Mother and babycare brand JoJo Maman Bébe is nominated for Brand Partnership of the Year at this year’s RG Retail Excellence Awards.
The brand collaborated with Godstone Farm for its spring 2026 campaign. The campaign was shot at the Surrey-based attraction and explored the benefits of play.
The retailer’s head of brand, Naomi Parry, takes us behind the scenes of the marketing drive.
Parry explains that play is always something JoJo has taken seriously- the brand designs clothes for children that can actually be lived in, “so Godstone Park felt like a really natural fit” for the brand to partner with.
She says: “The whole campaign centred around outdoor play and so with Nicola Henderson and the team at Godstone Farm we could partner with someone with years of experience creating environments where children can explore, learn and build confidence through play.
“There was a real shared belief between the two brands.”
Her hope for the collaboration is it encourages more families to get outside.
She says: “Some of the best childhood memories are incredibly simple – jumping in a puddle, feeding an animal or getting completely covered in mud.
“If the collaboration gives parents a few new ideas, helps them feel more confident letting their children explore and reminds them that a bit of mess is usually a sign of a very good day, then I think we’ve done what we set out to do and of course all while dressed in JoJo.”
JoJo have always designed clothes for play and they wanted to bring that to life through a campaign that “celebrated outdoor play.”
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She says: “The partnership gave the campaign real credibility. They share our belief in the importance of play and have years of experience creating outdoor adventures for children.
“We shot the campaign at the farm, worked with Nicola to share practical advice for parents on the importance of risky play, and even sponsored their puddle-jumping competition – which couldn’t be more JoJo.
Due to a shared vision between both brands, the partnership was easy to get off the ground. Parry highlights that one challenge they did have was making sure they got the most out of the collaboration without overcomplicating things and keeping the campaigns messaging at the heart of it.
She says: “A lot of our recent work has been about showing JoJo in the reality of modern family life rather than creating a perfect version of childhood.
“This collaboration helped to continue that message. We’re about real childhood – muddy knees, puddles, curiosity, friendships and trying things for the first time – but with partnerships like this we’re adding genuine expertise and hopefully giving parents something useful to take away too.
“It allows us to move from simply showing the world of JoJo to helping families get more out of it.”
JoJo hopes the collaboration allows the brand to connect with the modern family.
Parry says: “We’ve been part of family life for over 30 years, and we want to be as relevant to parents today as we’ve ever been. We’ve always stood for making childhood that little bit easier, but family life evolves and we need to evolve with it.”
According to Parry, collaborations allow JoJo to showcase more of its beliefs- “play, curiosity, independence and getting out into the world”.
She says: “It’s about keeping JoJo at the heart of where modern parents are. The way families spend their time, find inspiration and engage with brands has changed, so we need to make sure we’re evolving with them.
“Campaigns and collaborations like this allow us to show up in relevant places and connect with parents in ways that go beyond simply selling clothes. It’s about being part of family life and the things they’re actually doing – whether that’s a day out, outdoor play or looking for ideas and inspiration.”
JoJo joins Hamleys, Lidl, Lush and many more in the Brand Partnership of the Year category. See the full shortlist here. This year’s RG Excellence Awards will be hosted at the Underglobe on 14 October 2026.
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