Oh Geez Pampers…really?
I can remember when we were expecting our first child walking into a baby big box store and being absolutely overwhelmed by the abundance of products with marketing that preyed on either a) our fears “if you don’t get this your baby will die!” or b) our fears “if you don’t get this your baby will be stupid!” Getting ready for parenthood is exciting, exhilarating and yes, scary…so these modern day baby product Mad Men are definitely onto something with this strategy.
Now that I am a more seasoned parent (i.e. I am getting old!), I tend to ignore most baby product marketing claims completely…but every now and then, a real eye roller comes along. For instance, Pampers’ claims related to its new fitted disposable diaper.
Now most of the press release is along the lines of how a good fit equals comfort for your baby, no quibbles with that. But clearly that isn’t going to sell these puppies…however, maybe THIS will do the trick:
“… recent studies with global academic experts show that Pampers delivers superior sleep quality over cloth diapers, resulting in babies’ improved learning and social interaction.”
So if my kids don’t seem that bright or outgoing, now you know why. That’s right, they wore cloth diapers.
My dreams of Harvard for my kids? Dashed. Plus they will have no friends. I know this is their fate because “global academic experts” told me so.
Now it should be noted that this particular press release is targeted for an African audience, the link is for a Nigerian newspaper. This is why the conclusion of “global academic experts” isn’t that Pampers are better for your baby’s intellectual and social growth than Huggies. The “experts” target cloth diapers because this is Pampers’ biggest rival for market share in Nigeria.
Why would a newspaper accept non-cited claims by anonymous experts at face value? I don’t know but, sorry to say, it happens all the time. It is just another reminder that as parents we need to keep our fears in check, ignore the hype and hope our kids are smart enough to do the same. Oh wait, I guess I am already screwed on that last point…at least according to the “experts”….
