• by Les Luchter , November 20, 2023

We’re pumped up by a couple of campaigns from wearable breast pump brands: category pioneer Willow and startup Milkdrop.

Willow

Willow, which launched in 2017, will mark Giving Tuesday on Nov. 28 by giving Willow Go pumps to mothers in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). One Willow Go will be given for each pump bought that day at onewillow.com, up to a total donation worth $10,000.

The pumps will be included in “care packages” distributed to NICU moms by nonprofit Project Sweet Peas.

The Willow Go, which lists at $349.99, is currently available online during Cyber Week for $262.49. In addition to its website, Willow pumps are sold at retail locations like Target and on Amazon.com.

Project Sweet Peas “care packages,” consisting of an assortment of “bonding” items like a doll, water wipes and a “proud parent” silicone bracelet, sell for $25 to $35. The nonprofit, which has supported NICU families since 2009, cites March of Dimes statistics that one in ten U.S. babies is born prematurely.

Milkdrop

Australia’s Milkdrop, whose products are sold D2C in the U.S. at milkdroppumps.com, offers a 10% discount to buyers who provide anonymous nipple measurements to its new International Nipples Encyclopedia. The encyclopedia’s purpose is to use the data to improve breast pumps for more pain-free pumping, per reporting in Down Under’s Campaign Brief.

To illustrate just how painful breast pumping can be, Leo Burnett Australia has launched “The Uncomfortable Feed” via a dedicated website and Milkdrop’s Instagram and TikTok channels. Just think of nails on a chalkboard, teeth opening a bottle, or a piece of fruit being scratched by a cactus.

Or -- if you dare -- watch those activities and more in this :30 Australian TV spot.

“But, for thousands of new mums, there’s something that’s far more uncomfortable,” the spot concludes while showing a nipple being pumped. “Let’s take the pain out of pumping. Share your nipple measurements and let’s get started."

Milkdrop has already created and sells nipple-protecting breast pump cushions.