Milkdrop launches ‘The Uncomfortable Feed’ to redefine breast pump design via Leo Burnett

A survey conducted by Milkdrop (a women’s health start-up) in 2021 revealed that seven out of ten women reported experiencing discomfort, pain, or damage while using breast pumps, with eight out of ten stating it makes them “feel like a cow”. This critical issue stems from a lack of accessible data on nipple size and shapes, a pivotal factor in engineering a comfortable pump.

To combat this, with the efforts of Leo Burnett, Milkdrop is creating the International Nipple Encyclopaedia and needs the help of Aussies across the country. The campaign will ask women to submit anonymous nipple measurements, contributing to the encyclopedia. Engineers and designers at Milkdrop will then use this to create new equipment that provides a more pain-free experience for mothers everywhere.

To launch the initiative, Leo Burnett has created The Uncomfortable Feed. The social campaign will take over Milkdrop’s social media, featuring a series of uncomfortable scenarios such as nails on a chalkboard, food being squeezed, teeth opening a bottle and biting an ice block, and cutlery scratching a plate, all designed to make the viewer uneasy and empathise with mothers who have to endure discomfort on a daily basis.

Currently, publicly available research is centred on nipple data concerning the ideals of reconstructive surgery or identifying the female nipple in algorithms to be censored on social media rather than the shape and size (anthropometrics) to help inform design. Milkdrop hopes that The Uncomfortable Feed campaign can broaden this data to ensure women’s comfort is not an afterthought when designing pumping products.

Says Stacey Karayannis, associate creative director at Leo Burnett Australia: “Alex and the team at Milkdrop have created an incredible product for new mums, with great ambitions to care for every nipple size out there. But unless you’ve used a breast pump yourself, which is less than half of us, no one really knows how uncomfortable pumping in an ill-fitting funnel can be. So we knew we had to take a bit of a light-hearted approach to help spread awareness and capture as much nipple data as possible. Every post is designed to mimic the painful pumping experience. By making people uncomfortable, we hope to encourage them to make things more comfortable for new mums.”

Says Alex Sinickas, founder of Milkdrop: “At Milkdrop, we’ve reinvented how breast pumps work to make life (and pumping) better for women. Leo’s has helped us get the word out. They made a serious issue relatable with an empowering message, giving women a say in product design. With Leo’s help, we’re shaking things up, one pump at a time. They are a delight to work with, creative, generous and professional.”

The integrated campaign will run nationally across social with Publicis Groupe stablemates Herd MSL leading PR and Zenith leading media.

Women can submit their data to the International Nipple Encyclopaedia at https://theuncomfortablefeed.com.

Client: Milkdrop
Founder: Alex Sinickas
Head of Marketing: Claire Deane

Creative Agency: Leo Burnett
National Executive Creative Director: Andy Fergusson
Chief Strategy Officer: Catherine King
Senior Strategy Director: Abbie Dubin-Rhodin
Associate Creative Director: Stacey Karayannis
Associate Creative Director: Mark Carbone
Associate Creative Director: Nico Smith
Senior Business Director: Nicole Denning
Project Manager: Rachael Sparks
Social & Community Executive: Mia Stevens
Social Lead: Irnin Khan
Producer: Ashritha Govind
Director & Camerman: Yiani Andrikidis

PR Agency: Herd MSL
Chief Client Officer: Jennifer Brown
General Manager: Laura Beament
Senior Account Manager: Rachel Ecclestone

Media Agency: Zenith
Group Business Director: Mikayla Ellis
Digital Manager: Erin Mendygral
Business Director: George Bent