Stayfree
Toru worked closely with colleagues and clients at the DDB Mudra Group to build a body of work that showcases the power of insightful strategy, brought alive with creative flair.
The
Challenge
Even after forty years of high decibel campaigns and public health initiatives, sanitary napkins continued to remain one of India’s most stubbornly change-resistant categories. With penetration languishing below 40% (dropping to single digits in certain districts), it seemed that the majority of Indian women simply weren’t willing to make the switch from homemade cloth wads.
The
Reframe
India’s women ‘invisibilize’ their periods. Tradition and customs teach them that the period is an inescapable, uncomfortable fact of life. They must cope with it in shame and silence.
How could we expect them to seek out and spend money on solutions, when they hadn’t even defined period discomfort as a problem?
The
Approach
Stayfree's products consistently sought to meet the mobility and hygiene needs of young women with expanding horizons.
The communication strategy was multi-faceted and sought to:
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Showcase products in the context of young women’s dynamic lives
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Emphasize the disconnect between women’s potential and progress and their outdated period beliefs and behaviors
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Position a healthy period as a shared responsibility - for girls as agents of change, for mothers, even for fathers and brothers
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Shine a spotlight on periods with a range of high-intensity interventions - talking about menstrual health for women in the sex trade, using red as a signifier for menstrual flow, challenging fathers’ period-related complacency
The
Impact
Collectively, our campaigns were able to:
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Reposition pads as an investment in wellbeing and education (as opposed to a monthly expense)
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Drive benchmark growth and ROI
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Win practically every Indian and international award for effectiveness and creative excellence that can be won