Client Contact
Nebel Yusuf
Kindred Diapers
Introduction
- Audience Research
- Competitive Landscape
- 8 Design Directives
Research Observations on US Black Families
First time black parent’s age skews younger than all other races
Black educational attainment very close to the national average
Black families are more likely than most to live in multigenerational households
Black consumers far more likely than White consumers to show dissatisfaction with current product and service offerings, especially in personal-care products
Black families overall spend less than white consumers but spend more on household goods
Black families are more likely than most to list “personal growth” as a driving value in their personal lives
Despite being a growing market, black Americans are still an undeserved audience
Black household income has been steadily increasing
The New Parents
Brand Aware and Connected
Black consumers are younger, plugged-in, and more brand-aware than other groups. However, they do not yet have brand affinity to diapers...yet
Potential for Product Disappointment
Black consumers more likely than White consumers to say that current products do not meet their needs, especially in personal-care products
Representation Matters
Black consumers have noted not seeing themselves in advertising and marketing campaigns. Additionally, there’s a lack of visible same-race business ownership
Single Parents + Nontraditional Families
Non-Traditional Family Stories
In 2020, there were about 1.23 million Black families with a single father living in the United States yet we rarely hear real stories of this very common family structure that is not stereotypical in most marketing and advertising.
Natural Matters
Black unmarried moms are 42% more likely than average to say that when purchasing health and beauty care products and household cleaning products they look for organic/natural items.
Buy Black
Studies show Black consumers like to support black owned companies and bigger companies have recently began to embrace Buy Black, such as Target’s Supplier Diversity program.
Family and Caregivers
Trust in Testimonials
Black Americans are more likely to consult their families for important life decisions than white Americans
Family Culture, Traditions, and Affluence
The more affluent black consumers are the more they self-identify as connected to family, community, culture, and heritage
Kinship Care
Formalized “Kinship Care” models in policy have helped to destigmatize this model of parenting and care, we must help tell these stories of resiliency and community
Competitive Landscape
A review of relevant brands
Competitive Landscape
Overview
Coterie’s brand revolves around its idea of pushing forward the “new diaper” focusing on a new marketing strategy, material research, influencer marketing, and offering a luxury product for the new parent.
Products
Diapers & Wipes
Coterie Brand Themes
Airy
Minimal
Simple
Friendly
Premium
Quirky
Innovative
Responsible
Sustainable
Thoughtful
Intelligent
Convenient
Coterie Product Promises
Less Laundry
With the highest liquid capacity of any diaper, even the most active baby has fewer leaks. Go ahead, wear white again.
No Need For diaper cream
Diaper rash is mostly caused by liquid contact. Our diaper wicks wetness up to four times faster than other diapers, moving liquid off your baby’s skin lightning fast.
8-hours Of Drieness
When your baby stays dry, your baby stays asleep. So you can, too. Our rewet technology locks moisture into the core even with surface pressure, so your baby feels dry all night.
Coterie Visual Language
Competitive Landscape
Overview
Pampers is a legacy brand built upon relatability, consistent branding, and a consistent product. Their “Pure” line of products leads with a new health and environmentally conscious approach.
Products
Diapers & Wipes
Pampers Brand Themes
Natural
Healthy
Earthy
Calming
Comfy
Breathable
Responsible
Classic
Clean
Simple
Plant-based
Moisturizing
Pampers Product Promises
Wetness Indicator
Made with features you and your baby will love, including Pampers® reassuring wetness indicator.
Up to 12 hours of protection
Because your baby deserves skin-loving care without compromises, Pampers Pure Protection delivers up to 12 hours of trusted leak protection.
COTTON ENHANCED
Pampers premium cotton is responsibly sourced and grown in the USA. Our supplier is a member of the Cotton LEADS program which promotes sustainable sourcing and quality.
Pampers Visual Language
Competitive Landscape
Overview
PHonest is a mission-driven wellness brand that leverages their founder’s celebrity status and partnerships with community organizations. They have been able to create a sticky brand that connects with their target audience’s values while providing affordable, well-designed products
Products
Baby Wipes
Diapers
beauty
Hair
Bath
Honest Brand Themes
Healthy
Responsible
Affordable
Simple
Safe
Mission-Driven
Empowering
Community
Sustainable
Honest Product Promises
Keep it Green
We think outside the box when it comes to packaging - from composable tree-free paper to recyclable aluminum, tin, and glass.
Socially conscious culture
We’ve always believed small choices add up to a big difference. Call it The Butterfly Effect. By supporting Honest, you're showing support for organizations that share our values and amplify our impact, making happy, healthy lives possible for more people everywhere.
safe ingredients
The Honest Company was born of a simple purpose: to create safe, effective products for our families and yours. And the Honest Standard is how we make that intention a reality. It’s our set of guiding principles, and it’s the way in which we apply our values to innovation and development.
Honest Visual Language
Competitive Landscape
Overview
TinkyPoo is one of the few black-owned and black audience exclusive targeted disposable diapers on the the market.
They wear their “black-owned” story on their sleeve and heavily leverage representation to elevate their brand. TinkyPoo’s motto is ‘Seeing yourself makes all the difference.’
Products
Baby Wipes
Diapers
TinkyPoo Brand Themes
Imaginative
Playful
Colorful
Illustrative
Inclusive
Youthful
Energetic
Black-Owned
Eco-Friendly
Responsible
TinkyPoo Product Promises
Representation MATTERS
TinkyPoo is a new vision where seeing yourself makes all the difference. Thoughtful engineering is enhanced by the bold and vivid images of babies of color printed on the diapers themselves.
Founder Focused
After discovering that the diaper industry was lacking in visibility, when it came to images that depicted babies of color, Nadiyah and her partners decided to change the industry, and TinkyPoo was born.
TECHNICALLY Engineered
Our diapers are made with special spunlace woven material, which is hypoallergenic, antimicrobial and breathable. They are guaranteed 100% chlorine free, contain no alcohol and are free of phthalates, latex, PVC, and antioxidants.
TinkyPoo Visual Language
Design
Directives
8 directives for better design
Design Directive 1
Focus
on the Naturals
Despite the difficulties in making a disposable product truly sustainable, many companies have benefited from being honest about their ingredients and making strides in sustainability.
Paired with brand language that can accentuate this effort, an emotional appeal to your audience’s values is essential.
Design Directive 2
Build & Maximize Founder Stories
Having a charismatic founder story is a simple way to make the company’s mission personal and efficiently reflect your target audience’s values. This approach is shared with charismatic celebrity-driven companies and boutique brands.
Strong founder stories are also currently a core piece of many “black-owned” companies as it seems to provide both validation and an appeal to the audience’s emotions.
Design Directive 3
Join the Mission Driven Movement
Having a mission is no longer enough—the brand’s mission needs to be central in practice and messaging.
Consumers are increasingly looking for any way to speak with their purchasing power. Supporting companies that align with their values, keeping money within the black community are increasingly becoming strategies for black consumers to use their money as a political tool.
A black-owned diaper brand has a unique opportunity to create a mission-driven brand that supports black Americans’ varied causes and concerns.
Design Directive 4
Evolve the definition of the “single black parent”
The current definition of “single parent” no longer reflects the reality of modern families. Research shows that black families do not follow the commonplace models of family structures seen in branding and advertising, especially since research shows that family members like uncles, aunts, and grandparents have a more significant part in raising black children.
You have an opportunity to truly own the “Kin” in Kindred and reflect authentic family structures without the stigma and genuinely celebrate black parents.
Design Directive 5
Explore Hybrid Diapering
The recent growth in the popularity of cloth diapering, especially among black-owned companies, carves out a unique niche for hybrid diapering.
More prominent brands like Pampers Plus have introduced a hybrid diapering system that supports the responsibility of cloth diapering with the convenience of disposables. Cloth diapering may be less popular than disposables, but its popularity is expected to grow alongside disposable options in the next decade as consumers gravitate towards more sustainable alternatives.
Design Directive 6
Work with Black Micro-Influencers
Smaller and newer diaper brands like Coterie seem to have a lot of social media content and YouTube reviews from small black micro-influencers.
Despite the lower follower counts of their influencers, this approach creates a more authentic brand connection with the content creator and a story that comes across as genuine and honest.
Design Directive 7
Sell on Black-Owned Marketplaces
Several black-owned marketplaces have sprung up intending to create e-commerce platforms that support black businesses in the last few years. These marketplaces have found success by catering to an audience that has not seen themselves or their needs reflected by current marketplaces.
These marketplaces also actively promote black-owned alternatives to popular products and brands.
Design Directive 8
Capitalize on Corporate
Diversity Initiatives
Brands like Hello Bello have benefited from partnering with Wal-Mart to keep costs low. Many large retailers see the benefits of elevating black-owned brands to provide products for a growing market. For example, Target has pledged to spend more than $2 billion with black-owned businesses by 2025.
These initiatives have allowed large retailers to “put their money where their mouth is” after years of surface-level “inclusion.”
Research Links
- A $300 billion opportunity: Serving the emerging Black American consumer
- The Black Consumer Project
- Seeing and believing: Meeting Black audience demand for representation that matters 2021 African American Diverse Intelligence Series
- Celebrating Dads and the Care they Give (Dove)
- An Inside Look at Mission-Driven Brands and Why They’re Winning
- Always Changing… An International Diaper Market Overview
- Allied Market Research: Diapers
- FAMILY PRESERVATION MATTERS: WHY KINSHIP CARE FOR BLACK FAMILIES, NATIVE AMERICAN FAMILIES, AND OTHER FAMILIES OF COLOR IS CRITICAL TO PRESERVE CULTURE AND RESTORE FAMILY BONDS
- Grandparents, Kin and Play Cousins: The Soul and Survival of Black Families
- Buying Black, Rebooted
- Fatherhood: from a Black Father’s POV
- What Brands Can Do for Black Fathers to Demonstrate True Understanding
- Number of Black families with a single father in the U.S. from 1990 to 2020
- Target Commits to Spending More Than $2 Billion with Black-Owned Businesses by 2025
- 3 Things Smart Marketers Know About Young Black Consumers
- Here's What African-American Customers Really Want From Your Brand (And 5 Surefire Ways to Market to Them)
- How Brands Can Forge Authentic Influencer Relationships to Better Reach Black Consumers
