U by Kotex® Tackles Period Poverty with Help of Quotient Influencers
As we honor Women’s History Month this March, we’re spotlighting an effective and impactful cause-driven marketing campaign by a Quotient client. In 2021, U by Kotex® aimed to raise awareness of period poverty through a unique campaign leveraging social influencers, paid social media and retail promotions to drive action for those in need.
Keep reading to see how they balanced championing this important social cause with effective marketing tactics.
What Is Period Poverty?
Period poverty—the lack of adequate access to menstrual hygiene products and education—is an issue that has long been stigmatized and neglected in the broader public health community. This highly personal but universal part of everyday life should be empowering, not embarrassing, for all people with periods.
One in four women struggles to access period products¹ and one in five low-income women report missing work, school or similar events due to lack of access to period supplies.² These instances were linked to reported feelings of embarrassment, disappointment and depression.
The “With U, She Can” campaign’s cause-driven messaging underscored awareness, education and, most importantly, action around the often-overlooked issue of period poverty. For every product purchased at CVS and Walgreens during the campaign months, U by Kotex® pads were donated to the Alliance for Period Supplies, a partner nonprofit that collects and distributes menstrual supplies in local communities.
The U by Kotex® Approach
For this campaign to be successful, U by Kotex® knew it needed an integrated, multi-layered omnichannel approach with sophisticated targeting to reach the right audience—those who would be engaged and inspired to learn more about period poverty while also taking direct action by purchasing products at respective retailers.
To reach these shoppers, U by Kotex® partnered with selected content creators, including Dr. Marie Lahai, Lauren Elyce, Monique Booth and Sabrina Molu. Each of these influencers focus their platforms on empowering women, and many had personally experienced issues relating to period poverty in the past—enabling them to lead authentic, intimate and vulnerable conversations that truly resonated with their target audience.
U by Kotex® also leveraged strategic paid social media for each retailer to further amplify reach—calling out the offer and a matched-donation initiative. Precise targeting delivered ads to 20- to 45-year-old females (US nationally) who had purchased feminine care products in the past and are CVS or Walgreens shoppers.
Layered on top of the awareness garnered from the social efforts, the campaign incentivized consumers to take action with a national promotion offer through the store circular. These retail offers ensured U by Kotex® stayed top of mind to secure sales at the point of purchase.
Overall, the campaign left a positive impact—delivering a total of 13.6 million social impressions. Consumers also demonstrated their interest and commitment to the cause with a large growth in new U by Kotex® brand shoppers at CVS as well as an increase in sales at Walgreens during their campaign month. Even more significantly, the combined CVS and Walgreens programs resulted in more than 1 million pads donated!
For more information on how your brand can leverage Quotient solutions to make an impact in your next campaign, contact us at hello@quotient.com.
Sources: (1, 2) U by Kotex® survey conducted through YouGov, 2018. https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8296351-u-by-kotex-alliance-for-period-supplies-sponsor/.
