• by Karl Greenberg , May 11, 2009

Kimberly-Clark has taken a reality-TV approach to explore the joys and stresses of potty training, with a series of documentary-style videos. The effort -- "Pull-Ups Potty Project," for Pull-Ups potty training pants -- centers on a Web site that serves as video channel, blog, social-media site, parent resource center, and of course, Pull-Ups product and special-offer site.

The effort is supported by a national TV buy for a spot that focuses on one of the families, and a Web advertising campaign that includes an extensive media buy and exclusive content on AOL's parenting and potty-training site. "We wanted to invest not only in building awareness, but doing it in a way that's contextually relevant," says Michael Krebsbach, Pull-Ups senior brand manager.

Krebsbach says the six families were chosen to represent diversity of ethnicity -- but more importantly, of stages, ages, and issues that surround potty training. "One of the insights we have and have known for a long time is that no two children train alike," he says.

"There's a great range in variation in moms and kids. In fact, we have heard on our comment boards how a parent's first child trained a certain way and the second child differently. Parents are looking for ways of benchmarking with their kids. They go online to find tips."

The videos include one that centers on a three-year-old "late stage" potty training child, one that deals with training away from home, and one who is just starting out. Krebsbach says the TV spot is intended to set up the general premise of the campaign, "so we chose the mom just starting out." The ads direct consumers to the Web site.

The creative for all elements of the campaign -- including print ads, Web banners and TV -- features a paper-bag brown background, and print in magazines and newspapers encourage parents to begin potty training with the message that a potty-trained child means no more diapers.

The Web site comprises different pages devoted to the six featured families with blogs from the featured parent, a range of articles and posts pertaining to issues raised in the video about that family, and links to the Pull-Up products that fit that family's challenges and lifestyle. The site also has coupon offers for Pull-Ups products.

Krebsbach says last year the Pull-Ups site achieved two million visits, "Only eight million parents are potty training in any given year," he says.