The Cleanest Dirty Diaper Ever
April 2020. The world was getting hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses pressed pause on marketing budgets, and uncertainty permeated several industries. Nevertheless, it was amidst this chaos that we received a call about a new startup called Kudos, a company that was set to make a big splash in the diaper world.
This innovative brand was preparing to enter the market and needed a go-to agency to support their internal marketing lead. And with production delays leaving them with no inventory to sell, the Kudos team had to pivot their efforts into the awareness arena to support a launch. Despite these setbacks, we had a feeling this brand would skyrocket.
Kudos is the type of brand that HatchMark Studio dreams about when we think of potential partners. They came to us with a core team of rockstars and experts who blended seamlessly with ours to create one and created a product founded on a deep purpose to better the world. We were granted creative freedom to explore new boundaries, identify what is already working, and take calculated liberties to find what sticks and doesn’t. These initial efforts were supported by a product that truly lived up to its claims.
Kudos is the first disposable diaper on the market with 100% cotton touching baby’s skin, not plastic. Founded by MIT engineers who had developed the technology and system to not only support an all-cotton diaper, but to develop DoubleDry technology to keep baby dry and prevent leaks. And best of all – they truly work. Early testers were raving and press and influencers began to pick up on their product well before launch.
The initial challenge was to build a social following to bolster the legitimacy of a product that has yet to launch. Essentially, we needed to devise creative ways to showcase a product we didn’t have. This led the joint teams to develop listicles and blog posts that could educate the growing group of curious new followers while introducing the team in a way that highlighted their unique set of credentials to further legitimize the company. Through this medium, we were able to share the dream and the mission of Kudos while the company continued to develop in the background.
Brand partnerships and leaning on influencers were also key in getting the word out early. We worked with their marketing director to develop these and build off brands with like-minded audiences to both build general brand awareness and excitement for launch.
Social has evolved over the past two years as the brand is quickly expanding. Products are sold out by the time the announcement is made for a restocking. Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and TikTok have become integral channels to communicate with their customers.
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Email Support
Beyond social, we have helped Kudos leverage email marketing as an effective way to reach customers. As the mailing list grew and orders rolled in, email had become a mainstay in our marketing quiver. Beyond the initial welcome flow, regular product updates and PR updates funneled out to keep consumers on top of the latest news.
Photography
Content creation has always been a large part of the Kudos brand. The early days of Kudos focused heavily on illustration and stop motion photography using the product. As the brand matured, having a library of parents and babies interacting with – and wearing the product – was more important than ever. What’s that translate to? You need a whole library of babies – diverse in age, size, ethnicity. Kudos for everyone. We worked with local parents to create shoots capturing just that. These photos are used in social campaigns, emails, the website, and more.
The Kudos Difference.
100% cotton truly is revolutionary, and this difference resonated with parents. This was the big differentiator that really spoke to those who were already leaning into a more natural option, and the Double Dry leak-preventing aspect locked them in. An animated video was a great solution to communicate these differences quickly and effectively while reinforcing the brand.
The Kudos Difference.
100% cotton truly is revolutionary, and this difference resonated with parents. This was the big differentiator that really spoke to those who were already leaning into a more natural option, and the Double Dry leak-preventing aspect locked them in. An animated video was a great solution to communicate these differences quickly and effectively while reinforcing the brand.
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Packaging
Kudos launched as an online-only product, but that didn’t mean packaging was less important. The unboxing experience coupled with a need to position Kudos as a premium product relied heavily on the packaging. We worked with the team to develop packaging for diapers, wipes, and the shipping box. Brand touchpoints, including custom tissue paper, inserts, and sticker sheets were key to developing a delightful first experience for the user and an unforgettable introduction to the brand.
Packaging
Kudos launched as an online-only product, but that didn’t mean packaging was less important. The unboxing experience coupled with a need to position Kudos as a premium product relied heavily on the packaging. We worked with the team to develop packaging for diapers, wipes, and the shipping box. Brand touchpoints, including custom tissue paper, inserts, and sticker sheets were key to developing a delightful first experience for the user and an unforgettable introduction to the brand.
Illustration
Before we had inventory, illustration was incredibly important to create unique branded assets that could be used on marketing materials. One of the major sets was in setting up those initial email flows. These styles continue to be used across materials as appropriate.
Ads and Landing Pages
In tandem with their paid agency, we continuously develop paid ads to run A/B tests. These were tweaked and perfected as engagement and conversion rates became available to us. Additionally, landing pages were built along with campaigns to educate new users on the brand benefits and lead to a sale.
Shark Tank Calls
Fast-forward to late 2022. Kudos is catching some serious traction, diapers and wipes are selling out, and the biggest problem is keeping products in stock. We’d been talking about Kudos internally, and a team member mentioned they were the perfect Shark Tank brand. It was brought up on our weekly call.
“Actually…we’re talking to Shark Tank now.”
Shark Tank had reached out to Kudos.
We spent the next few months preparing set design, posts, and communication materials in anticipation of them making it to film – and then making it to air. As it turns out, not everyone who films makes it to the big screen.
But again, we had a good feeling. They’re the PERFECT Shark Tank brand.
What’s Next?
Kudos is just beginning its journey. Who knows what the fuel that is Shark Tank will lead to? If their pre-Shark Tank success is any indication, they’re going big places, baby!
We’re so excited to be alongside them as they move into the next phase, on their mission to diaper the world differently.
