• Ad Age, Monday, January 18, 2010 10:46 AM

Jack Neff takes a penetrating look at how a few disgruntled consumers are making the debut of Pampers' Dry Max diaper -- which is 20% thinner and more absorbent than its predecessor and competitive offerings -- a rougher road that you would expect.

"A small group of grumblers have turned what had been overwhelmingly positive reviews at Diapers.com highly negative, jammed Pampers.com with negative reviews and created by far the most active thread on forums at the PampersVillage.com site," according to Neff.

One of the biggest problems is that the new diapers have been sold in the old packaging in some parts of the country and, without a marketing campaign, naysayers' complaints that the revamped diaper feels stiff, papery and cheaper have gone unchecked.

"Similar to our experience in the past, when you change things without articulating what the change is about, you will get consumers who complain," says Jodi Allen, vp-North American baby care at P&G. She also says the number of complaints P&G has received is within expectations. Still, Neff offers four lessons gleaned from the experience, including the sobering "A Product Improvement Won't Necessarily Be Seen As Good."

In another front-page story, P&G chairman-CEO Bob McDonald sits down for a loosey-goosey interview with Neff within which he suggests that the reporter could use more P&G products by shaving more frequently, including his head. He ventures into less personal areas as well, such as "We're going to use technology to make this company operate like a $10 billion company rather than an $80 billion one."

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