Depend (undergarment)
Depend is a brand of absorbent, disposable underwear and undergarments for people with urinary or fecal incontinence. The product line was first introduced in 1984. It is a Kimberly-Clark brand, and positions its products as an alternative to typical adult diapers. Depend is the dominant brand of disposable incontinence garments in the United States with a 49.4 share of the market.[1]
History
Kimberly-Clark has been making Huggies disposable diapers for infants since 1978.[2] In 1984,[1] the Depend products for adults were introduced, pioneering the retail incontinence category in the United States.[3]
The original products were liners, available in regular and extra absorbencies. They could be worn inside underwear or alone, and were held on by small elastic belts. These were intended for moderate to heavy bladder incontinence. There were also fitted briefs for heavy to complete bladder incontinence as well as bowel incontinence.
The padding was originally similar to what had been used for disposable baby diapers like Huggies. In 1988, all Depend products began to use an Absorb-Lock core which turns to a gel when wet.
The product was originally unisex in style; in March 2009, Depend introduced gender-specific adult underwear in the United States and Canada. Depend Underwear for Men and Depend Underwear for Women replaced the existing unisex adult underwear on store shelves nationwide.[4]
In 2012 the company introduced very slender brief-style products, Silhouette for Women and Real Fit for Men, aimed at the Baby Boomer market.[1]
Advertising
For more than 20 years the principal spokesperson for the product was actress June Allyson, who was inspired to educate the public about incontinence because of her own mother's struggle with the problem. According to Kimberly-Clark, she "did more than any other public figure to encourage and persuade people with incontinence to lead fuller and more active lives."[5]
On March 30, 2009, Depend launched the largest integrated marketing campaign in brand history featuring TV, print, online, direct mail, in-store communication and public relations elements.[6] The TV campaign, created by ad agency JWT, was directed by 2004 Academy Award winning director Errol Morris.[7]
The product was originally unisex in style; in March 2009, Depend introduced gender-specific adult underwearin the United States and Canada. Depend Underwear for Men and Depend Underwear for Women replaced the existing unisex adult underwear on store shelves nationwide.
In 2012 the company's advertising took a new approach. Previous ads had featured elderly actors with the implication that incontinence did not prevent them from carrying out active lives. The new approach used younger celebrities who were not incontinent but agreed to model the Depend brief-style products for charity.[1] Featured celebrities included actress Lisa Rinna,[8] football player Clay Matthews,[9] hockey player P. J. Stock, and figure skater Isabelle Brasseur.[10]
In 2014, fueled by data showing nearly half the adults who manage bladder leaks and incontinence are under age 50, Depend advertising embraced an active younger market with its "Drop Your Pants for Underawareness" free concert in New York City, headlined by alt/dance group Capital Cities, famous for the hit single "Safe and Sound." To the delight of the audience, fans wearing Depend products joined Capital Cities onstage and danced to the band's song, "Center Stage." A national television campaign also showcased younger adults in Depend briefs "dropping their pants" to promote Underwareness and increase awareness of incontinence and bladder leakage.
In 2016, Depend launch its "Reclaim What Matters" campaign for Depend FIT-FLEX Underwear, the slim profile adult underwear for men and women. The program goal is to inspire and empower people by giving them products that help them regain power over bladder leakage.
In popular culture
In the 1996 novel Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, each year has a corporate sponsor; most of the action takes place in year 8, the "Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment".[11]
In Lil Wayne's song "I'm Me" he raps "The only time I will depend is when I'm 70 years old"
In Blink 182's Cheshire Cat album, one of the songs is titled "Depends".
American comedian Joan Rivers saw Depend as good material for comedy, and would feign jealousy at June Allyson for being the star of Depend commercials, as in "Hi, I'm June Allyson and right now I'm taking a dump."
A Saturday Night Live parody paid homage to Depend in a commercial for a similar adult undergarment they called "Oops! I Crapped My Pants".[12]
Lisa Rinna's success from the campaign is referenced multiple times on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, where Rinna is a cast member.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Media Post: Kimberly-Clark launches largest campaign ever for its Depend brand
- ↑ Boston Herald: Filmmaker's ad eyes sensitive topic
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
