Becoming a parent is an expensive pursuit. But before eye-watering college fees and vacations rack up credit card bills, parents must first contend with something far messier: the stinky, catastrophic, downright nasty nature of baby poop, where no surface is safe from stains.
Have no fear, because Huggies is so confident its Little Snugglers diapers can prevent costly messes that it allowed 18 just-fed babies — handpicked for their digestive capabilities — to crawl over nearly half a million dollars’ worth of luxury designer items, collectibles, and antiques, including an $89,000 Turkish rug and a luxury convertible.
Created by McCann New York and New Zealand and directed by filmmaker collective Sunny Sixteen, the one-hour product demonstration “Expensive Sh*t” streamed live today (March 12) to speak directly to Gen Z parents navigating early parenthood as America’s affordability crisis persists.
Huggies teased the one-hour “Expensive Sh*t” event with content beginning March 10. The campaign will appear across social, digital, influencer, and PR channels, with influencers Carmen Marina, Alyse Novo, Susan Agli, Jennifer Mueller, Samantha Lulu, and Baylee Breyda each amplifying it across their platforms.
“The truth is that parenting can be chaotic,” said Danilo Boer, global creative partner at McCann. “Instead of simply claiming Huggies works, ‘Expensive Sh*t’ is our way of proving that protection in the most unforgettable way possible. When a diaper can protect nearly half a million dollars’ worth of luxury items, parents can feel pretty confident it’ll protect their couch.”
“Expensive Sh*t” marks McCann’s first campaign since Huggies’ parent company Kimberly-Clark awarded its global creative business for feminine and family care brands to McCann’s then-owner Interpublic Group — now part of Omnicom — in January 2025.
The brand has worked with a range of creative agencies in recent years. With Chicago-based indie agency Quality Meats, Huggies celebrated baby bums of all shapes and sizes with an earworm ballad in 2023, alongside a companion storybook and a giveback program for families in need.
And in 2021, Huggies worked with Droga5 on its first-ever Super Bowl ad welcoming newborns to the world — literally, babies born on Super Bowl Sunday. “Welcome to the World, Baby” struck a chord, landing third in behavioral science firm System1’s ranking of the most effective Super Bowl ads from 2020 to 2025, based on responses from 60,000 consumers.
