WaterWipes / #ThisIsParenthood

Inspiring self-belief in parents across the world.

This Is Parenthood is a social brand platform that fundamentally changed the conversation around parenting - in category and in broader culture.

Working with only a fraction of the budget of goliaths like Pampers and Huggies, family-owned baby wipe brand WaterWipes had to find a way to outsmart rather than outspend - not only justifying a credible role for its premium product but defining a genuine place for the brand in the lives of parents.

Our strategy began by mapping the ‘noise’ in the category of baby care and what we found was a sea of pastel-coloured perfection - photoshopped depictions of family life that looked too good to be true. So we commissioned a global survey of over 13,000 parents and found that over half of them felt like failures thanks to what they saw in advertising and on social media.

But if a lack of honesty was disempowering parents, then perhaps a little more honesty could give them a bit of much needed self-belief. And who better to do that than the world’s purest baby care brand?

‘It feels like so many brands have tried to move into honest parenting but WaterWipes was genuinely the first one brave enough to change the conversation’ - Contagious

And so #ThisIsParenthood was born - an integrated campaign that was specifically designed to reach parents in the places and space where they needed support the most. At the core of the launch was a documentary shot by BAFTA-nominated director, Lucy Cohen, who spent time with families in six different countries - charting their lives in the first six months post-birth.

The documentary was cut into shorter social films - each tackling a different theme that challenged self-belief in parents. Contextual OOH delivered messages of support to parents missing breakfast on the commute and a hero placement in Times Square featured brutally beautiful photography of real parents - a stark contrast to the polished advertising surrounding it.

‘Refreshing, perfectly handled and vitally important’ - Shots

We even tapped into the unique media consumption habits of parents such as being on their phone during the Night Feed. A collaboration with leading parenting influencers resulted in ‘3am with The Scummy Mummies’ - a live-streamed comedy session designed to lift spirits and turn a ‘dark’ time on social media, into one of light and laughs.

When COVID hit, we adapted the platform into a support network for new parents cut off from vital family and healthcare support. We turned all social channels into sources of instruction and inspiration - even hosting an ‘Early Days Club’ live stream with parenting influencers and leading healthcare professionals.

‘Content marketing that has a genuine cultural impact is rare’
- The Drum

#ThisIsParenthood won countless accolades including the Grand Prix at The Drum Content Marketing Awards, a 2021 Diamond Sabre, a Creative Circle silver award, a Campaign Brand Film award and was voted one of Contagious’ ‘World’s Best Strategies’ of 2019. It generated a 75% share of culture VS competitors, a 5% increase in sales in key markets and helped WaterWipes become the #2 wipe brand on Amazon in the US.