Porter Novelli

Build “sleep” into Pampers’ brand equity and boost sales and market share by educating expectant and new mothers about the benefits of longer uninterrupted sleep to their babies’ cognitive development.

U.S. and Chinese independent clinical research commissioned by P&G revealed that babies wearing Pampers slept an extra 30 minutes per night, and that they got back to sleep 30 percent faster after waking, compared with other diapers. This research focused on the importance of uninterrupted sleep for babies, called “golden sleep” in China, and these new results were available for use in the campaign. Porter Novelli research into young mothers’ online habits showed that more than 70 percent of Pampers’ target market regularly turn to the Web for information and like sharing baby hints and tips with their friends.

Porter Novelli’s insights process identified that the best time to encourage a new mother to think about the development of her child is when she is looking at her sleeping baby. This insight led to the core creative platform — encouraging new mothers to photograph their sleeping babies and upload the pictures to Pampers’ Chinese Web site.

The campaign’s hook was that the sleeping-baby photos would be compiled into a giant photomontage, and the final compelling attraction was a campaign to break the Guinness World Record for the largest photomontage in the world. The campaign was planned as a combination of three key elements: Offline media and experiential activities including mass carnivals and in-store campaigns in China’s Tier 1 cities. Online recruitment and viral programs, including the launch of a Sleep Tracker, which allowed parents to monitor their babies’ sleeping patterns. A professional, clinical and medical education and endorsement campaign, including an educational documentary shot and produced by Porter Novelli in the U.S. and China. Additional viral activities were added halfway through the program, when a German company broke the Guinness World Record, leaving the Pampers campaign with a new target — to upload more than 80,000 photos.

More than 200,000 baby photos were collected, smashing the Guinness World Record. A photomontage of 105,793 of the images covered more than 7,000 square feet; it was unveiled in one of Pampers’ key retail partners’ stores in Shanghai. As a result of the campaign, Pampers’ sales volumes grew by 54 percent compared with the previous year, and the brand’s market share returned to growth. The campaign attracted more than 100,000 new members to Pampers’ Mums Club, increasing the Club’s penetration of China’s online mothers from 26 percent to 43 percent. P&G has recognized the campaign as a new global standard for effective integrated communications, and Porter Novelli’s agency partner Shunya International was recognized as “most creative interactive agency” in the 2008 Market Forum awards organized by China’s Marketing and Sales magazine.