• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, April 7, 2025

Williamsburg, which fancies itself the epicenter of hip parenting, is getting a treat with a whimsical display of umbrellas in Domino Park. The high-end diaper company Coterie is testing its first-ever real-world activation, opening oversized branded umbrellas in an immersive “April Showers” pop-up. The effort includes a sculptural product installation and a stroller-friendly street team handing out giveaways. It’s a hyperlocal stunt designed to underscore the brand’s core value prop -- keeping babies dry -- with a wink to the season.

“We wanted to connect the performance of our hero product -- our diaper -- with a seasonal moment that’s notoriously wet,” said Lindsey Kling, Coterie’s senior vice president of brand marketing and partnerships. “April is leaky. We’re not.”

Founded as a D2C alternative in the $8 billion diaper market, Coterie has grown fast by touting cleaner ingredients and higher-performing design. But this campaign marks its first significant move offline. “We’ve always had a close relationship with our community,” Kling said. “We’re constantly thinking about how to create moments that bring our values to life, but also connect people -- in real life.”

That made Domino Park, a stroller-heavy stretch of Williamsburg waterfront, an ideal setting. “It just felt like a beautiful space to pop up and for natural traffic to happen,” she said. “And we thought it was fun to be the first baby brand to activate there.”

The IRL installation will run through April 13. But from the start, the stunt was designed to extend beyond the park. The brand is layering in social activations—including “Coterie Channel 6,” a series of short-form weather reports starring little kids -- and has sent out “dry pack” influencer mailers to seed content. “We want this to have leg. It’s a brand awareness play,” not just about an immediate sales lift, she tells Marketing Daily.

That positioning reflects a broader shift among emerging D2C brands, many evolving their growth strategies to blend physical experience with digital scale. “Parents are hungry for connection, especially new parents,” Kling said. “Sometimes, just having something to do -- something that’s light and fun -- resonates.”

And for a brand built on the promise of no leaks, a week of rain in Brooklyn might be just what the marketing team ordered.