Motherhood is an infinitely unique journey, with so many different paths and experiences, no performance review to tell you that you nailed it, and vastly polarizing opinions on how it’s done. Finding a truth that is nearly universal to all moms — then unlocking a way to change deeply ingrained behavior through communications — required a powerfully insightful strategy and groundbreaking creative.

“Caring for baby’s happy, healthy development” — this purpose drove Pampers to be the leading diaper brand for nearly 60 years. In marketing, this purpose showed up primarily in two ways: product superiority and a focus on baby. But parenting today is drastically different — and arguably much harder — than it was 60 years ago. The majority of new moms work outside the home, many of them go it solo, and they live far away from “their village,” their family network who can help with baby. And while there’s no instruction manual for having a baby, there is endless advice and judgment from every corner of a new mom’s world, especially in her social feed. Recognizing these challenges, Pampers recently evolved their purpose from being solely focused on babies to also lifting up parents. The objective of this campaign: Show up for moms in a powerful way.

Seven out of 10 babies leave the hospital in Pampers diapers. But by the time babies are 6 months old, parents stray to other brands — from cheaper private labels to brands like Jessica Alba’s Honest or Instagram-ready Hello Bello from Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard. Functional superiority is one approach to cementing loyalty, and Pampers is highly trusted on that front. But innovation only goes so far — Pampers recognized the need to build a greater emotional connection with new moms, particularly millennial moms who prefer brands that are viewed as culturally relevant and “get me.” And Pampers had to do this in a way that haloes to future moms, too, as the brand’s buying population turns over every 3.5 years with 11,000 births daily in the U.S. How could Pampers move from being an old-fashioned functional brand to one that truly connects with modern moms?

As we dug into the challenges new moms face today, one statistic stopped us in our tracks: 9 out of 10 moms worry they aren't doing a good enough job.

After wondering about the magical 10th mom and where we might find her, we unpacked this heartbreaking number. One question in our primary research was most revealing: “How many times a day do you think something negative about yourself as a mom?” Responses included: “You mean I could actually somehow keep count?!” or “I’d say 6–10 times a day. And some days are worse than that.”

Psychologists call this negative self-talk — we called it our new mission.

The deep irony of this negative self-talk and lack of self-acceptance is that mothers give their children so much patience, acceptance, and grace.

That became our key insight: Mothers give unconditional love to everyone but themselves.

The creative idea imagined a different reality for moms. What if the constant drumbeat of their negative inner monologue could be replaced with positive thoughts? What if, instead of worry, doubt, and guilt, moms felt encouraged, supported, and reassured that they were enough? What if self-criticism could be shifted to self-compassion?

What if moms could see themselves through the eyes of their babies?

This powerful reframing gave mothers a valuable gift — the realization that, to their baby, they are perfect. And it spurred an integrated campaign with affirmations at the center — from the brand to mom, from moms to other moms, and most importantly, from mom to herself, encouraging all moms to #ShareTheLove.

We had big 2020 goals for #ShareTheLove. And we exceeded all of them within 72 hours of launch.

After just three weeks, the campaign achieved:

• 500 million+ video views — more than 10x the campaign goal

• 10 million+ likes, shares, and comments — 5x the campaign goal

• 37 million affirmations delivered through Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Pampers.com

• 99.6% positive sentiment

• A million moms feeling the love. As one mom said on Twitter, "@Pampers your recent commercial was a beacon of light through my darkness, even if it was momentarily. Thank you."