The thinking behind Modibodi’s taboo busting campaign

Modibodi’s latest campaign continues the brand’s mission to break down taboos around periods and is another step in building trust, its marketing chief says.

The campaign features a film, ‘The New Way to Period’ that aims to promote a conversation around the topic of periods and promote a message of confidence and freedom. Modibodi CMO, Liana Lorenzato, said while personal hygiene product marketing has come a long way in the seven years since it was founded, many brands still feel the need to hide or gloss over the very natural process of having your period and “this was another key factor driving a campaign of this nature”.

“We use red liquid in the video. This was a conscious decision, as in order to gain our customer’s complete trust in the product, we feel we need to be open and honest to them,” Lorenzato told CMO.

The film is screening across multiple platforms, including regional free-to-air and subscription TV, connected TV, digital and out-of-home media, as well as Modibodi’s own channel.

“We wanted to show women that there are other options like Modibodi that are better for the environment and offer comfort and freedom,” she said.

Modibodi’s research has found almost one in three young girls are afraid of talking about periods. Discussions of the ‘taboo’ topic are scarce, and periods are still being depicted as ‘shameful’. This is why the brand is on a mission to replace fear and shame with understanding, encourage sustainable alternatives, breakdown taboos and overall – help everyone embrace their bodies.

The film, created with award-winning Sydney-based director, Dani Pearce, shows the real side of menstruation and provides a reminder that there are better options than eco-damaging disposable pads, liners and tampons.     

The brand’s wider marketing strategy is primarily about introducing Modibodi to every person who leaks, by creating trust and starting conversations with audiences and customers. Lorenzato said it runs the full gamut from first periods to menopause, incontinence, sweat, chafing and beyond.

“Modibodi has a diverse product range and target market, meaning that earning trust has become the cornerstone for all our customer interactions, new and existing,” she said. “Our philosophy is that all bodies should be embraced and celebrated. We want to ensure that every person, no matter their shape, ethnicity, size or ability feels included, and so we have a wide range of sizes, our ad campaigns use diverse models and we don’t retouch or photoshop any of our models.”

A year of change

The brand also has a social impact side and donates a percentage of profits to women in need who often can’t afford feminine hygiene products. To stay authentic, earned media and likeminded influencers have been a key channel for the brand, alongside its social channels that connect directly to customers.

In the past 12 months, it’s launched its first pop-up store, first out-of-home campaigns and most recently the campaign based around this film.

This year with the coronavirus pandemic, Lorenzato said the company has needed to regroup, assess performance and then adapt like most businesses.

“As an ecommerce native brand, one of the many benefits is the ability to pivot swiftly in multiple markets at the same time,” she said. “We have used first-party data to continually engage with our customers and leveraged our 100 per cent brand trust to acquire new customers.

“Some campaigns had to shift in terms of timings when consumer mindset was open to accepting the message. We are a brand that cares, so being sensitive to the economic climate is constantly important.”

The brand has still had a productive year, launching a range of new products like active running shorts, expanding its absorbency and style offerings, and new seasonal ranges. Looking ahead, as a customer-led business, Lorenzato said it makes the most of all the brand’s feedback and that continues to be fed into Modibodi’s product offerings. And it’s looking outward.

“We’re looking for even more of a global reach in 2020 and beyond,” she said.

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