Kimberly-Clark, owner of the Huggies brand, is changing its ads after Procter & Gamble challenged the brand's claim to be the best-fitting diaper.
Huggies began promoting its Little Movers line of diapers as the best fit in an advertising campaign that debuted in the United States less than a year ago. The company marketed its curved elastic and pad as “better-fitting baby diapers” in television commercials, as well as on social and digital media. P&G, owner of Pampers and Luvs, recently challenged those claims through the National Advertising Division from BBB National Programs, a nonprofit organization that helps industries with self-regulation and advertising accountability.
Dallas-based Kimberly-Clark later agreed to remove or modify its ads, including a video in which a narrator says: “Only Huggies is the number one fitting diaper.”, with a curved and elastic fit.” A Kimberly-Clark spokesperson confirmed that the company is complying with the NAD ruling. P&G declined to comment.
The information Kimberly-Clark provided about different studies used to support its most appropriate claim showed flaws, which made it unreliable, according to the NAD's final decision, seen by Bloomberg News. Those flaws included the use of manual measurements with a ruler instead of image analysis to measure fit, along with a study that had a disproportionate gender ratio of 19 girls to 6 boys. The company also did not provide raw data from the studies or any statistical analysis of the results. Kimberly-Clark did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the studies.
“If we don't have enough information about how products compare, we cannot conclude that the tests are reliable enough,” Laura Brett, vice president of the NAD, said in an email.
The marketing conflict shows the intense rivalry between Kimberly-Clark and P&G, the two largest diaper manufacturers, which together account for more than half of the domestic market. The stagnating birth rate in the United States has put pressure on these companies to show growth in their infancy, a category that data provider Circana values at $5.9 billion a year. Unit volumes declined last year and into 2022 as Americans battled persistent inflation in addition to having fewer babies.
Huggies has been trying to boost sales recently with new baby moisturizing wipes, along with its fragrance-free diaper lines, while P&G has developed larger sizes and nighttime training pants for older children.. Kimberly-Clark has also been touting certain premium features, including the fit of its diapers developed to fit a variety of baby shapes and sizes, while also selling Huggies-brand baby clothes at retailers like Target.
