TOMY UK has announced the relaunch of its Lamaze brand with a year-long multichannel campaign. The activity is aimed at driving awareness of the UK’s number one infant plush brand, and will see Lamaze form a content partnership with BabyCentre.
Lamaze will also feature in Bounty packs for the first time, which are given to 98% of new mothers who have their babies in hospital.
The content partnership with BabyCentre, the number one pregnancy and parenting digital destination, will feature a series of sponsored content articles from the site’s contributors, as well as a video product review and other sponsored vlog themes from influential vloggers. The partnership with BabyCentre aims to deepen engagement with the Lamaze brand through recommendations and testimonials from mums.
The activity also includes a programmatic online display campaign, which will target gift-givers seeking online inspiration on what to take to a baby shower. The push will be supported by social activity via Lamaze/BabyCentre’s Facebook page targeting new mums seeking parenting advice.
TOMY UK has relaunched Lamaze to reflect the latest trend in parental behaviour, where new parents purchase toys that foster bonding as well as independent child discovery.
The media planning and buying has been handled by Maxus UK, while the partnership between Lamaze and BabyCentre has been brokered and managed by Chorus, the specialist partnerships division at Maxus.
Emma Fryer, head of marketing UK at TOMY said: “We wanted to create a campaign that was both insightful and practical for new parents. Having a baby can be incredibly daunting, and we know from our research that the biggest thing new parents rely on it advice. This multichannel campaign provides us with a platform to provide insights through trusted environments where the audience is actively seeking support.”
Vince Amato, account manager at Maxus UK, added: “Lamaze is one of the most well-known and trusted toy brands in the UK. We selected this multichannel approach to help place Lamaze at the forefront of consumer’s minds when they are looking to purchase toys for a newborn baby. And by reaching out to key influencers and delivering useful content in partnership with BabyCentre, this campaign will help parents discover the resources that they need to support their newborn’s development.”
Julie Michaelson, Head of Global Sales at BabyCentre, adds: “BabyCentre is very much part of a woman’s journey; from when she starts thinking about having a baby, throughout her pregnancy and into the early years of motherhood. This means that we understand what mums go through every single day throughout this time, and that we can help brands effectively reach this crucial audience. Just like TOMY, we have worked to build trust with parents and are really excited that the brand has chosen to partner with BabyCentre to help maintain that relationship.”