The Frida Baby controversy may have crossed your newsfeed in one way or another this week. The brand, known for products that support postpartum mothers and their newborns, has faced intense backlash over its use of sexually explicit humor on social media and product packaging.
“This is the closest your husband’s gonna get to a threesome . . .” read one (now-deleted) social media caption about Frida Baby’s three-in-one True Temp Thermometer: a product that enables caregivers to take a baby’s temperature rectally, under the arm, or orally. The packaging for a humidifier boasted, “I get turned on easily.”
What Frida Baby claims was intended to be playful brand positioning has quickly evolved into a case study for how poorly thought-through marketing can turn into reputational risk, and ultimately impact a company’s bottom line.
Many took to social media to express their disgust with the brand’s strategy, and some called for a boycott of its products, which include everything from baby thermometers to postpartum recovery packs.
In today’s digital environment, a single misjudged campaign can escalate into a full-scale brand crisis within minutes. Social media accelerates outrage, media coverage amplifies the scrutiny, and – just like that – a potentially long-lasting brand vulnerability is created.
As crisis communications professionals, we often ask ourselves, “How did anyone approve this? Surely these ads go through several rounds of review. Why didn’t anyone flag this as being in poor taste?”
Frida Baby has publicly defended its brand voice, stating it is “never trying to offend, push boundaries for shock value, or make anyone uncomfortable.” But intent rarely determines impact. Consumers ultimately decide whether a marketing campaign enhances or undermines their trust in a brand.
This makes using “comedy” as a marketing tactic inherently risky. As Frida Baby acknowledges in their statement, “Humor is personal.” It is shaped by individual experience, cultural context, and timing. This risk becomes especially pronounced when a brand is marketing products related to health, caregiving, and other vulnerable life stages.
A sleep-deprived parent, relying on a baby thermometer to determine if her newborn requires immediate medical attention, is looking for reassurance and reliability, not a cheap laugh. Misplaced humor can diminish the seriousness of the product, undermine brand credibility, and potentially lead to significant financial harm to the company and reputational harm to its executives.
For organizations seeking to protect their reputation, there are several important considerations before introducing humor into an ad campaign:
1. Make sure humor aligns with the role your product plays in people’s lives.
Advertisers understand that humor can sometimes be the best way for someone to remember your product. Super Bowl commercials are full of attempts for food and tech brands to stay relevant and comedic. But being funny isn’t the only way to be memorable. Taking Frida Baby as a case study, there are plenty of relatable, universal experiences from first-time parenthood. Any first-time parent can understand and relate to the joys, fears, and doubts of their first few weeks with a newborn. Wouldn’t an ad or social media post showing real-life examples of the role Frida Baby products played in those moments make more of an impact?
2. Be mindful of your various audiences.
It’s easy to blame “cancel culture” and “wokeness” for people “not being able to take a joke” – but advertisers and content creators must evaluate whether the “joke” is at someone’s expense, if it’s crass or crude, or if it’s intended to shame or judge someone. It’s also become a popular strategy for brands to let social media managers take a “Gen Z” approach to their corporate social media accounts. It’s a specific sense of humor that the algorithm loves, but not everyone will appreciate or understand that comedy or style. Brands must ensure they’re reaching their target audience in a way that appeals to many demographics. That’s a difficult needle to thread when implementing humor. These attempts can look worse in hindsight because they could have been easily avoided with this simple analysis. Consumer brands should think twice about using vulgar or indecent language in advertising or campaigns, particularly when the products they are marketing relate to family, children, or the home.
3. Consider how the “joke” will hold up over time.
Especially in a digital age where many brands are hoping to stay relevant and ride the wave of a trend on social media in a quick and timely way, social media managers and marketers feel the pressure to move quickly. This may not allow for standard review processes or approvals, and some red flags may not get raised. You must take the time to seriously consider whether this campaign aligns with the brand’s mission, voice, and vision. No one can predict the future, but it’s better to try than to run with a campaign because it’s super relevant in the moment, only to have it come back to bite you six months (or even six years) from now.
4. Evaluate humor in the context of the broader social climate.
Take a temperature read on what the social climate is. Think back to the infamous Kendall Jenner Pepsi ad. During a time of civil unrest, Pepsi aired a commercial claiming that its soda was the key to solving the world’s division. That ad was called tone-deaf, and many felt that it trivialized real social justice movements. The ad was pulled within 24 hours, and Pepsi issued a public apology. Listen to how the people around you perceive the news – and not just people who share your opinions and sense of humor. If you have no access to alternative viewpoints from your own, perhaps it’s worth holding a focus group to see if a collection of strangers thinks your attempt at humor is funny or accurate enough to sell products.
For organizations facing backlash, the initial response can significantly impact the depth of the reputational harm. Defensive messaging, dismissiveness, or attempts to explain away criticism often escalate the situation.
A thoughtful, transparent response, guided by experienced crisis communications and reputation management professionals, can help contain fallout and protect long-term brand integrity.
