Disposable Ideas
I didn’t participate in the infamous Pampers Perks loyalty program, so I don’t have many negative things to say about it.
That puts me in the opposite camp as far as reporters go, since the media had a mini-field day covering the “blunder” P&G made when supplies of the Fisher-Price toys used as premiums ran out near the tail-end of the program’s 12 months.
Forget the fact that the program’s literature carried the tag “while supplies last,” or that parents whose requests were put on back order received a book of coupons for the inconvenience. And forget the fact that many of the complaining consumers mailed in their proofs of purchase after the official deadline. The media did.
Most stories classified the program as a publicity fiasco, and thus a failure. Forget the fact that several hundred thousand consumers participated, and that more than 500,000 toys were delivered. And forget the fact that P&G went above and beyond its legal obligations by sending checks for the dollar value of the requested toy to anyone who submitted after supplies ran out completely. (See our interview with global marketing officer Jim Stengel for P&G’s assessment.)
It certainly turned out to be a publicity fiasco, but more because of misunderstanding than anything else. And P&G should be commended for its generous response — especially when you compare it with, say, the free small fries Burger King offered after recalling millions of potentially dangerous Pokèmon toys in late 1999.
The incident stirred me professionally, but it didn’t affect me personally. It probably wouldn’t have even if I’d participated — unless I was one of those people who didn’t get the Fisher-Price baby Jeep I saved all those proofs for.
What has affected me personally is another Pampers endeavor, an e-mail newsletter called Parentpages. I signed up at pampers.com some time last year; e-mail address and the age of my child was all the personal information I needed to provide. I got $10 in coupons immediately, and now receive a monthly e-mail filled with parenting advice.
The latest, “Your Baby, 17 Months,” arrived this morning — as always, one week before Julia adds another month to her age. It offered quick-hit tips on fostering social interaction, reducing TV viewing, starting a babysitting group, and maintaining a healthy diet. Links let me visit the site (which also has a few personalized features) for information on other topics. As always, I immediately forwarded the newsletter to my wife. (I don’t usually click through the links; she does.)
What the e-mail didn’t have — what it never has — is a single advertising message. If you want any marketing pitches, you have to click onto one of the “A Word from Pampers” links sprinkled judiciously through the content. What it boils down to is that I get personal parenting advice, for free, without even looking at an ad.
I’ve registered for just about every brand newsletter I’ve ever come across — for the job. Most don’t provide much relevant information, and they’re usually a little too commercial. I now delete them as fast as a special offer from the Aptimus Value Network. But Parentpages strikes close to home, and I appreciate its arrival. That’s mainly because I’m still an awestruck parent, but also because it offers good stuff.
Here’s the kicker: We still primarily buy Wal-Mart diapers, even though Wal-Mart has never offered one iota of assistance in raising our child. They’re cheap, and the quality is pretty good — and my wife is still on that Wal-Mart jones I’ve mentioned in the past (July 2001).
We do buy Pampers Baby-Dry to use as the overnight diaper. And we used Bibsters until Julia informed us that she didn’t particularly care for any kind of neckwear. (She’s a pretty tidy eater anyway, so we abandoned the effort.) So we haven’t become what you’d call brand loyalists.
Does that mean P&G has failed? If the goal was to get all my diaper dollars, then yes. But if the objective was to make a personal connection between brand and consumer, then it has succeed better — with me, at least — than any marketing ploy has in a long time.
Who knows? Maybe future Breen babies will exclusively wear Pampers. And at least they don’t owe us a Jeep.
