Diapers. Every baby needs them. Every mom buys them. So when Pampers introduced “the biggest innovation in diapers in 25 years” the mom world was watching and ready to buy. So it has been very interesting to watch the Pampers Dry Max introduction and social discussion unfold as a bystander with no skin in the game, literally.

As all good brands do, Pampers tested the diapers on thousands of babies with positive feedback from parents. One test resulted in a 92% approval rating. Not only did Dry Max keep moisture away from babies’ skin but also was much more environmentally friendly. In fact, it could reduce diaper disposal by 20 million pounds of trash a year. Here at Trone®, we call these types of motivations, Tugs™. Tugs occur when one is feeling pulled by the knowledge of long-term and short-term benefits and consequences. Traditionally, disposable diapers have had warring Tugs: convenience and cleanliness vs. the environmental waste and expense.

I have to say, initially, I thought Pampers had a winning Tugs combination: moms feel good about protecting baby, moms feel good about their environmental contribution.

And then came the social conversation. Dry Max, it seems worked a little too well. Moms started chatting to see who else had a baby with severe diaper rash after trying the diaper. Many moms were having the same rash issue with the new diaper and this social conversation provided the validation they sought.

I even got to experience the phenomenon myself. At a meeting, I mentioned this Pampers dilemma and how interesting I found it to be. A young mother at the agency chimed in to say how much she loved Dry Max diapers. I inquired if her child had experienced any diaper rash. The wheels in her mind were racing, she looked at me and said, “We do have red splotches. I had no idea they were caused by the diaper. I’ve got to go online and check it out.”

As hard as a brand tries, and I do believe Pampers did all they could do to research their new diaper, the court of public opinion will be the ultimate judge of success. And that court has a new global home.

Remember the time, oh, say 15 years ago, when something didn’t work and we just stopped using it? Diapers are such a motivating topic for moms that as I looked for the P&G research, all I found were mom organizations raising money for research for a civil suit against P&G. Social media is like a fire and can be used to cook the food or burn down the kitchen. How consumers respond to brands has changed forever. (That really isn’t a diaper pun.) What’s your opinion on how social media played a major role in the Pampers Dry Max launch?

Lonnie and Kara here, tasked once again with critiquing a new advertising campaign that we really feel passionate about. Here’s the problem: there aren’t many right now. This is the time of year when local car guys try to sell you a clunker and marketers hold their dollars back for when American Idol returns to the screen.

So for this post we picked a campaign that has been around for a while. But these babies are still cranking out an ad here and there. See the latest E*trade baby commercials.

What do we think?

Kara: They’re freaking hilarious! E*trade took a subject that’s been making everybody cringe—the stock market—and made me laugh. I mean, how can you not laugh at a baby calling an old guy in a sweater vest “Shankapotamus” or saying he wants to “punch the economy in the face”?

Lonnie: Really? Talking babies? Sure, I will admit that this was funny, 2 years ago! They got their money’s worth from this campaign. Time to evolve or move on. No wonder the economy is in such bad shape, you have babies working the market. What stocks do babies trade, Toys R Us? Did the Wiggles go public?

Kara: Maybe they’re trading diapers. I don’t care. What I care about is the fact that the makers are brilliant. They get away with using the lowest quality video available, on purpose. And when the baby spits up, instead of yelling cut, they just crack a joke about how the economy makes him sick. Oh, and by the way, it did evolve. He now has baby friends!

Lonnie: Babies shouldn’t be trading diapers, they should be filling them. We are living in a recession. We need hope and confidence. We need a Sam Waterston as a spokesperson, not the Gerber baby with a credit line. Your money is no laughing matter and if I caught my toddler on a “playdate” with my 401k, I would definitely put her in time out. Bad Baby, NO!

Kara: You and your living in a recession crap! You sound like my dad. Stop watching the five o’clock news and turn on some Family Guy. Laugh a little. 4.4 million other people took five minutes out of their recession-driven lives to watch the latest Baby Outtakes video. And I must say, it cracked me up.

Lonnie: If I were your dad, I would send you to your room with no dinner. That’s part of the problem, too many people have changed the channel from the news to Family Guy. I would suggest that those 4.4 million viewers need to get off of YouTube and spend more time on Monster.com looking for a job. Plus, talking babies just creep me out. It’s not natural.

Kara: Hey, I have a job. Oh, by the way, who is Sam Waterston?

Lonnie: You know, The Great Gatsby, The Killing Fields, Mindwalk?

Kara: Wait a minute…wasn’t he on Family Guy?

Lonnie: Nevermind.