Pampers

Pampers is a brand of baby products marketed by Procter & Gamble worldwide. Pampers was at one time only used as a name for a disposable diaper. Pampers Diapers come in sizes going all the way up to Size 7. The smallest size is Preemie which is for premature babies, it has a cut out notch like the newborn diapers. Diapers going up to size 2 are sold as Swaddlers or Baby Dry. Diapers in Size 3-6 are sold as ether Cruisers or Baby Dry. There is a size 7 diaper available only in the Cruisers line. Pampers also produces wipes to complement their diapers. In addition to these products they sell training pants under the name Easy Ups. Theres is also as line of disposable swimpants sold under the brand name Splashers (or Sunnies in Europe). There is also a line of bedwetting products named Underjams which go up to 85 lbs. Some parents have also said that they use the regular diapers on their bedwetting child. In addition to diaper type products Pampers also markets disposable bibs under the name Bibsters and a line of bath products under the name Kandoo. The main competitor in the United States is the Huggies brand.Fact|date=May 2008

History

Pampers were introduced in 1961. They were the creation of a man named Vic Mills.cite web|url=http://www.enquirer.com/editions/1997/11/07/bus_mills.html|title=Jeff Harrington: Disposable diaper inventor dies|author=Jeff Harrington|date=1997-11-07|publisher=Cincinnati Enquirer|accessdate=2008-07-26] The name "Pampers" was coined by Alfred Goldman, Creative Director at Benton & Bowles, the first ad agency for the account.These early diapers were bulky, heavy products composed of fluff pulp with a rayon topsheet, polyethylene backsheet. In 1966, Pampers launched a new 'wingfold' design and by 1969 started a "third size". It was also by this time that Pampers became a national brand in the United States.Procter and Gamble replaced the pin on design with tapes in 1971. Toddler and Premature Infant Sizes were also introduced around this time. Around 1982 Pampers switched from the traditional 'wingfold' design of the early 1960s to the more conventional hourglass shape, a feature that was first introduced on Luvs in 1976, and has evolved into an industry standard. In 1986 thin diapers made with absorbent gelling material was released. This made the average weight of a typical medium size diaper decrease by about 50%. In 1987 Pampers and Huggies both introduced new frontal tape systems which allow multiple repositioning of the lateral tape without tearing the diaper. In the 1990s Pampers introduced an even thiner diaper known as Ultra Dry Thhins.

The '90s also saw the introduction of gender specific diapers in the Pampers brand and also the return to unisex diapers towards the end of the decade. In 1993 Pampers first attempt at training pants was introduced these were simply known as Pampers Trainers and would be a short lived product. Pampers would not try doing training pants again until the introduction of Easy Ups. [cite web |title=Pampers History |url=http://www.pampers.com/en_US/pampershistory.do |accessdate=2008-07-26 ] In 1998 Procter & Gamble introduced its largest diaper at the time: Pampers Baby Dry Size 6. It was promoted in an advertising campaign featuring famous pediatrician and child development expert Dr. T. Berry Brazelton. Dr. Brazelton said to let the child decide when the time is right to potty train. The Size 6 Diapers were billed as for growing toddlers. Huggies also introduced a Size 6 diaper at this time.cite news|url=http://www.cincypost.com/business/1998/pg072298.html|title=P&G announces Pampers now a bigger disposable|author=Patrick Larkin|first=Patrick|last=Larkin|work=The Cincinnati Post|publisher=E. W. Scripps Company|date=1998-07-22|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20060508020904/http://www.cincypost.com/business/1998/pg072298.html|archivedate=2006-05-08]

At the time the diapers were introduced, there was a controversy going on between pediatrician, T. Berry Brazelton and syndicated columnist and best-selling author of books for parents, John Rosemond. The controversy was about the length of time a baby should wear diapers and when to start toilet training. Rosemond believes it is a "slap to the intelligence of a human being that one would allow baby to continue soiling and wetting himself past age 2."Rosemond believes the process is simple and as straightforward as housebreaking a 4-month-old puppy. While Rosemond concedes that Brazelton has been giving the same advice for decades, he criticized the pediatrician for serving as a consultant to Pampers, a division of Procter & Gamble, and for appearing in Pampers commercials. [http://www.dy-dee.com/Benefits_of_Cloth/Skin_Care/Toilet_Training_Brazelton/toilet_training_brazelton.html Delayed Toilet Training Issues] ]

Advertising

Pampers is marketed in various ways, such as print ads and television commercials. Print ads often appear in magazines and other periodicals, especially ones geared toward parenting. Television commercials appear during soap operas produced by Procter and Gamble, such as "As The World Turns" and "Guiding Light", and also during the airing of Parenting Shows. Another way Pampers is promoted is through product placement. Pampers paid $50,000 to be featured in the film "Three Men and a Baby". P&G has also sponsored the program Make Room for Baby on the Discovery Health Channel. There was also a lot of Product Placement on this show with each new parent getting a changing table stocked with Pampers products. Pampers has been promoted in some countries on billboards. Another common method that has been used to promote the product is direct marketing program where relevant content is mailed to mothers with babies. These mailings can include Pampers samples or coupons.

References

External links

* [http://www.pampers.com Pampers Website]