In India, menstruation is the new pop culture hot button but all this chatter does not mean change – especially in the life of a young girl entering menarche. In spite of decades of advertising and outreach, the penetration of pads is at an abysmal 16% pan-India, hovering around only 40% in urban India. According to multiple reports by organisations like UNICEF and Swacch India, less than 10% of Indian women are aware of even the basics of their menstrual cycle & menstrual hygiene.

Stayfree, a sanitary napkin brand from Johnson & Johnson, frames its objective around encouraging more people to learn about menstruation and to talk about it. To make young girls feel comfortable about their periods. Thereby, debunking the taboo and normalising periods in India – for young girls and for everyone shaping their lives.

On Daughter’s Day, we released a poignant piece on all digital platforms – the story of a lesson in ignorance and denial featuring young boys and their families. It mirrored the everyday reality of Indian homes where boys are taught to not acknowledge periods. The constant reminders present all around them that gradually push them into embracing silence, leading our daughters to learn to be ashamed of it.

The film aimed at taking viewers on a journey inward, including us. Which is why, before we shot the film, we organised a specially curated session on menstruation for all the child actors, so they could be comfortable with periods and not just for the film.

A film around a taboo topic like menstruation was viewed 4 million times with a VTR of 37% with our core consumer – parents of young boys and girls. The film was shared more than 65,000 times on the meta platforms. And it generated 32 million impressions with a 65% reach with parents across India.

It clocked in 170,000 organic views on YouTube. On LinkedIn, a platform where menstruation isn’t a core topic, it garnered 24,000 views.

We also partnered with Menstrupedia to create an easy to understand 5 minutes tutorials to help parents navigate this conversation with their sons. This material was hosted on the microsite https://www.stayfree.in/talktoyoursons and parents were encouraged to pledge to the cause. Over 51,000 people have visited the microsite since the launch and engaged with the content.

On Stayfree’s normalisation journey, this campaign has proved to be the most liked across platforms.