Playtex, a maker of infant care products, has re-launched its online community called Mommyville that caters to new and expectant mothers with a focus on information rather than a hard sell.
Developed by Grey Canada’s Toronto office, the new English language site went live Jan. 6 with a French version set to launch in a few weeks, according to Carl Jones, the agency’s vice-president, executive creative director.
The site offers a suite of downloadable tools such as a baby tracker to monitor patterns in an infant’s daily activities and an immunization chart for tracking a baby’s vaccination dates, as well as about 30 Grey-created articles focusing on the different stages of a baby’s life.
All content will be updated regularly to encourage repeat visits, said Jones, while consumers can also link to the site via their Facebook and Twitter accounts.
According to Jones, Mommyville developed out of an assignment given to Grey about a year ago, when Playtex asked the Toronto agency to adapt its U.S. website for Canada and also develop a French site.
While the Canadian site shares a similar look to its U.S. counterpart, the latter is more product-focused said Jones. “We felt that mothers here wanted more than just product information,” he said.
Mommyville was originally intended to be just one component of the revamped site, said Jones, but the client liked the idea so much it asked the agency to extend the concept throughout the entire site.
“Playtex is the number-one infant feeding brand in Canada, and we wanted to be part of the conversation and help new and expectant moms get information and support they need to feel prepared and confident as they embark on motherhood,” said Jones in an e-mail.
“Canadian expectant and new moms are hungry for information, and while many online resources are available, most sites overwhelm users with an overload of information that is difficult to navigate through, which isn’t helpful for a busy mom that doesn’t have time to search very deeply for information she needs.”
The site re-launch is being supported by an online ad campaign that will include Facebook banners, as well as standard banners on sites where the target audience tends to congregate.
