Midol urges women to stop apologizing for their periods with awareness push

Dive Brief:

• Midol this week launched a campaign in an effort to drive awareness about the stigmas menstruators face and help them restore self-confidence, per a press release. The effort will appear across Amazon, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube and as a partnership with Bustle Digital Group, Adweek reports.
• The campaign includes a 60-second video entitled “No Apologies. Period.” that features people of all ages, ethnicities and genders who share personal stories about apologizing for their periods or feeling they needed to hide period symptoms.
• “No Apologies. Period.” is informed by Wakefield Research findings that show 62% of menstruators under the age of 40 have apologized for their period or period symptoms, per the video. It is the latest campaign by an endemic brand to change the narrative around menstruation in culture and advertising with more authentic messaging.

Dive Insight:

Midol’s “No Apologies. Period.” campaign uses the Bayer brand’s marketing muscle to shine a light on a social issue that it hopes to alleviate: the “toxic stigma” menstruators face when apologizing or hiding their period symptoms. Using an online video as a starting point, the campaign seeks to create a dialogue between menstruators and non-menstruators alike.

“Midol is about creating a world where periods are not something to be embarrassed about or a source of shame or discomfort. That means not just relieving period symptoms, but the stigma that comes with them,” Lisa Perez, marketing director of pain/cardio at Bayer Consumer Health U.S., said in the press release.

The brand’s survey found that nearly half (47%) of all menstruators across generations — Gen Z, millennial, Gen X and baby boomers — have given a period apology, while shame is more prevalent among Gen Z (70%). This issue’s relevance across age groups, as well as its effect on people of all races, ages and gender, makes it a valuable touch point that Midol can highlight to reach a wide swath of consumers.

The campaign will run across a variety of digital platforms, including Pinterest, Snapchat and TikTok, and via a partnership with women-oriented Bustle Digital Group. This tactic aligns with Midol’s 2020 digital campaign that included social influencers, Snapchat augmented reality and Giphy animations, and was part of a larger rebrand aimed at Gen Z and millennial women.

Midol’s effort to raise awareness around and change attitudes toward menstruation follows similar efforts by other endemic brands. P&G’s Tampax partnered with comedian Amy Schumer to help educate women about menstruation, while femtech apparel company Knix launched a campaign that encouraged women to “stop trashing their periods.” The campaigns by Midol, Tampax and Knix all rely on authentic messaging that is especially effective when engaging younger consumers.