adidas was launching period-proof leggings to athletes who menstruate. We needed to shift deep-seated attitudes to get our audience to Stay in Play whilst on their periods; only then would they even consider purchasing the product.

Research showed a huge education deficit, so we created a PE(riod) Lesson Plan that earned global media attention. Our free, curriculum-friendly lesson educates teens on how they can harness their cycle to Stay in Play.

A smart distribution strategy saw us reach teens, coaches, governing bodies and parents getting the world talking about periods in sport, and the leggings selling out on launch day!

As part of adidas’ long-term ambition to ensure sport is accessible to all, it became the first major sportswear brand to create a line of period-proof activewear. Our brief was to create editorial noise around the collection’s launch by authenticating its credibility, using the topic to drive brand talkability.

To be the team captain, we needed to know more about what was going on with the team – so we curated research from 14,000 athletes and teens around the world to better understand why periods in sport causes such taboo and the affect that has on female participation in sport.

We knew we had a truly innovative product, but these insights would form the north star of a PR strategy that allowed us to create both editorial, and real-world, impact – with the winning combination of product innovation and education.

We found that 50% of girls drop-out of sport when on their period and 82% of professional athletes have never spoken about their period with their coaches. Only 2% of online conversation linked to educational resources, and globally, teachers weren’t receiving adequate tools. From grassroots to sporting icons, there was a huge information deficit.

We saw an opportunity to elevate beyond a traditional product launch. We knew we’d need credible partners so worked with female sports science researcher Dr. Georgie Bruinvels to create a curriculum-friendly (PE)riod Lesson Plan – free to download on adidas.com to encourage athletes to Stay in Play.

The comprehensive educational tool was designed to be used by schools, parents, and coaches, covering:

The menstrual cycle, how to manage it through nutrition and exercise.

Which activities are best suited for different phases of the cycle.

Warm-ups related to the cycle to encourage participation in their sporting curriculum.

Detailed analysis of the media and the global community allowed us to identify nuances. Whilst 900~ million of the world’s population menstruate, the conversations focused on taboo, euphemisms and speculation.

The deficit’s impact was further illuminated by our research showing that 25% of girls are dropping out of sport citing fear of leakage as a key factor, and 50% don’t play sport when on their period.

Our PR strategy to get athletes to Stay in Play centred on partnering with credible experts to educate on the topic and authenticate the product, whilst engaging stakeholders that stretched from earned media, to NGOs, to parents – creating talkability, product sell through and real-world impact.

Creative strategy:

GET those who menstruate

TO Stay in Play and stay active throughout their cycle (should they choose to)

BY equipping them with the knowledge and tools to understand their period through the lens of sport.

Whilst we focused on creating educational assets, we also wanted to story-tell and land the product innovation through an athlete lens. So we activated spokespeople, including product creators, leading adidas athletes and Dr. Georgie, together authenticating the innovation and driving the conversation.

Delivered in a virtual roundtable media with journalists from 20+ countries, the collection was also seeded to 200+ media for mass trial throughout their cycle.

We engaged key sporting bodies including This Girl Can and Sport England with the PE(riod) Lesson Plan translated in 20+ languages, and adidas distributed it to educational bodies and grassroots groups including Girls on the Run, the US Soccer Foundation, and Redbox in Japan.

Finally, we crafted a Twitter thread for adidas’ global channel that sparked a worldwide conversation and included a link to download the plan – and it was the most successful organic post in 2021.

Stay in Play earned a global reaction that any media budget would struggle to buy, with the product selling out on launch day as a result!

1,000+ hits across 20+ countries with a reach of 6.7 billion, including Vogue Business , ELLE, Refinery29, Daily Mail

+6,663% engagement vs key competitor’s launch

Exceeded reach, advocacy and sentiment targets by +120%

200+ social clippings including athletes Gemma Rowland , Edel McMahon and Nikara Jenkins

Engaged global sporting bodies and education ministers

Organic posts on LinkedIn and Twitter from authorities, including Sue Anstiss MBE

Twitter thread on was @adidas’ best performing organic content at the time

Incredible positive impact on teens

“Incredible to see @adidas stepping-up to support girls to allow sport to continue despite periods.” @jessicablisset

“They’re using the power of their brand to normalise period talk #Respect” @charliecat5

“The plan is so thorough, yet easy to digest.” PE Teacher, Lambeth Academy