In this episode of The Future of Consumer Marketing, host Andres Figueira interviews Moira Finicane, Head of Marketing at Kudos, the first disposable diaper brand to feature a 100% cotton liner instead of plastic touching baby’s skin. As employee number three at Kudos, Moira has guided the brand’s marketing strategy from pre-product launch to nationwide Target distribution across 1,000 stores. Drawing from her experience scaling Uber Eats globally during its explosive growth phase, she shares how Kudos disrupted the diaper category by targeting natural-minded parents with educational content marketing and strategic influencer partnerships.

Topics Discussed:

• Building marketing foundations for a consumer product startup from zero

• Transitioning from tech marketplace marketing to physical consumer products

• Competing against legacy brands through differentiation-focused messaging

• Leveraging educational content strategy to attract organic influencer partnerships

• Navigating greenwashing challenges in the natural products space

• Scaling scrappy marketing tactics from startup to national retail distribution

Lessons For Consumer Marketers:

Target Niche Audiences First, Then Expand

Kudos initially focused on “natural-minded parents” – consumers who extensively research ingredients before purchasing baby products. This hyper-focused targeting allowed them to craft detailed, technical messaging that resonated deeply with their core audience before expanding to broader segments. The specificity of their initial target made decision-making easier across all marketing channels.

Use Educational Content to Attract Organic Partnerships

Instead of cold-pitching influencers, Kudos created detailed blog content and social media posts explaining their cotton-versus-plastic differentiation. This educational approach attracted key influencers in the non-toxic parenting space who reached out organically after discovering the brand through content searches. The educational foundation made influencer partnerships feel authentic rather than transactional.

Transform Product Development Insights into Marketing Messages

Working directly with suppliers and material developers gave Kudos specific technical differentiators (like total chlorine-free pulp versus elemental chlorine-free pulp) that became powerful marketing messages. These granular details resonated with detail-oriented consumers and provided concrete talking points for influencer comparison guides.

Combat Industry Greenwashing with Radical Transparency

Kudos addresses widespread consumer misconceptions by being brutally honest about industry practices and their own limitations. They explicitly state that no diaper is fully biodegradable yet, including theirs, while positioning themselves as making progress toward that goal. This transparency builds trust with skeptical consumers in a category full of misleading claims.

Leverage Scrappy Tactics to Maintain Authenticity

As a team of one for years, Moira used family photos and videos for marketing content, creating authentic touchpoints that resonated with their target audience. Rather than viewing limited resources as constraints, they embraced scrappiness as a way to maintain genuine brand voice and rapid iteration capabilities.

Build Comparison-Friendly Messaging Architecture

Kudos structured their marketing messages to work effectively in influencer comparison guides – the primary content format their audience consumed when researching products. By providing specific technical comparisons rather than general benefits, they made it easy for educators to include them in side-by-side product evaluations.