The Challenge

Balmex is a baby diaper rash cream brand that was reinventing themselves in the market when they contacted J+H, looking to expand market share. Balmex had secured shelves in CVS, Rite Aid, and Walgreens, but after multiple failed attempts to gain distribution into Walmart, the holy grail of retailers in the category, they were told they needed to increase their sales to prove they were a category expander.

This was no simple feat, diaper rash cream is an extremely competitive category full of massive legacy brands like Aquaphor, Desitin, and A+D. New customer acquisition is very difficult because most new parents are introduced to these products by referrals from their doctors, friends, or family. While parents of multiple children usually have an established preferred brand. To further complicate the challenge, only 7%-35% of infants ever experience diaper rash, so other than the rare chronic occurrence, most parents do not repurchase diaper rash cream often, greatly diminishing sales replenishment rates.

Last, but not least, only 17% of consumers purchase diaper rash creams at drug stores. This meant Balmex had to convince parents to buy a new brand and also get them to purchase it at retailers they do not normally shop at, with a limited advertising budget.

The Strategy

In order to increase Balmex sales at CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid we need to implement an extremely targeted strategy. J+H executed an omnichannel online video and display strategy composed of Connected TV, YouTube, and display retargeting.

First-party data partners were leveraged to create an audience of first-time mothers, in the diaper rash category, who also shopped at the targeted drug stores. To maximize the budget, J+H analyzed the current sales performance at the store level and geo-targeted the top 50% of stores for each retailer. This geo-targeting strategy allowed J+H to reach an effective market penetration with our media spend in key markets to lift the overall sales for the brand.

The video activated the protective maternal instincts of first-time mothers by opening on scenes of crying babies. This would immediately grab the attention of passive viewers because every mother knows that sound and will instinctually react.

To support the creative message and gain interest, differentiating performance claims such as, “clinically proven to reduce redness in 3 hours” were utilized. In addition, the thousands of five-star Amazon reviews were emphasized, to engage social proof and build desire for the product.

The Result

Balmex sales increased by over 20% at CVS and Walgreens, with the added bonus of a 40% increase on Amazon, resulting in the brand gaining distribution at Walmart.