• by Les Luchter , 5 hours ago

Heading into its 25^th anniversary next year, NorthShore Adult Diapers is widening its marketing message: By using its products, people living with heavy bladder leaks (HBL) can engage in unrestricted daily activities.

“NorthShore is not in the diaper business. It is in the participation business,” the predominantly online seller said in a Thursday press release announcing a “Say Yes Summer” promotion in its home market of Chicago.

“Say Yes Summer” will kick off July 18 with “NorthShore Day Out,” also dubbed “12 Hours of Freedom,” which will include a boat tour on the Chicago River, a Chicago Cubs game, and a group dinner.  The event will be repeated in August.

NorthShore called this its “proof of concept: two full days that demonstrate exactly what life looks like when HBL no longer calls the shots.”

Nicole Irmo, NorthShore vice president of marketing,  expects some 50 total participants, who will be recruited from the brand’s Hero Club, an initiative begun earlier this year in which users “share their stories of empowerment.” The group now has over 500 members in Chicago and beyond, she told Marketing Daily. 

Other “Say Yes Summer” activities will include distribution of free samples at Chicago’s Disability Pride Parade on July 25 and the NorthShore RunFest in Salem, Massachusetts, on Aug. 30.

Irmo said that NorthShore hopes to expand “Say Yes Summer” and the “Day Out” event into bigger celebrations in future years, which could include the addition of other markets.

“Say Yes Summer,” she stated, “is about choosing possibilities over fear and reclaiming the freedom to enjoy life on your own terms.”

The Cubs games are particularly significant, since NorthShore has already made attending baseball games into something of a freedom declaration -- and not just in Chicago.

NorthShore began sponsoring Chicago Cubs radio broadcasts in 2023, and this season expanded the tactic to five other teams: the cross-town White Sox, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers and minor league Chattanooga Lookouts.

The radio broadcasts “weave NorthShore into the natural flow of the game,” the brand said, explaining that “when an opposing pitcher loses control of the strike zone, it becomes a lighthearted stand-in for the bladder control problems NorthShore's high-performance incontinence products are built to solve.

“Just hearing the words ‘adult diapers’ spoken by a trusted voice, in an ordinary moment, helps people feel less alone in something they'd been quietly managing for years.”

In the same markets as the baseball broadcasts, NorthShore has launched outdoor billboards with the words “ADULT DIAPERS” emblazoned in what the brand calls “large, unapologetic print.”

NorthShore’s recent marketing has also included a partnership with Brand Up Comedy, which created this social media stand-up routine.  “For a category like adult diapers, where euphemisms are perpetuating the stigma, humor is a great way to break down those walls and start a conversation,” said Irmo.

And the brand is about to launch a TV campaign, with a media buy through the Tatari platform concentrating on major sports and news networks. 

“Thinner is not always better,” declares a :30 spot designed to push one of NorthShore’s main product attributes: unlike other brands, which are pushing “thinner materials, sleeker designs, more discreet products,” the company says, “NorthShore products are designed specifically for HBL and bowel incontinence -- protection strong enough for a full night’s sleep or an entire baseball game without needing to change.”

NorthShore cited a finding from its own “independent research” that 74% of people with incontinence say their leaks exceed “what light, store-brand products are designed for, a group the category has largely overlooked.”

The adult diaper category, dominated by major players like Kimberly-Clark (Depend) and Procter & Gamble (Always Discreet), is worth $15.57 billion globally, according to Mordor Intelligence, and growing to $24.44 billion in 2031. Mordor notes that NorthShore “can win through discreet shipping, sampling, and product education, especially for heavy users.”

“For millions, the daily reality of HBL is mapping every outing around the nearest bathroom, turning down invitations, and gradually stopping going out altogether. It is one of the most common yet least talked about conditions,” said Irmo. “If we all work together to start the conversation around just how common it is, we’ll bring more people out of hiding to find community and support.”

NorthShore handles all its creative and media buying in-house.