P&G 'Always' Promotes A Curse As A Blessing

Simply coping with the inconveniences of menstruation is the traditional theme of advertising in the feminine protection category.

But a new ad campaign breaking today for Procter & Gamble’s Always brand, the top-seller among sanitary pads, makes a break with category tradition and a play for a new way of looking at the topic—with a message of indulgence and the tagline, “Have a happy period. Always.”

“We are re-framing the period from negative to positive,” said Patti Gregoline, svp and executive creative director for Publicis Groupe’s Leo Burnett in Chicago, which worked in partnership with sibling channel planning unit SMG United to craft the strategy.

Consumer research by Burnett differentiated tampon users, who “hate their period, and want it to go away,” from pad users, Gregoline said.