• by Les Luchter , Staff Writer, August 29, 2024

 

Coterie, the largely D2C baby care brand that launched in 2019, this month debuted its second wipe product, The Soft Wipe.

The launch has been accompanied by a campaign in which 10 influencers and others target four different baby wipe audiences.

Pharma & Health Insider asked Brittany Deems, Coterie’s director of brand marketing, about the new product, its marketing, diapers…and swimsuits.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Pharma & Health Insider: How does The Soft Wipe differ from your first wipe product?

Brittany Deems:  The Soft Wipe was introduced as an alternative option to The Wipe, which has a heavy concentration of 99% water and five clean ingredients. For parents who often find themselves dealing with dry skin, or who might want a little extra skin barrier support, we created The Soft Wipe. it’s enhanced with premium cotton and infused with moisturizers and emollients to gently cleanse while replenishing much-needed hydration to delicate skin.

P&HI: Can you explain the four different audience segments you’ve identified, and how Coterie is targeting each of them with content?

Deems: Our marketing and creative teams identified a few distinct content directions designed to cater to the varying lifestyles, needs, and experiences of parents at different stages of their journey.This launch allowed us to engage with parents by aligning specific content directions with their individual priorities and lifestyles.

We created “personalities” for our wipes products, bringing them to life via key content themes:

Clean Wipe Aesthetic, about minimalism and simplicity.  When it comes to baby products, we know that sometimes less is more, so this aesthetic perfectly aligns with our five-ingredient water wipes and highlights the clean, simplified (plastic-free!) formula.

Soft Wipe Era. This content direction was designed to resonate with parents who embrace a soft, gentle lifestyle and appreciate the tender and emotional moments of parenting. By incorporating visuals like marshmallows and cotton, we convey the gentle, soft nature of the wipe, while celebrating the delicate and soft moments of parenthood.

Embrace the Mess. Content was crafted to reach parents ready to set aside perfectionism and fully embrace the playful messiness that comes with raising babies and toddlers. We aimed to connect with them by celebrating the beauty found in the chaos and highlighting the fun that accompanies life’s messes.

Sensorial: Although this wasn’t a primary content theme, it was designed to highlight the sensory experience of using Coterie products. The aim was to transform what feels like a routine task of changing and cleaning into what can be a pleasant, elevated, and actually enjoyable experience -- by using ASMR-style (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response)content to emphasize softness through sound, touch, and feel.

P&HI: Has any other marketing been taking place to launch the new wipes?

Deems: Most of our marketing efforts were focused on creator and content partnerships as well as content distributed via our website, and social and email channels. To complement these efforts, our team also crafted a mailer for our network of loyal parents and those soon-to-be parents, who we were eager to introduce to our new wipes products. The mailer included the soft wipe and water wipe, Coterie’s diaper pouch, and a handwritten note personally addressed to the recipient.

P&HI: What kinds of marketing do you use for your diapers?

Deems: Our marketing efforts include thoughtful 360-degree brand storytelling, strategic product launches based on customer requests and feedback, and impactful out-of-home activations. We aim to resonate with the modern parenting experience, striving to simplify and enhance the parenting journey with products that are thoughtful, trusted, and reliable. Evergreen marketing across paid social, Google, and TV highlight the key benefits of using Coterie products and showcase how they’ve benefited real families.

P&HI: How much of Coterie's business is online vs. brick-and-mortar?

Deems: Coterie primarily operates through a direct-to-consumer model on Coterie.com, with a strong focus on subscription services. In addition, you can find our products in retailers like Whole Foods Market, Erewhon, Wegmans, Pottery Barn Kids, Zola, Babylist, and Amazon, where we offer a range of products and sizes.

P&HI: You’ve also recently launched a swimwear line. How’s that going?

Deems: We launched The Swimsuit, our first-ever pull-on, disposable swim diaper to keep messes contained -- designed to be the perfect accessory for the pool, beach, or water park during the summer season.

 

To complement the launch, Coterie partnered with iconic swimwear brand Hunza G to launch limited-edition mini + me swimsuits for moms and toddlers alike.