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Will talking about pain points make Babies ‘R’ Us the go-to retailer for parents?

Written by Tom Ryan

Source: Babies "R" Us

As part of a major marketing push, Babies “R” Us has come up with a new “Be Prepared-ish” tagline, an effort to position the retailer as the place parents can go to best “prepare” for the routine and unexpected challenges of raising babies. A digital video being promoted through social channels and on its website describes how nothing prepares a parent for “an airplane diaper blowout when the seatbelt is on,” the hours spent searching “teething” or “sleep regression” online, and other surprises. But having “someone you can turn to who says, ‘Been there, done that,’ ’Try this,’ or ‘Sorry about your shirt’” can help, the video states. The short ends, “No parent is truly prepared. But Babies ‘R’ Us can help you be prepared – ish.” The campaign marks a shift from a traditional focus on “perfect” parenting that was found to be unrealistic to moms. Research conducted by the retailer also found that 82 percent of parents feel overwhelmed when the baby first comes home, and 63 percent feel they've underperformed as a parent. “There's nobody in the parenting category who is celebrating those realities of parenting — the messy moments," Carla Zakhem-Hassan, chief marketing officer of both Babies “R” Us and Toys “R” Us, told Advertising Age. "It's a real opportunity to take a pain point and shed light on it to say the messy moments are the beautiful moments of parenting." As part of the effort, Babies "R" Us is giving associates additional training so they will better understand the needs of parents and prospective parents. The advertising campaign includes a particular focus on digital to reach Millennial moms. Parents are being asked to submit their own videos showing parenting moments they weren’t prepared for under the hashtag #iwasntpreparedfor with prizes awarded for top entries. Comments will be used to support future website content. Ms. Zakhem-Hassan told Business Insider, “If our vision is to be a best friend, then we have got to be there in terms of everything, even if that means becoming a publisher."

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