Pampers is doing a good job of cornering the baby schmaltz advertising market.
A new spot from the diaper brand focuses on the whirlwind of new experiences—challenging and delightful—that parents face when they have a child, especially their first. There are sonograms, there's exhaustion, and naturally there are hero shots of diapers. Mostly, there are lots of cute babies.
It's not as irrefutably moving as Pampers' personalized celebrations for Japanese mothers on the first birthdays of their children. But for an ad that insists on pandering at length to base sentimentality, the minute-and-a-half list of firsts, some earnest and some hyperbolic, can't help but make you feel kind of happy, anyways. (At last count, it had over 1.3 million YouTube views.)
Pampers also makes sure to check the various ethnic diversity boxes, and offer a nod to breastfeeding. (No love for the formula warriors, though—really, it's missed an opportunity to represent the more granular factions of moms and dads.)
The tagline—"May we join you on your journey?"—goes so far out of its way to be polite and self-aware that it's almost patronizing, since really what it means is "Please buy Pampers," which at that point doesn't really need to be said. But compared to Luvs' "Poop There It Is" from a few years back, the low bar for diaper ads, anything shines.
And as Coca-Cola, of all brands, best illustrated, new parents may get worn out, but they'll still find a way to amp themselves up for the second go-around.