Cardi B Joins Bobbie to Fight Feeding Shame and Maternal Inequity

Bobbie, the fast-growing formula brand, has a new, unapologetic spokesperson: Cardi B.

As Bobbie’s honorary “chief confidence officer,” Cardi B stars in “The B is for Bobbie,” which launches today. The aim is to help parents feel better about their feeding choices, while also raising awareness of the maternal mortality crisis in the U.S. and the need for greater parental rights. 

“It’s our boldest campaign yet, which says a lot for us,” Kim Chappell, Bobbie’s chief brand officer, told ADWEEK.  “It’s really about giving parents who are going through the emotional toil of a feeding journey the confidence to feed without shame.. and rallying for systemic change that parents so desperately need in this country.” 

The Cardi B campaign comes a year after Bobbie grabbed attention with a Times Square billboard featuring influencer Molly Baz breastfeeding. 

The latest work also aims to spark debate and advocate for change. Many mothers feel pressure to breastfeed, but that can be difficult when the U.S. doesn’t offer paid family leave, Chappell said. It’s also been a tough few years for the formula industry, which has had to navigate supply chain shortages, high costs, and worries about contamination. 

In the hero spot, directed by Kanya Iwana, “Cardi Bobbie” answers real parenting questions from four bona-fide Bobbie parents, including Southern Charm’s Madison LeCroy, chef and TV host Sophia Roe, gay dad and choreographer Blake McGrath, and Mexican actress Carmen Aub. 

“Parents don’t need side eyes and judgment, they need real talk, real support, and real answers,” Cardi B said in a statement. 

In a second ad, Cardi B speaks about the maternal health crisis in the U.S., where Black and brown women are two to three times more likely to die during childbirth. 

“This was a very intentional decision by our company as an issue that we have stood up for for years,” Chappell said. “This may not be an experience that many of our customers have had. They may not even know that this is an issue, but they should, because it impacts all of us.” 

Fans can also call a hotline, 732-QQ-CARDI, to share their stories, including how the lack of guaranteed paid parental leave or maternal health crisis has affected them personally. Bobbie will turn at least 1,000 of these stories into letters for lawmakers. Eight parents who call the hotline will receive three months of paid leave from Bobbie. 

Timing was everything

The collaboration came about after talent agent Vatana Shaw emailed Bobbie over the summer to say her client, Cardi B, loves the brand and fed its formula to her daughter, Blossom, who turned 1 in September. 

Within weeks, Bobbie learned that Cardi B was pregnant with her fourth child and decided to make her the face of its new campaign. They filmed the ads in between the end of Cardi B’s assault trial (she was acquitted on Sept. 2) and the Sept. 19 release of her second album, “Am I the Drama?“

Besides her trial, pregnancy, and new album, the rapper’s long-running feud with Nicki Minaj reignited recently when Minaj accused Cardi B of inflating her record sales. 

Despite the flareup, Chappell said Bobbie will continue working with Cardi B.

“I can’t speak for her personal views on X but I can speak from our experience working with Cardi over the course of this campaign,” Chappell said. “She’s been nothing but a fierce advocate for moms and women, a wonderful mom, and a dedicated partner who authentically cares about moving the needle forward for these critical issues impacting American parents.”

As part of this campaign, Bobbie for Change, Bobbie’s social impact and policy arm launched in 2022, will make a $75,000 donation split between three nonprofits, including Paid Leave for All, BirthFUND, and 4Kira4Moms.

“B is for Bobbie” will run across Bobbie’s owned channels, streaming TV, YouTube, digital, out-of-home, including a Times Square billboard, an experiential activation in New York City, and a full-page ad in The New York Times.