Bobbie and The Power of Authentic Storytelling

By: Esther

I’ll never forget the feeling of sitting in my pediatrician’s office the day after we got home from the hospital. She told me gently but firmly that we needed to start giving our newborn son formula because he had lost too much weight and he was also at risk of dehydration. I felt ashamed, terrified, and disappointed, feeling that my body was letting down this new little person I loved more than anything in the world. Breastfeeding was supposed to be easy and natural—why wasn’t it that way for us? 

Ultimately, formula did what it was supposed to do: it helped me feed my baby. But this experience deeply transformed me and sparked a fierce passion for removing the guilt and shame many moms feel about formula feeding—feelings I watched many of my friends experience as well. 

That’s why after having my second baby last fall and running into similar feeding challenges, I was so excited to learn about Bobbie, the first new formula to receive FDA approval in over five years. I did a lot of research on formula when feeding my son, and decided to buy brands made in Europe due to their stricter standards. Buying from third-party suppliers that shipped the formula from abroad was expensive and also felt a bit risky because it wasn’t regulated here in the U.S. When I found out about how Bobbie’s organic infant formula was modeled after these European brands and had FDA approval, I knew I had to try it with my daughter. 

Bobbie’s clean ingredients are a huge draw, and my daughter—now solely formula-fed—is thriving. But what has really drawn me to the brand is its authentic storytelling. As a consumer, first and foremost, I want to support brands I feel good about and that have a mission I connect with. And, I want to trust that they really stand for what they say they do. I’m definitely not alone. A study found that a whopping 86% of consumers rank authenticity as important when deciding which brands they like and support. 

Bobbie has embraced the power of authentic storytelling. Not just from the founders (who also happen to be moms themselves), but through relatable and inspiring content from team members who candidly share their own feeding journeys. And customers join in, too—on Instagram, Bobbie re-shares stories from customers about the feeding challenges they’ve faced and why they turned to the product. Their hashtag #BottleBoldly encourages people to open up about their experiences. Collectively, these conversations can help new moms feel less alone during what can be an incredibly emotional time.

Bobbie also goes above and beyond for their customers. They recently gave consumers free cans of Bobbie when they found out that there was a supply issue with resellers of European formula brands, causing a shortage for parents. And, they started a platform called MotherLode that allowed customers to invest in the brand, with the goal to democratize investing for women. 

Brands who want to tap into the power of authentic storytelling can take a few important cues from Bobbie.

First, leverage your own employees as brand evangelists. Chances are they are working for your company because they connect with the mission—and their stories will help humanize your brand and make consumers feel good about supporting the company.

Second, show you really care about your mission. Bobbie does a great job of this by sharing powerful customer stories that show parents they’re not alone, and by being there for parents when they need it—like they did when resellers ran out of European formula brands.

Lastly, connect with something bigger than your product. Bobbie’s investing platform is an example of how the company is not only supporting women in their journeys as parents but helping them get a seat at a traditionally male-dominated table (currently, only 8% of investors are women). 

I honestly never thought I’d be so excited about a formula brand. But through authentic storytelling, Bobbie has captured something every brand strives for: brand love. I can’t wait to follow their journey and see how they harness the power of authenticity along the way.