Molly Baz and Formula Maker Bobbie Bring Breastfeeding to Times Square

Fast-growing startup Bobbie is tackling a double dose of stigma—breastfeeding in public and swapping mother’s milk for formula—on one of the highest-profile media stages in America.

For its first billboard in New York’s Times Square, the formula brand has partnered with Molly Baz, whose previous ad for Swehl—featuring the cookbook author, her pregnant belly, a rhinestone bikini and two lactation cookies covering her breasts—was removed from the same location for being deemed too spicy for the masses.

Bobbie’s 45-foot-tall billboard, launching today for a planned three-week run, is the most significant media buy in the disruptor brand’s four-year history. It’s also a breakthrough for advertising in the well-trafficked midtown Manhattan area: Times Square has never before run an out-of-home ad starring a breastfeeding mother.

“We’re not just doing out-of-home for its own sake, just selling product by showing tins of formula,” Kim Chappell, chief brand officer, told Adweek. “We’re doing it because we have something to say, and we want people to know who we are and what we stand for as a team of moms.”

In the ad, Baz breastfeeds her infant son Gio on her kitchen counter while shaking a bottle of Bobbie organic formula. She’s identified as “chef, author, mom, combo feeder,” with the cheeky tagline, “Everybody’s gotta eat.”

The creative, developed by the brand’s in-house team, is grounded in data. One in five mothers feel judged or ashamed for breastfeeding in public, according to BabyCenter. Meanwhile, 50% of moms feel guilty for formula feeding, per Bobbie, even though 70% of parents use some combination of formula and breastfeeding.

“This is really about us moving society forward on women’s bodies and how they operate and what’s totally normal and natural and something to be proud of,” Chappell said. “As for breastfeeding versus bottle feeding, the criticism may be coming from different corners, yet it’s all still aimed at the same place.”

The campaign, which falls under the brand’s ongoing “Formula is Food” banner, came together at lightning speed—the creatives shot it at Baz’s home in Los Angeles early last week and turned it around in 24 hours.

Bobbie worked with Outfront Media for the placement, with the caveat that there would be “no nipple” visible in the ad, said Chappell, noting the brand had approval for the image within 30 minutes of submitting it.

The eye-catching neon green accents might remind consumers of a hot trend from the summer, according to Christina Garnett, who predicted it may “capture the ‘brat’ audience and keep them engaged, with the focus on an important issue.”

Garnett, a regular Voice contributor to ADWEEK and advisor of Pocket CCO, noted the campaign’s bold tone showcases “the best way to tackle controversial topics: head-on,” while highlighting “the continued need for awareness around breastfeeding and combination feeding” in a manner “that can’t and shouldn’t be ignored.”

Execs at the activist company, led by mother of four and co-founder-CEO Laura Modi and valued by Pitchbook at $388 million, will closely monitor social media for reaction, especially from their own vocal community. They don’t expect to run into the same censorship issues that forced Swehl to remove the initial Baz image and replace it with a tamer photo.

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“Swehl’s experience was in the back of our minds, so we made sure to be really explicit about what we were trying to do here,” Chappell said. “We truly stand on the shoulders of other female founders who have been out there destigmatizing pregnancy and women’s bodies over the course of this year.”

After the Swehl incident—noted by ADWEEK as one of 2024’s most controversial billboard buys—a probiotics supplement maker called Seed revived the banned ad. In donating the space to Swehl, Seed wrote: “Dear Molly, thankfully we’re not (lactose) intolerant. In solidarity, your friends at Seed.”

Baz followed up the Swehl ad and its ensuing hubbub by becoming the first pregnant woman to be featured on a cereal box; a deal with Kellogg put her on limited-edition Special K packages in June.

The relationship between Baz and Bobbie began recently, when the brand reached out to her with samples and an invitation to try the product at her discretion. (An intro between the two came from mutual connections at Swehl).

As Baz returned to work, she started using Bobbie formula as a supplement to breastfeeding. Per Chappell, its a common reason that new mothers opt to combo feed.

“Molly found herself in the middle of a shoot, and it was time to feed Gio, and she literally couldn’t stop the flow of work, and she and her husband started combo feeding right on the spot,” Chappell said. “It’s a story that we think will resonate with our customers as much as it did with us—juggling the demands of work and the responsibilities of feeding your baby every three hours.”

In addition to the billboard, Baz will tout Bobbie and talk about her path to combo feeding on her social channels. She’s the latest celebrity—after Naomi Osaka, Tan France, Ashley Graham and Elaine Welteroth, among others—to collaborate with the brand.

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To expand the work, the Bobbie team will partner with influencers for social content and some “iconic CPG food companies,” though Chappell declined to share further details.

There are also chef collaborations and in-person events planned, in which Bobbie’s products will be used as ingredients in various dishes—including dessert for adults—with recipes gathered in a flip book.

It’s all in service of the “Formula is Food” theme, batting back against the commonly leveled “toxic” and “chemical” criticisms of formula as 87% of parents couldn’t name three ingredients in their baby’s formula, according to Bobbie research.

T.L. Stanley is a senior editor at Adweek, where she specializes in consumer trends, cannabis marketing, plant-based food products, pop culture and creativity.