Last week I got a real treat – a much-needed break from reality and a couple of days with some great bloggers at Pampers headquarters in Cincinnati. I’m thrilled to announce that I am a new member of the Pampers Baby Board, a group of online influencers who have the ear of the scientists and marketing gurus behind Procter & Gamble’s biggest brand.
I was really excited about this trip for a few reasons. 1) It was in Cincinnati, so not far from home – just a quick hour-long car ride, and Pampers sent a car for me! 2) I loooove Pampers. As a coupon lady I generally buy whatever diaper I can get the best coupon deal on, but Pampers have always been my favorite, and when my babies were under size 3, they wore nothing but Pampers Swaddlers, the BEST diaper ever created. 3) I was looking forward to meeting some bloggy friends I’d never met in real life like Ellen and Vera, and to making new friends as well.
All my expectations were met by this trip! It was fabulous! And being spoiled for a couple days was awfully nice. I’d had a rough couple weeks at home, and I needed a wee break.
But anyway, on to the good stuff!
Pampers diapers have recently been re-designed and they are now up to 3x dryer! As a mom of a baby who gets rashy easily, I was very happy to hear this. And what makes me even happier? Now Pampers Swaddlers are available in sizes 3-5 as well!!! YEEEAAHHH! I am a little over-excited about this, but seriously. I am always so sad when my babes grow out of Swaddlers. Now I can run out and get Jonah a pack of size 4 Swaddlers and know that he’ll stay dryer, wet through less at night, and have fewer rashes. (The only bad thing about this? It makes me want to potty train him LESS than I already do. I have been putting that off and Jonah is not excited about it either. Sigh.)
While we were at Pampers, we got to see some neat science-y demonstrations to show us how Pampers diapers and wipes hold up against the competition. They were super-cool! I really cannot believe how much research goes into creating these products.
The coolest thing I saw while at Pampers, which we couldn’t take pictures of because it’s super-secret, was seeing a Pampers Cruiser diaper made by HAND. We watched in awe as two employees crafted a diaper by hand in the lab. You’d never know it wasn’t off the assembly line! The lab where they did this was so cool – they are always building prototypes to keep improving Pampers. The staff was SO passionate about what they do, too. As a matter of fact, all the employees, no matter what their job at Pampers, impressed our group with how much they cared about their jobs, loved their jobs, and wanted to be the very best. It made us all feel really good about continuing to purchase Pampers.
Another cool thing we saw was 3-D imaging from MRI and CT scans of a mannequin wearing a Pampers diaper. We could see liquid going into it, being absorbed, and then being locked away from baby’s skin in an outer layer. It was so cool! Plus we got to wear super-cool 3D glasses, sooo…
Of course, in addition to learning all about Pampers and what goes into their diapers and wipes, we also had a lot of fun! We rode around Cincinnati in this party bus, complete with pole.
We got treated to a hairstyle session at the Cincy Style Bar:
And we had some great fun in restaurants – eating and even cooking our own desserts! My awesome team didn’t win the dessert-making competiton, but we had fun talkin’ smack!
The last thing I’ll say about Pampers that really impressed me was how many women they employ not just in marketing but in science – and how flexible they are with working moms. Almost every female employee we talked with had been part-time for a few years or so when necessary, and them came back to full-time when they were ready. We heard over and over how great Pampers is to their employees.
I had a great time on my trip and I can’t wait until the next Pampers event. I’ve got a fun surprise from Pampers coming up soon, so stay tuned for that! Thanks, Pampers!
