Babyganics Anthem Dispels the Myth of Perfect Parenting
It's OK if the wheels come off the bus
The babies on the bus go, “Wha, wha, wha!
Wah, wha, wha! Wha, wha, wha!”
The babies on the bus go, “Wha, wha, wha!”
Why, oh why, oh why?
Parenting’s tough, and nobody’s perfect. You’ve got to roll with the changes, good and bad, when raising a young family.
SC Johnson brand Babygancis makes that point ion a fresh musical work from Red & Co., with a tweaked version of the kids song “The Wheels on the Bus (Go Round and Round)” driving the anthem film below.
New mommies on the bus go, “Shh, shh, shh!
Shh, shh, shh! Shh, shh, shh!”
New mommies on the bus go, “Shh, shh, shh!
—Mommy needs to sleep.”
“We thought it was a great way to make parents feel seen and heard and invite them into a conversation,” Red founder and executive creative director Mira Kaddoura tells Muse.
New daddies on the bus go, “I got this,
I got this. I got this.”
New daddies on the bus go, “I got this.
—Oh no, I do not got this!”
To create the campaign, the team surveyed parents from all walks of life—with immigrant, adoptive, trans, same-sex, BIPOC, special-needs and single-parent families cast in the film.
“We’re always trying to push the industry forward to be more inclusive and more flexible both in front of and behind the camera,” Kaddoura says. “When the ads look like the world you experience, it’s progress.”
She continues: “None of this was found footage. We knew the different scenarios we wanted to capture, then set the stage for them to happen based on the families’ real lives and home situations. From that point on, it was about patience and knowing how to work with babies and young toddlers.”
The approach feels especially fitting with many families “enjoying” more togetherness than ever due to the pandemic, and such knowledge informed the campaign. Even so, Kaddoura believes its universal message transcends current events.
“Covid times or not, we knew this work will resonate with all different kinds of parents,” she says. “However, Covid did show everyone the reality of parenting since so many parents are, or were, working with kids at home. And maybe, just maybe, this made non-parents more empathetic to the people raising the next generation—truly the hardest job there is.”
What’s the bottom line for the brand, which sells shampoos, car seats, bedding, decor and other stuff for wee ones?
“For the last 50 years, the baby sector has focused only on the dream of perfect parenting,” Kaddoura says. “But in a year when so many parents were left to fend for themselves, the Babyganics brand is shedding light on parental pressure, and giving us all permission to be good enough.”
For a different kid-centric remake of “The Wheels on the Bus,” check out this empowering track from the Girl Guides of Canada.
Red also penned this “sorry” letter from Babyganics, addressing the unrealistic expectations and pressures parents face every day:
CREDITS
Babyganics – Here’s To Perfectly Imperfect Parenting
Babyganics – SC Johnson
Chief Marketing Officer Sara Mendez
General Manager Brian Steinbach
VP of Brands Connie Chen
Global Creative Director Bill Darling
Brand Director Samantha Abrameto
Brand Creative Jennifer Bhalla, Katrina Firenze
Consumer Insights John Welk & Tammy Chung
RED & CO.
Executive Creative Director Mira Kaddoura
Creative Director Jess Vacek
Art Director Zorica Radovic
Creative(s) Dan Kroeger, Pierre Janneau, Nick North, Remi Sade, Karin Hesselvik
Business Director Clare Pickens
Account Director Alexina Shaber & Mackenzie Devine
Producer Felicia Glover
Planning Director Lisa Prince & Daisy Plummer
Brand Strategist Marina Tokar & Alex Janneau
Social and Comms Strategist Jocelyn Reist, John Rowan, Brad Ziff
Operations & Project Management Shari Eiesland & Andrew Seistrup
Design Director Marco Murillo
Designer Jordenn Bailey
Business Affairs Jennifer DeCastro
Intern Alicia Araujo
FILM PRODUCTION | WHEELS
PRODUCTION COMPANY
RED & CO.
Director(s) Mira Kaddoura & Jess Vacek
Director of Photography Karina Silva
Line Producer Gwyn Fletcher
Executive Producer Felicia Glover
EDITING COMPANY
WORK Editorial
Editor Anne Perri
Assistant Editor Sidney Williams
AUDIO POST
Th3rd Sound
Sound Designer/Mixer Lance Limbocker
Music
Lullatone/Shawn Seymour
Vince Frates
MUSIC Wheels On The Bus
Artist / Title Verna Hills
Music Company
POST PRODUCTION
Flame
Colorist Sofie Friis Borup
Producer Alexandra Lubrano
DESIGN & ANIMATION PRODUCTION | NURSERY RHYMES
PRODUCTION COMPANY RED & CO.
Animator Hieronymous
Producer Shari Eiesland & Andrew Seistrup
Creative Mira Kaddoura, Jess Vacek, Zorica Radovic
Account Clare Pickens, Alexina Shaber
Design Director Marco Murillo
Design Jordenn Bailey