Calling it by its Real Name, Period!
The Union, a UK agency, has created a new groundbreaking campaign for the Scottish Government to challenge the stigma around periods and encourage greater openness and honesty. The integrated campaign is aimed at 16-24 year olds. The ‘Let’s Call Periods, Periods’ punchline shows how, as a society, we use all kinds of different expressions to avoid using the word ‘periods’, which is, after all, a natural bodily function experienced by more than 50% of the population. Research shows that more than a third of women in the UK have experienced period shaming through bullying, isolation or ‘time of the month’ jokes. By starting an open conversation around periods, the campaign seeks to make everyone feel more comfortable talking about periods with their friends, family and others. Ultimately, this is about dignity and respect and being more open. The stigma associated with periods needs to disappear. This was a challenging campaign to develop, as the creative team had to ensure it got the message across with the right tone and in such a way as it resonated with audiences. But the outcome is spot on.
The national campaign will run across cinema, TV, print, outdoor and online advertising, with Instagram being used as hub for conversations to happen and content to be shared.