Kimberly-Clark?s Pull-Ups brand is making a play for the Hispanic market with a mobile application that helps moms encourage children through the potty-training experience.

Pull-Ups originally launched the Big Kid mobile app in January to the United States market. A Spanish version of the app is now available for free download on iPhone and Android devices.

?Helping moms and kids work together is the key to potty training success, because let?s face it ? when you start potty training, this relationship can face a serious showdown,? said Christoph Zickler, brand manager at Kimberly-Clark, Neenah, WI.

?Pull-Ups wanted to create a solution to make potty training fun that integrated a blend of imagination and reality with 3D technology for kids, and also fit into moms? modern, digital lifestyle,? he said. ?The key was to marry the way moms and tots use technology together. 

"Just as their general market counterparts, Hispanic moms are sticking to mobile activities that help them run their lives more smoothly and enjoyably.?

Mobile engagement
Pull-Ups is expanding the app to the Hispanic market to help a growing population of moms that rely on their mobile device as their lifeline.

Data from Meredith?s Parents Network from Jan. 2011 shows that 60 percent of Hispanic moms own a smartphone. Furthermore, 61 percent of these consumers use their devices to access the Internet.

Moms also typically use their mobile devices to help manage their shopping trips at grocery stores.

Using augmented reality, parents can scan markers that are placed inside Pull-Ups packages to unlock content. Once the marker is recognized, the app triggers Disney characters to come to life.

Additionally, moms can schedule timers in the app to remind children when it is time to go to the bathroom.

As children reach achievements in the app, games and content are unlocked for consumers.

Similarly to the U.S. campaign, there is a Facebook component with tools for parents that are available at https://www.facebook.com/pull-ups under the Spanish version of the campaign?s app.

Pull-Ups is also partnering with pediatrician Dr. Alberto Andres Cotton and blogger Jeannette Kaplun to produce digital service content for moms.

CPG and mobile grow
Consumer-packaged goods have been stepping up their mobile efforts lately.

General Mills, Unilever and Campbell?s Soup Co. are all marketers who have pushed mobile marketing this year.

Most recently, General Mills launched an augmented reality app for its Lucky Charms cereal brand that lets consumers capture charms for a chance at winning prizes including an animated spot in a TV commercial or a cereal dispenser (see story).

?The Pull-Ups brand is committed to supporting parents through every step of the potty training process with innovative products, tools and expert advice,? Mr. Zickler said.

?Using augmented reality to aid mom in the potty-training journey is the newest way Pull-Ups is helping mom make potty training fun and easy,? he said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York