Allen & Gerritsen (A&G) and Safety 1st, a leading provider of child safety products, today unveiled “Signs of the Times,” a creative campaign rooted in empathy and humor that has refreshed the brand’s iconic “Baby on Board” sign for parents working from home during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Created by parents, for parents, the campaign assets include both video and static backgrounds for virtual meetings, as well as Instagram stickers and GIFs.

Parenting is tough–especially during quarantine. According to recent survey findings from the Parenting in Context Research Lab at the University of Michigan, a majority of parents report financial concerns (52 percent) and social isolation (50 percent) were getting in the way of their parenting. Over the last 30 years, Safety 1st has developed innovative products that parents have come to depend on to keep their children safe. “Signs of the Times” acknowledges that what parents need now more than ever is a little laughter and understanding; an essential medicine for families quarantining at home and navigating their new “normal” of work, school and play.

“Navigating parenthood is hard enough under normal circumstances, so we can all relate to the stresses that moms and dads are feeling today while attempting to balance their work and home lives,” said Jessica Ruscito, North America brand lead for Dorel Juvenile, the parent company of Safety 1st. “What we love about ‘Signs of the Times’ is that it’s a reminder to parents to not take things too seriously and to cut themselves a little slack. We are thrilled with how the A&G Creative team was able to bring this message to life.”

Modeled after the iconic “Baby on Board” sign, A&G partnered with Safety 1st to develop similar visual cues that parents can use to subtly communicate to colleagues what is going on at home during virtual meetings and on their social media platforms. Signs like “Naked Baby Crossing,” “Head in Hands,” “BRB Crying” and “Pumping” poke fun at the highs and lows of parenthood in quarantine – creating common ground between people whom may have very different life situations versus allowing disruptions at home to create more distance between one another.

“In such uncertain times as these, it can be challenging to help a brand strike the right tone in how it presents itself in the market,” said Andrew Graff, CEO of A&G. “As a creative-led agency, we knew that this campaign would be successful if it was led by humanity and empathy. ‘Signs of the Times’ is so relatable because most of the people who created this work are living the experiences themselves.”

To learn more about Safety 1st and its line of child safety products, visit www.safety1st.com, where all “Signs of the Times” assets are available free of charge to download.

About Dorel Juvenile

Dorel Juvenile, a segment of Dorel Industries, Inc. (TSX:DII.B, DII.A) is a world class juvenile products company. Dorel Juvenile’s powerfully branded products include global juvenile brands Safety 1st, Quinny, Maxi-Cosi and Tiny Love, complemented by regional brands such as Cosco, Bébé Confort and Infanti. Dorel Industries Inc. has annual sales of US$2.6 billion and employs approximately 10,000 people in facilities located in twenty-five countries worldwide.

About Allen & Gerritsen

Allen & Gerritsen (A&G) is an independent, integrated, creative-led agency that is driven by strategy, data and humanity to generate sustainable results for modern brands. Our agency brings out a brand’s best self through strategies that truly understand people and the ideas that connect to them. Our headquarters are located in Boston and Philadelphia and our clients include Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Citrix, Comcast, Fresenius Medical Care North America, National Organization on Disability, Philadelphia Flyers, The TJX Companies and more. A&G builds our own best self by embracing the diversity of our talent and taking pride in creating a warm, curious, genuine, thoughtful culture. A&G was ranked twice by Advertising Age as the #1 “Best Place to Work in Marketing & Media.” To learn more, check out www.a-g.com and follow the agency on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.