Dive Brief: 

• CoComelon, the preschool entertainment franchise, launched its first-ever ad campaign, "CoComelon Can Help,” as a tribute to parents and caretakers and the challenges they face, according to details shared with Marketing Dive. The spot will air on . 
• Key to the effort is a 60-second spot airing on Meta, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube that showcases how parents utilize the nursery rhymes in CoComelon’s programming to navigate routines with their children. The brand is also launching a CoCo-fessions creator-led parenting series, a support hotline and an OOH activation in several cities.
• CoComelon will additionally introduce playlists curated by age for platforms including YouTube, Pinterest and Babylist and has formed the Melon Squad, a community of local changemakers across the country, to offer support to caregivers. 

Dive Insight: 

CoComelon is speaking to parents directly with “CoComelon Can Help,” a yearlong campaign that advocates for more support for parents during a period when social media regularly piles on a wave of advice and pressure, but not enough resources. That pressure runs deep, with 41% of parents reporting that they feel too stressed to function most days, according to data from the U.S. Surgeon General shared in press details.

CoComelon’s marketing push highlights its content, which is created with child development experts and designed to teach life skills through music, as a means to help parents navigate key developmental stages with their children. CoComelon was created in 2005 and started as a YouTube series before being acquired by Moonbug Entertainment and expanding to Netflix in 2020. Shows under the CoComelon umbrella include its eponymous series, “CoComelon Classroom,” “CoComelon: JJ’s Animal Time,” and “CoComelon Lane.” 

The campaign focuses on three of the biggest challenges parents face — potty training, bedtime and mealtime — according to insights gleaned from usage stats. For instance, the “Potty Training Song” is the most popular potty training video on YouTube with over 420 million views, per the brand. Later this year, CoComelon will create pop-up restrooms called “Gotta Go Zones” in New York City, Nashville and Los Angeles to help parents celebrate when their kids finally “go.” 

The brand’s “Yes Yes Bedtime Song” has over 1.7 billion views on YouTube, leading it to launch a new web series meant to deliver a fresh take on lullabies and nighttime rituals. A “Yes Yes Vegetables” video focused on overcoming picky eating has garnered over 3.3 billion views. In response, the brand will release updated songs, curated playlists and life hacks on the topic. 

A 60-second spot broadcasts CoComelon’s message of support and highlights the ways that families use lyrics from its songs (“this is the way we put on our clothes” and “went to the potty like the big kids do”) to navigate routines with their kids and celebrate milestones. The spot will air on Meta, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. 

The brand is also launching a parent series called CoCo-fessions where creators like MomChats and DadChats will share honest and heartfelt takes on parenting today and encourage viewers to share their own. Parents can also call 1-844-TOTLINE for song support from CoComelon. CoComelon’s focus on mobile marketing, particularly via social media, could help the brand grow familiarity and loyalty among younger parents, particularly first timers who may not be familiar with the entertainment franchise.

Rounding out the effort is a community offering called the Melon Squad designed to offer additional support to families. Participating partners include nonprofits like Hot Mess Express and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, parent-owned groups including Fit4Mom and Mochas & Minis, and restaurants like Perkins and Huddle House. Work by the Melon Squad will include house cleaning and fridge stocking and offering support for moms’ nights outs, playdates and mealtime activity kits.

CoComelon’s campaign comes as a number of marketers, from Scotch-Brite to LG Electronics, release campaigns focused on consumers’ growing need for uplifting content amid ongoing economic and political distress. Other brands geared toward younger crowds have also made speaking directly to parents a key part of their strategy, including Carter’s and Capri-Sun.