Ad of the Day: Aunt Flo Comes to Town, and Is Comically Busy, in HelloFlo’s Latest

Playing off the phrase "Aunt Flo's in town"—code for "I have my period," for any of you who have never been a teenage girl—the spot brings Aunt Flo to life (dressed in all red, natch). Instead of fresh-faced tweens staring down their first periods, the new spot seeks broader appeal—highlighting a girl waiting to get her first period, a woman kissing it goodbye with the advent of menopause, and a couple who experience the anxiety that comes with Aunt Flo showing up six days late.

HelloFlo is known for defying the ad norms around feminine hygiene (no mysterious blue liquid pouring from a glass beaker into a maxipad here), and this spot is no different. At one point, the tween asks about vaginal discharge—or "white crusty stuff," as she puts it—which is a long way from Woman Wearing White Along the Beach in a tampon spot.

"My goal is to show and normalize the confusing stuff, too," Naama Bloom, founder of HelloFlo, tells Adweek. "One of our most popular articles is about vaginal discharge! This spot is definitely ambitious for us, as we've used these vignettes to showcase transitions in women's lives."

The spot ends comically, with Aunt Flo showing up, unwelcome, in the midst of a would-be steamy backseat scene. There's plenty of product placement in this one, as "A Visit From Aunt Flo" kicks off a year-long partnership with U by Kotex and Poise. It also comes on the heels of the announcement this month that SheKnows Media is acquiring HelloFlo.

CREDITS

Client: HelloFlo

Director: Max Sherman

Copywriters: Jacob Greer, Chris Murphy

Art Director: Denver Eastman

Production Company: OPC

Producer: Isil Gilderdale

Executive Producers: Harland Weiss, Donovan M. Boden, Liz Dussault

Director of Photography: Rob Scarborough

Production Designer: Zazu Meyers

Casting: Mann Casting, Wulf Casting

Editor: Melanie Hider, Saints Editorial

Audio: Grayson Matthews

Post: The Vanity