Pampers releases latest rendition of #ItTakes2 campaign

Pampers, the diaper brand from Procter & Gamble (P&G), has released the latest rendition of its #ItTakes2 campaign. The latest in the series of ads, is a tale of two fathers. The ad opens with a young man, fraught with worry, as he scuttles between his ailing father and pregnant wife.

During his father’s last moments, he tells his son that he regrets missing out on the key moments in his life (such as his first steps, first words), and urges him to be more present when it comes to raising his own child.

The ad has been conceptualised by Leo Burnett and claims to push the message of ‘equal parenting’.

Over a Zoom call, Abhishek Desai, VP and business head – baby care at P&G, mentions that the aim of the campaign was to build awareness about the need and benefits of equal parenting. And also, to enable new-age father with P&G’s products and propositions.

“As we did our research, we found an interesting piece of data. Traditionally, mothers have always been associated with parenting. But as we spoke to fathers, we realised that this was changing and that’s a good sign. We found that 92% of fathers regret the fact that they didn’t get to spend time with their kids and this is what we wanted to tap into.”

Last year’s rendition of the ad was about a husband stepping up to the role of a father. The ad acknowledged that during the pregnancy process, the father does not go through as much pain as the mother does (physically), but shows his desire to step in and help raise the child equally.

“Abhishek (Desai) and I are both fathers, and when we got together to create this ad, we talked about the stories of our children that we missed when we were growing up. Looking back, we realised we’ve missed a lot of important parts of their lives; we don’t even realise how or when time flies by,” adds Rajdeepak Das, CEO and chief creative officer, Leo Burnett - South Asia, when asked about the conversation that led to the insight behind the film.

Pampers’ productscan be split into two categories – premium care products and base care products, like Pampers Premium Care, Pampers All Round Protection and Pampers Happy Pants.

According to a ResearchAndMarkets.com report, the Indian baby diapers market is projected to grow from around USD 794 million (approx.) in FY21 to nearly USD 1,092 million by FY27F, exhibiting a CAGR of around 5.62% during the forecast period.

The diaper segment in India has four types of products – disposable diapers, cloth diapers, training nappies and regular diapers. Among these, the disposable baby diaper segment holds the largest market share and is witnessing increasing investments by manufacturers in their research and development. It is the advent of technology that has further helped in grabbing consumer attention, by providing them with easy-to-use hygiene solutions.

The key influencers driving diaper sales in India include family and friends, TV advertisements, parenting magazines and Internet sources, like social media and websites. Apart from this, the factors which Indian parents consider, while purchasing a diaper, include cost, comfort and convenience.

Desai doesn’t want the ad to stop at creating intent to become a more equal parent, but wants to help convert intent into action. “We have a lot of curated content for dads on how to take care of babies because more often than not, it is not a lack of willingness to take care of their baby, but a lack of knowledge/awareness. We wanted to create the right tools for parenting as well.”

It is not just parenting tools and aids that are changing, but attitudes towards parenting are changing completely. Desai says there’s a remarkable difference in the way millennials approach parenting.

“They are bridging the gap between traditional parenting and modern values. They are much more involved in sharing responsibilities and approach parenting from that lens of equality. The change is slow, but it is happening and brands like ours need to play a role in enabling that shift.”

He shares another insight that they found while researching. While parents were stuck together, working from home in COVID-induced lockdown, they enjoyed the time they spent together, taking care of their children.

Both Das and Desai add that it is not just the brands, but companies also need to step up with policies, such as paternity leave (which P&G offers), to enable fathers to play a more equal role in raising children.

Apart from videos on its YouTube channel, Pampers also has a hospital program to educate new parents on how their lives are going to change and help them understand how to take care of their baby.

“We’re putting out content constantly on different digital mediums, like Facebook and YouTube. We’re also actively partnering with influencers to spread the word about our brand and educate consumers,” says Desai.

He mentions that digital advertising is an important medium for the brand, but it also focuses on being present on TV and social media.

As far as product availability goes, Pampers is present and available across channels, like traditional stores, pharmacies, e-commerce, quick grocery delivery and modern retail.