Dive Brief:

• Bel Group's Babybel cheese brand is giving consumers the opportunity to purchase onesies made to look like the brand's packaging, anticipating a surge in births as the coronavirus pandemic extends past the nine-month mark, according to a company announcement. Customers can personalize the onesie with their baby's name inside the brand's logo.
• The stunt includes a charitable component, where for each onesie purchased, Babybel will donate to nonprofit Baby2Baby that provides essential items to babies and children living in poverty. Babybel's onesies are available for $15 each at BabybelBoom.com while supplies last. The purchase also comes with a product coupon.
• The move follows a growing trend of marketers providing consumers unique, branded merchandise to show off their fandom and an opportunity to customize the items to express their personal style.

Dive Insight:

Babybel's promotion is a wink to the notion that consumers have been locked up together for nine months with little diversion due to the COVID-19. A video promoting the onesies depicts a number of babies wearing the outfits, as a voiceover notes, "The best things to come out of this time come in the smallest packages."

Given the brand's name, it makes sense to connect a stunt to something baby-related. Though there is some question to the assumption that the country will see a baby boom linked to the timing of lockdowns, the cheese brand is looking for a way to brighten the season. The added charitable aspect strengthens the campaign and may appeal to millennial consumers who are at parenting age and looking to support brands that support communities.

Meanwhile, the practice of a brand offering exclusive merchandise bearing logo and consumer personalization has grown in recent months as marketers look for ways to learn about shoppers who are purchasing more online. In November, Oreo introduced a platform in which fans could order customized versions of the sandwich cookies, and Dunkin' is offering customization for some items of its holiday merchandise, which also includes a onesie. Coca-Cola is giving soda drinkers the chance to order personalized beverage bottles in an extension of its ongoing "Share a Coke" campaign — this time to honor "Holiday Heroes."

Product personalization can be a useful tactic for marketers to appeal to loyal fans with unique merchandise. Consumers are willing to pay an average of 25% more for a personalized product or service, according to a survey by 3D software company Dassault Systèmes and CITE Research. Moreover, 80% of respondents in a separate study from Epsilon said they're more likely to do business with a company that provides personalized experiences, signaling an opportunity for brands to deepen connections with consumers and turn them into loyalists.