The Campaign

As an International non-profit organisation that works towards providing people safe Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, WASH United initiated an effort to tear down the walls of silence and unawareness around menstruation. To advocate the importance of menstrual awareness, a 360-degree digital campaign was launched under Menstrual Hygiene Day, a global awareness day that was initiated by WASH United in 2014. To make India welcome the period, a key strategy was devised. Engaging posts and candid Vox Pop videos were conceptualised and executed. Myths were identified and tackled, inspiring stories were shared online and the voices of people were heard. As the grand finish to the campaign, they partnered with a popular youth icon, Indian slam-poet Aranya Johar to release a bold video titled ‘To Bleed Without Violence’.

Creative Execution

The following model was adapted to execute the digital campaign: 1. Hygiene Posts - Engaging posts and curated content that aimed to generate conversations and impact. 2. Hub - Candid vox-pop videos that India's knowledge of menstruation. 3. Hero Content - A bold video by popular slam poet Aranya Johar The campaign went live on 13th May 2017 and ended on 28th May 2017, the official date of Menstrual Hygiene Day. The digital platforms used for the campaign were Facebook, Twitter, Instagram along with an official website created specifically for the cause.

The campaign reached 25 million people through the official Facebook page. The online digital media coverage stood at 4 million. Overall the campaign 65 million people in India The video titled "To bleed without violence'' received a staggering 7.7 million views on Facebook alone along with 178,591 likes and 81,286 shares. Even Bollywood Superstars like Akshay Kumar joined the cause and discussed it. Furthermore, the support of several popular digital influencers earned the campaign traction on several public platforms like Huffington Post, Story Pick, Indian Express, Times of India, AdAge, AdGully, etc.

A secondary research was carried out online using Google Trends as the primary tool. The research helped to project an overview around topics that interested Indians around menstruation. Keeping this in mind the campaign proposition unanimously arrived at was ''Education About Menstruation Matters." The campaign aimed to focus on educating the girl and her support systems (family, friends, relatives etc.). Primary emphasis was on targeting Millennials since digital media was the only platform being used for the campaign. The target audience was determined based on the following segments: Demographics - Millennials, men and women of all ages Society - Educational institutes and workplaces Geography - Urban India Primary emphasis was on targeting Millennials since digital media was the only platform being used for the campaign. The aim was to go beyond ''arm-chair'' marketing to conceive a campaign derived from the insights, myths and issues that surround menstruation.