Pampers change emotional premature baby advert due to complaints

Pampers have been forced to change their emotional advert about premature babies due to complaints from viewers.

The TV advert, created by Saatchi & Saatchi UK, was launched earlier this year. It follows nine families at Southampton General Hospital's Neonatal Unit, to the soundtrack of ‘I’m Coming Home’ by Chanele McGuinness.

Whilst many people consider the advert a touching and tearjerking watch, some families whose premature babies never made it home find it extremely upsetting.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received complaints from more than 60 viewers, the majority of whom were bereaved parents of premature babies.

“I had a baby who was born at 31 weeks and she sadly passed away 26 days later,” one woman explained on Facebook page Mummy Pages.

“I think this advert is highly insensitive. The music ‘I’m coming home’ shows absolutely no sensitivity to those babies that did not make it home.”

As well as finding the content upsetting, some believe it’s inappropriate to use such a sensitive subject to sell a product.

The aim of the advert is to promote Pampers’ new smallest nappy ever, the Preemie Protection Size P3, three million of which are being donated to neonatal units by the company.

But as a result of the complaints, Pampers have had to modify the advert - they've removed the lyrics from the song and highlighted their partnership with Bliss, a charity which provides care and support for premature and sick babies and their families.

A spokesman for Pampers said: “Through our ongoing conversations with parents and neonatal nurses alike, we learnt there were no appropriately-sized nappies so Pampers designed our smallest nappy ever which was created for the unique needs of preemies.

“To raise awareness, we decided to highlight this in our latest TV advert. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, but we do understand that for some families the advert may be difficult to watch.

“So, we have made some changes including the removal of the lyrics, more strongly highlighting the partnership with Bliss to help families know where they can find further support and guidance as well as advising these Preemie nappies are being donated.”

However not all parents who have sadly lost premature babies feel so strongly about the advert:

“I cannot watch it as it upsets me, but any awareness about prematurity is positive,” one woman wrote on Mumsnet. “

“There will always be triggers when you experience something so traumatic (more than once for me) but it I think it has been done well. You are always aware of those who do not make it home.”

And many responses have been positive:

“I can’t watch the advert personally but I’m glad they made it,” another woman commented. “It raises awareness that prem babies aren’t just ‘a bit small’, but that they have a real struggle to make it home.

“I think the way the advert is done, it seems to remind you that not all make it home, but that might just be me reading into it too much. I’m also glad they are making the new extra small nappies.”