By Allison Watkinson
TLL Reporter
Dorel Juvenile Group says its engaged The Brand Liaison to guide a “major strategic shift” in its brand expansion strategy.
Dorel is among the largest manufacturers of juvenile products and owner of several top brands, like Safety 1st and Cosco Kids. Dorel says The Brand Liaison will be focusing on finding new strategic partners for its brands, and will specifically be tasked with helping scale its $244 million brand and portfolio into new global markets and lifestyle categories.
With more than 40 years of leadership in child safety, Safety 1st is a pioneer in creating reliable, easy-to-use products that help families confidently embrace every milestone of parenthood.
Best known for the iconic “Baby on Board™” sign and a comprehensive portfolio spanning car seats, home safety, mobility, and infant health, the brand has become a multi-generational staple in over 60 countries.
By consistently merging reliable engineering with easy-to-use functionality, Safety 1st has moved beyond being a manufacturer to becoming a trusted partner with a 96% loyalty rate that helps families confidently navigate their children’s developmental milestones.
Through this new partnership, The Brand Liaison’s president Steven Heller says his agency will lead Safety 1st’s licensing efforts, focusing on strategic brand extensions, new product categories, and long-term partnerships that align with the brand’s core values of trust, innovation, and thoughtful design.
The program will enable qualified manufacturers and retailers to leverage Safety 1st’s brand equity while introducing meaningful, consumer-centric products to market.
“Safety 1st is a brand built on trust, longevity, and relevance across generations of families,” Heller said. “From its category-defining innovations to its instantly recognizable ‘Baby on Board’ sign, Safety 1st represents far more than safety alone; it represents confidence, care, and peace of mind.
“We see tremendous opportunity to thoughtfully extend the brand into complementary categories that support today’s modern families.”
The new strategy also incorporates a new vision for the brand.
Safety 1st’s refreshed brand platform emphasizes enabling joy, simplifying the parenting journey, celebrating life’s firsts, and infusing human-centered design across every product and touchpoint.
With a strong retail presence at mass, specialty, and off-price accounts — including Walmart, Target, Amazon, and other leading retailers — the brand offers licensing partners immediate credibility and scale.
“As we look toward the future of parenting, we want to support families in every room of the house. Partnering with The Brand Liaison allows us to thoughtfully expand Safety 1st while protecting the integrity of a brand parents trust implicitly,” said Cathy Carter, President/CEO of the Dorel Juvenile Group in North America.