouragement anywhere, and what they needed was to understand that even in the hardest of times their love was exactly what their children needed. Pampers entered the conversation to show parents some love with the #MillionActsofLove campaign which resonated deeply, exceeding all campaign goals in the first week of launch.

In 2020, birth rates hit a new record low with the number of babies born in the U.S. dropping by 4%, while the number of direct-to-consumer diaper competitors continued to grow. And in the midst of a pandemic, commodity costs started to rise, adding to the pressures of already strapped parents.

Pampers recognized the hardships parents were facing and wanted to get a message of support to parents to help remind them of just how powerful their love is. #MillionActsofLove was designed to win parents’ hearts and thus, strengthen brand equity.

Our objectives:

1. Drive positive perceptions: Let as many parents as possible know Pampers sees and supports them.

2. Make it personal: Create content worthy of engagement to encourage small acts of kindness.

A year into the pandemic, parents needed love and support more than ever. They were exhausted from simultaneously taking on more roles, while losing access to their village, and were hitting their breaking point. 93% of moms reported feeling burned out, and the pandemic had 73% of them feeling like they were failing the expectations of their families. Everywhere you looked, parents were talked about in the media, and it was clear that parents (especially moms) were feeling like they had nothing left to give.

Pampers has been on a mission to help parents embrace the ups and downs of parenthood. Here was an opportunity to live into their brand purpose “to support every parent’s journey” and further show how they “get” today’s parent. But it wasn’t about creating another COVID ad, in fact, it was the opposite. How could Pampers support parents without mentioning the elephant in the room?

All parents, especially moms, had to wear many hats during the pandemic and left the workforce in droves, with lack of childcare being cited as a top reason why. Moms get an average of just 80 minutes a day to themselves, so it’s no surprise why they were burnt out. Yet, even with all this and the lack of support parents receive, they dig deep and keep giving to their babies, even when it feels like they have nothing left.

This led us to a powerful insight: Despite the real toll parenting takes, parents still find infinite capacity to love their babies.

Pampers knew parents needed a reminder of just how powerful their love is, and it needed to reach them in the perfect moment where they could truly appreciate it and draw from it to keep going.

Our creative idea brought support and encouragement to the forefront of the cultural conversation around parental burnout. By reframing “I’ve got nothing left to give” to “I’ve given exactly what my child needs” Pampers delivered a powerful message — acknowledging that parenting can be hard and comes with losses, but tfacing those challenges with grace and love is exactly what makes a parent.

Pampers debuted When A Child Loves You, an online film inspired by the children’s book, The Velveteen Rabbit. The story’s message is that while loving others comes with sacrifice, love changes us for the better.

We teamed up with mom and entrepreneur, Shay Mitchell, to kick-off the #MillionActsofLove movement — activated across social and digital channels — encouraging everyone to share small acts of kindness to support parents in their lives. Loved ones and friends were able to share digital love notes, offers of help, and more.

Within the first week, #MillionActsofLove exceeded all goals.

* Online film garnered 95 million views — 9x campaign goal — in one week

* 800,000 creators participated in #MillionActsofLove challenge — 29% higher than benchmark

* 10.7 billion Hashtag views on TikTok from the challenge

* More than 530,000 Pinterest CouPins delivered

Pampers really showed up for parents, providing support and encouragement and asking family and friends to do the same during a critical period of need resulting in 99% positive sentiment around the campaign.

One mom shared on Twitter “Omg the Pampers commercial made me cry… HAVE YOU SEEN IT? Oh wowza.” And it resonated with dads too — as one dad tweeted “Dude, love the YouTube @Pampers commercial. Really tugged on my heart. As a daddy of four little ones, that was probably the only ad on YouTube I haven’t just skipped. Well done pampers, lots of love."