Pull-Ups on Monday (Dec. 16) announced a campaign that represents a marketing relaunch for the brand of training pants marketed by Kimberly-Clark. The effort stars two anthropomorphic characters — the careful, thoughtful Terd and the energetic, optimistic Yureen — who represent the duality and reality of the potty training journey.
“We’re moving beyond the idea of potty training as ‘fun, fast, and easy’ to address the real challenges parents face with honesty and empathy,” said Andrea Zahumensky, president of baby and child care at Kimberly-Clark, in a statement. “By stepping away from idealized portrayals, we’re connecting with parents on a deeper level, showing that Pull-Ups training pants are designed to be a tool for building a child’s confidence.”
A 30-second spot features Terd and Yureen and ends with the long-running “I’m a big kid now” jingle. The full 360-degree campaign is running across linear TV, connected TV, online video, retailer platforms and audio but places a large emphasis on social media platforms including Meta, TikTok and Pinterest. The media plan was built to meet millennials and Gen Z where they spend their time to help Pull-Ups solidify an association with potty training.
“Many of us on the team are parents and fall within this age range, and we all had vastly different experiences with potty training,” said Fallon Pyles, brand manager for Pull-Ups at Kimberly-Clark, in emailed comments. “We want to bring that firsthand experience to the campaign to help parents feel seen (and make them laugh!), while keeping our promise of building Big Kid confidence central.”
Staying genuine
Pull-Ups’ anthropomorphized bodily functions bring some levity to the potty training process, add thumb-stopping elements to its marketing and engage with consumers beyond the “voice of the brand,” Pyles said.
The campaign, with creative led by Publicis Groupe agency Leo Burnett, also continues a trend in personal care marketing that looks to normalize formerly taboo realities. For Pull-Ups, the approach caters to overwhelmed parents trying to navigate a largely negative online conversation around potty training.
“Pull-Ups wanted to tell a more genuine and relatable story about this phase; one that doesn’t shy away from the messy realities of what you deal with when you’re potty training — literal pee and poop,” Pyles said. “But also, a story that can help parents find the inherent humor in the process and celebrate their Big Kid for learning new independent skills along the way.”
Kimberly-Clark in Q3 reported net sales of $5.0 billion, down 4% year over year, with organic sales growth of 1%. The company remains on track to deliver strong operating profit and margin in 2024, CEO Mike Hsu said in a statement around the report.
