For the Daughters Day, Stayfree is back with its latest digital activation. The latest digital activation is based on a social experiment conceptualised by DDB Mudra. It spotlights a conversation between Linda Fernandes, content creator and mother of a young teenage son, and fellow parents who initially rejected their sons’ appearance in Stayfree’s previous campaign.
The film brings to the fore the role of a simple conversation in overcoming traditional stigmas associated with periods. The conversation starts with concerns, hesitation and social stigmas surrounding periods, and gradually progresses – with some acceptance and some still trying to break the taboo, highlighting the role campaigns like BetaStayfreeLeAana have played in helping parents overcome shame associated with periods.
Manoj Gadgil, Vice President, Marketing and Business Unit Head- Essential Health, Kenvue, said, “For the last five years, Stayfree has been committed to normalizing period conversations to create a world where no girl feels shame, fear, or discomfort about periods. When building our last campaign, 'Beta Stayfree Le Aana,' 70% of parents were hesitant to allow their sons to feature in the film because they were uncomfortable with the idea of boys being casted in a period ad. This reinforced the need for us to continue breaking these barriers and social stigmas associated with periods. So, this year, we went back to some of these parents to see if our efforts were working. The response we got inspired this film. This is a campaign, but the change is REAL. That is all we wish for.”
Harshada Menon and Siddhesh Khatavkar, Executive Creative Directors, DDB Mudra, added, “In the past, whenever we sent casting calls for ads with boys, parents were more than happy to say yes. But when we sent the Stayfree script, most of them rejected it completely. We realized that those very rejections could become a powerful campaign. So, we went back to the same parents to have a conversation and to see if they’d changed their minds. The ‘Rejections to Conversations Stayfree Ad’ asks a simple but powerful question - if we’re okay with our sons appearing in ads for clothes, shoes, or chocolates, shouldn’t we be okay with them in sanitary napkin ads too?”
