How Brands Are Marketing Periods With More Transparency

There’s a dichotomy in the feelings tweens have about menstruating. On one hand, many menstruators have no idea what’s happening to their bodies. Dana Roberts, a former teacher, recalls how a student in her fifth-grade class in Atlanta 13 years ago asked her if they were dying after getting their first period. On the opposite end of the spectrum are young social influencers, like Ladies of Lavender, who unabashedly unbox period kits, post product reviews and offer explainers about the menstrual cycle. RedDrop is one organization working to bridge the gap. Roberts and co-founder Monica Williams launched RedDrop in December 2019 to address the lack of period products for elementary school-aged tweens and create an online destination to guide parents in talking about menstruating. While the messaging on RedDrop is directed at parents—since they have the bank accounts—the actual content is filtered through the prism of what their tweens need to know about menstruating. “Women were taught periods should be a secret,” Williams, a physician, told Adweek. “That's been passed on. We’re providing bite-size lessons parents can consume and share with their daughters.” RedDrop sales have increased 3,900% between January and August 2021, according to CFO Jarrod Shaw, though he declined to provide specific revenue numbers. It’s one of a growing number of startups and direct-to-consumer companies trying to take a piece of the $21.6 billion feminine hygiene category and radically change how period products are marketed. The color red To do that, RedDrop promotes a small but significant message: Periods are red. It seems obvious, but for years, advertisements touted a pad’s absorbency by pouring blue liquid onto it to show it doesn’t leak. The color red is all over RedDrop’s website and packaging. Many brands say they want red liquid in their ads, but platforms like TV networks don’t allow it. Social media is leading the way, but it has its own hurdles. Last year, Facebook removed an ad from period retailer Modibodi, citing its use of "sensational content"—specifically, a blanket hanging from a washing machine stained red. Although the DTC ad was reinstated after backlash, the message was clear: Periods aren't for public discussion. Kimberly-Clark’s U by Kotex received an influx of positive comments after posting a YouTube explainer about the menstrual cycle by influencer Simone Giertz that featured red liquid dripping onto a sanitary napkin from a “uterus machine.” Like Kimberly-Clark, P&G’s sanitary napkin brand Always uses red liquid to indicate blood wherever it’s allowed in advertising. “We’ve heard from many people that a more realistic representation of blood is important to them,” Charlotte Le Flufy, Always’ social impact director, told Adweek. “Networks have their own standards that dictate what can and cannot be shown, and in some cases red liquid is not accepted.” Until those rules are changed, menstruators continue to see unrealistic stand-ins for period blood. “It says you can’t be real about what happens to a menstruator’s body,” Louise Klintner, advocacy and communications specialist at The Case for Her, a philanthropic investment portfolio that addresses women’s health issues, told Adweek. “It tells young menstruators that when they talk about periods it needs to be displayed in a hygienic, sanitized space; otherwise, it’s dirty or gross.” According to Williams and Roberts, that contributes to all the questions young users have, which is why they focus so much of the site's content on period education. Something to Talk About The work of "menstrual destigmatization" by RedDrop, August and others appears to have an increasingly receptive audience. A Morning Consult survey of 2,200 parents who have a menstruating child found a majority of parents are comfortable talking to their children about getting their period (60% very comfortable, 25% somewhat comfortable). A solid majority of parents also say they or another family member has talked to their child about a range of topics related to getting a period. Most discussed general issues involving periods or menstrual cycles (83%). Additional conversations included when they will likely get their first period (77%), the reproductive system/pregnancy (68%), what a normal (73%) and abnormal (66%) period is like and period products (78%). Online support system The current cohort of tweens are so digitally immersed that turning to social media for support from peers is natural. And there are a growing number of influencers being honest about period life. Nadya Okamoto runs August, a period retailer and site working to democratize access to period education. She receives dozens of messages from tweens asking what “normal” period blood should look like in terms of color, texture and amount. To explain the range, Okamoto’s TikTok features honest explainers and posts of used products. “From a young age, we're taught 'don't talk about periods anywhere in public,'” Okamoto said. “Period’ is not a bad word.”

Brand Purpose

How Tweens Are Helping Menstruation Brands Break Down Stigmas Around Periods

Marketers are getting more open with young consumers who crave honesty

Tara Weiss

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Tara Weiss