Kmart Corp., Troy, MI, distributed more than 45,000 Cosas para Bebe kits to expectant and new Hispanic mothers last week as part of a pilot program to help Hispanic mothers have healthy babies.
The kits contain health information from the March of Dimes along with money-saving offers on brand-name products at Kmart. Available in Spanish and English, the kits were distributed at 160 Kmart stores in 11 Hispanic markets.
Following the launch of Kmart's Spanish weekly ad circular and La Vida, a Spanish-language lifestyle and entertainment magazine, the Cosas para Bebe program is another element in Kmart's strategy to reach out to a more diverse customer base. La Vida debuted Sept. 15 and reaches more than 10 million Spanish-speaking consumers in the United States monthly.
The kits were highlighted through in-store signs that called out “Wee Stuff that's FREE Stuff!” The signs pointed customers to the service desk or pharmacy counter of participating stores to register for their free baby kit.
The kit included coupons from brands such as Gerber, Kimberly Clark, Mead Johnson and Ross Products. With the kit, moms received a book sponsored by Huggies, “Caring for Your Baby & Young Child, Birth to Age 5,” available in English and Spanish.
To receive a kit, customers complete a brief information card about their family, such as name, address and when their baby is due. Spokeswoman Susan Dennis said Kmart will use this information “for a direct mail component some time in the future, where we will mail special offers to those customers who have signed up for the kit.”
