Fourteen of us arrived from all over the country to convene at baggage claim in the Cincinnati airport under a bright sign, “WELCOME MOM BLOGGERS,” as the outgoing, vibrant staff of Paine PR and Rocket XL greet us. Hugs abound as virtual friends and colleagues meet for the first time or reconnect in person after innumerable Twitter exchanges, blog reading, social networking, and Skype talking.

Ultimately this trip emerged as a story of Moms’ need for transparency and dialog with brands, and a large corporate brand welcoming with baby steps this rapidly changing paradigm.

After a quick check-in to the Westin, we head off to appetizers and a tour at P&G’s fascinating archives. There resides an impressive collection of P&G products since their company launch with Ivory soap in 1827, all curated and showcased by a full-time archivist. We marvel at the Max Factor kissing machine (through how many kisses will the lipstick endure?), Norman Rockwell originals for Crest kids, Gillette early razors, Ivory soap carving kits for kids, a wooden wig fitting head for John Wayne along with an original clipping of his hair to match dye colors.

We head off to martinis and dinner at a nearby Italian grill with some key brand managers and marketing folks, who are excited to get to know us, learn what blogging is really all about, and understand how we think and the ways that gets translated into the blogosphere. In a private backroom with three large tables, our noise level becomes deafening. Put us Mom bloggers together and the conversation rages, with storytelling and laughter dominating the day. Our table got voted loudest most fun table of them all, including Romi Lassally from True Mom Confessions, Elizabeth Edwards from Table for Five, Lisa Martin from Lisa’s Reviews, Elizabeth Theilke of Busy Mom, Deanna from UNICEF, Kim Yates from Pampers, and Amanda Teitler from Paine PR NYC.

We arrive as pioneers of a sort, from the very frontier of social media: the first Mom bloggers welcomed into the P&G’s halls. Cameras and videos click away, as it turns out that many P&G brands wanted to participate and have great curiosity as to what us blogger natives are up to and thinking about!

We start our day with the P&G team by meeting Nancy Irvan, the mother and grandmother of two, who has run the Discovery Center for the past ten years. This center serves as the hub of where P&G’s Baby Care division convenes panels of Moms and babies, focusing on their relationships. The Moms and babies arrive via frog and duck entrances, with a huge aquarium awaiting kids, and babysitting for older siblings. Brand managers love it for quick interactive and hands-on research and the product development team next door loves trying out innovations. But the net of hands-on research extends far beyond the picture-strewn hallways into homes around the world: at any time talking to 100,000 Moms around the world—going into her home, shopping with her, and changing diapers together.

Jane Wildman, Global VP Marketing of the Pampers brand, welcomes us to our immersion day. She starts by sharing how she lived in an orphanage for 8 months before being adopted and raised along with three other adopted siblings, and how work with babies resonates to her core. In her spare time she volunteers for CASA: court-appointed special advocates who work with children at risk whose lives have reached the protection of the court system. In her work for Pampers, Jane has walked with Moms in Moscow who take “really long cold walks” with their babies, believing strongly in the “fresh air bath,” and visited Moms in China who prefer “split pants” and need products to fit them. Jane shares the health and robustness of these Russian babies and the pragmatism of the Chinese Moms. She spends her days thinking about how babies take more steps during a day than a marathon runner and how they stretch whenever they move. She waxes passionate about her mission: happy, healthy baby development.

Next up? An interactive question and answer session including panelists:
~ Liza Sanchez, Director of Product Development (my take: charisma delightfully meets chemistry nerd)
~ Bruce Jones, Global Director of Product Quality (enviro-man!)
~ Kim Yates, Senior Brands Managers, Northern American Baby Care (smart, lovely, Mom of twins who wants to make the world of Moms more fun and peaceful)
~ Carlos DeJesus, Marketing Director, Baby Care (enthused Dad of three who has date night with each of his kids)
~ Bryan McClean, head of North America PR

What strikes me most: the deep, honest passion that not just Jane, but the entire P&G Pampers team from top brass to administrators, has for their brands. This goes way beyond a “drinking the Koolaid” brand mentality to deep, true passion for their work and how their brand changes the world daily one small baby at a time.

They welcome the barrage of us bloggers’ questions: What about going? Well, there’s the reduction in materials that go into the diapers themselves, and a life-cycle evaluating the energy and water use that goes into making or washing diapers. They look at this in terms of the life-cycle of the product. What about fragrances equals potentially harmful chemicals? Nope, just urban myth. Use of chlorine or bleach? Nope. And the questions roll on.

We then go on a tour, followed by lunch with member physicians of the Pampers Parenting Network who work with top doctors and health practitioners. The highlight: getting to hang out with my buddy and colleague Dr. Laura Jana, amazing pediatrician and author (Heading Home with your Newborn, Food Fights, and soon to be published Pillow Talk about infants and sleep).

 

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