Dreft: As Gentle With Babies As Mom Is

P&G is at it again ... being the fabulous marketers they are year after year after year. 

Whether you are a novice marketer straight out of B-School or a branding aficionado, much can be learned from following Procter & Gamble and their consumer brands.

Case in point: Dreft Detergent.

If you have had children yourself or babysat for your nieces or nephews or helped raise your younger brothers or sisters, chances are you know the Dreft brand. It's an old one; been around since 1933. For many moms, it's a staple during their baby's first year of life, because they trust it to be as gentle with their babies as they are.

Their latest TV ad is soft, sweet and tender. I'll let the copy tell the story since it will do it so much more eloquently than I ever could.

It may seem like just fabric, 

but from blankets, to jammies, 

to the little monster who shows up at bathtime, 

fabric is the stuff of babyhood. 

Dreft takes your baby's fabrics

- memories, messes, and all -

and gently keeps them clean. 

You have a child forever,

but a baby for just one year.

And because Dreft is specially made for babies,

Dreft makes babyhood special.

And, of course, that same message is told on their website, on Twitter and on Facebook. Brilliantly told and visualized.

My only suggestion is to share all those great baby photos on Pinterest. People love pinning baby pictures. 

Plus, a little research shows that this primarily female target pins pictures of the Dreft bottle for Pete's sake, clearly indicating they see Dreft as a Lovemark.

When families stay closer, children heal faster

Every once in awhile, an ad comes a long that gives you goosebumps. The Ronald McDonald House commercial is that ad for me.

The ad opens with a pair of hands holding a picture of a child with no hair. It's an image that instantly telegraphs a message to us all: This child has cancer.

The visual is powerful, demanding that you pay attention to what is being shown and said. A haunting childlike melody plays in the background, singing "only love can put the pieces back."

Throughout the spot, the picture changes, gradually adding hair as the boy transforms from a 3-year old with leukemia to the 6-year old survivor he is today. (Behind-the-scenes of how the photos were made here.)

The adorable, healthy, little boy's name is Anastacio Cuevas. Thanks to the Ronald McDonald House, Anastacio and his family were able to stay close to the hospital where he received chemotherapy ... and close to each other. As the ad so eloquently states, "When families stay closer, children heal faster."

Cancer is an insidious disease, one that has touched all of us in one way or another, but when it touches a child, it is a complete travesty. As a cancer survivor myself, I completely understand how important family is during the healing process. It can make all the difference in the world.

Ronald McDonald House Charities provide resources and stability to more than 4.5 million children and families a year at 305 Ronald McDonald's Houses around the world.