In the chaos, excitement and joy of birth, it’s easy to forget to thank the people who get you through it, the midwives. Whilst 80% of UK mums say it is important to thank their midwife, only 58% actually do so. As a result, 1 in 3 midwives feel underappreciated despite putting new life into the arms of parents every day.
This Christmas, Pampers are rallying the nation to make sure that one of the most important ‘thank you’s’ doesn’t go unsaid. When the rest of us are tucking into our turkey, midwives will be delivering 1,400 babies.
The nationwide #ThankYouMidwife TV and social media campaign aims to deliver a ‘thank you’ to each of the nation’s 40,000 midwives, for everything they do and will also raise money for the Benevolent Fund of the Royal College of Midwives. For every ‘thank you’ shared on social media with the hashtag #ThankYouMidwife, Pampers will donate £1 to the charity. In the first week since the launch the campaign has delivered 777,242,956 impressions, with nearly 14,000 ‘thank yous’ (7664 on Instagram, 5111 on Twitter and 1134 on Facebook).
The festive 60” TVC, developed by Saatchi & Saatchi London, features the maternity wards at the Princess Anne Hospital in Southampton and New Forest Birth Centre. Showcasing the diverse tasks midwives undertake with passion and care, in order to help bring the most precious gift into the world: babies. It features real footage of midwives going about their daily duties with real families and is set to the Christmas carol, “The 12 Days of Christmas” with a wry twist on the lyrics.
The TV and VOD campaign, with media planning and buying executed by Publicis Media, will run until December 31st and is also being amplified across social media channels including 5” GIFs and also conversation cards on Twitter. A targeted consumer PR and influencer outreach campaign will also be executed by MSL which will feature Katie Piper as Pampers Brand Ambassador.
An iconic moment in the brand’s history, the campaign represents the second Christmas advert ever produced. It forms part of Pampers’ ongoing commitment to help every baby’s happy, healthy development and recognises that midwives are instrumental to this goal. Not only do they deliver babies, but they ensure healthy pregnancies and post-natal care, often in difficult circumstances.
Earlier this year, Pampers released the campaign ‘Little Fighters’, which launched its Preemie Protection nappies for premature babies. The emotive TVC followed nine real families, their premature babies, and the hospital staff at the Neonatal Unit at the same Southampton hospital.
Caroline Gorrie, Pampers Brand Manager, said: “Pampers want to support the UK’s midwives for their important role in the happy, healthy development of every baby. After working so closely with midwives on our Preemie campaign, we’ve seen how much they give. In return, we want to give midwives a national celebration this Christmas, and all year round.”
Gill Walton, Chief Executive and General Secretary at the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), added: “The RCM is delighted that Pampers have designed a campaign to thank midwives for the incredible work they do. Midwives and Maternity Support Workers (MSWs) work tirelessly to deliver the very best care and support to women and their babies and often in difficult circumstances.
“The RCM now has over 47,000 members and some of our members do fall into financial difficulty. The Benevolent Fund of the RCM Trust is a charity that supports our members in times of financial need. The Benevolent Fund has little income compared to the need and there is always a need for additional funds in order for the fund to help more midwives in need. That is why every single hashtag used during this campaign can really make a big difference.”
