MAM Baby is turning 50 this year.
The mother and baby brand can be found in retailers nationwide and is even a supplier for the NHS-the brand is the only feeding supplier to hold that distinction.
Retail Gazette sits down with Damian Butler, managing director of MAM Baby to find out about what turning 50 means for the brand.
Butler explains that its anniversary campaign message ‘Be the Village’ reflects the fact that the brand has always shown up for parents. It knows that parents need support and it has listened to their needs and concerns.
Early metrics shared by the brand show the marketing drive has been very successful for them, with impressions increasing by 198 per cent. It also a 260 per cent increase in reach to non followers.
He says: “It is our job to stand behind parents with products they can trust”.
MAM Baby as part of its anniversary plans, created a WhatsApp community for parents to get specialised support for issues such as breastfeeding, bottle-feeding and postpartum. The brand will also point people towards Pandas, a mental health charity if they need further advice.
This followed research by the brand that highlighted that mums across the country were turning to digital communities
For it’s 50th anniversary, MAM also worked closely with influencer Hannah Cooper Dommett and produced 50 letters where consumers wrote about their parents, which were displayed on a wall in Liverpool.
MAM Baby picked Liverpool as it is home to the busiest maternity unit in the country and is also one of the places new mums felt the loneliest.
Butler said: “We want to remind parents they’re doing a fantastic job. It’s hard, it’s tough, but I think we want to say you’re not alone. I think that’s a key message from the MAM brand.
“We are a preferred partner for baby feeding bottle and soothing solutions in the UK. So, it definitely builds on that. But I think it’s also about just further endorsing our heritage, our quality and our care, and we’re all about supporting healthcare, families.”
He explains that consumers are extremely loyal to the brand and it has been recommended from generation to generation. Women who first used the brand in the seventies and eighties recommended it to their daughters and their daughters are now recommending it to their children.
Butler believes that part of the appeal is that the brand supports parents- its about how the brand can help them during an emotional time.
He says: “No one’s perfect, you’ll figure it out, and if we can support you a little bit on the way, then that’s what we want to do.”
He explains that for any retailer that stocks them are invested in a brand that consumers believe in.
Butler says: “They’re stuck in a high safety, medically endorsed, leading brand, heavily researched, heavily supported, high quality consumers trust that consumers trust and within the category. It is kind of a beacon brand. We are recognised as elite. We are number one brand in the UK for teats, soothers and bottles.”
Beyond its anniversary campaign, MAM will be taking part in consumer shows and hosting special incentives and offers for its consumers. It will also be throwing a birthday party at its head offices in Vienna.
According to Butler, the firms anniversary plans will help it to grow.
The firm is “outperforming the market” and has partially achieved that through extending its product options into more categories. MAM has recently launched into baby cups in Tesco. It also released a new breast pump last year and plans to extend its category range next year.
It aims to achieve a 10% growth CAGR in the next three to four years.
He says: “I’m not interested in driving short term volume. We want to build sustainable leadership for the future. ”
Butler signposts bottles as its biggest category currently, explaining it is the category you really want to win as its the point of market entry.
Other categories it does well in are soothers, cups which it has recently entered and sterilization products.
He says: “They [Tesco’s and other grocers] are very interested in the core consumable items, anything up to sort of 10 or 15 pounds. That’s where we play.”
“In terms of, if you’re a buyer for Tesco, your wipes and your nappies and your milks are huge volume. But the margin percentage is very, very small. The margin percentage for accessories is an awful lot higher in terms of completing the feeding journey.”
He says: “Baby, in my opinion, is a bit recession proof. You will buy the best for your baby. You will not go short on your baby. So you may be more considerate about your purchase, and you may shop around a bit more but you are prepared to spend to get the best.
“MAM is a premium brand in the category, I’m not going to deny that, you can see it in our pricing. But with that comes a fantastic product that does what it says on the tin.
He adds that Tesco has really backed them over recent years. He says: “They’ve gone into breastfeeding with us and nipple shields. They’ve gone into cups with us.” The retailer is also “pushing to grow in this area”.
Boots is another important stockist for MAM Baby. Butler believes this is where the majority of its consumers start their journey and its one of the main showcases for baby products now that Mothercare and Toys R Us have gone.
Amazon is another big player in the category because it is so accessible to the consumer. Parents can order a bottle at 3am while feeding their child and it can arrive that night or the following day.
According to Butler, the group uses an acronym of its name, which represents what the brand wants to achieve.
The M stands for motivated-the team at MAM should be motivated to serve families better. A is for ambitious. MAM wants to be “ambitious in its growth and future innovation”.
And finally, M also stands for magnificent. The brand aims to have high standards and teamwork and execution, being there for parents throughout every step of their journey from pregnancy to birth to early years.
Butler says: “Let’s bring on the next 50 years.”
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