adam&eveDDB Highlight Period Poverty With 'Pad Ads'

Flipping through the pages of the free Metro newspaper this morning, UK commuters' eyes might have been caught by a minimal black and white ad, featuring a nostalgic cut-out-and-keep template.

But rather than a set of clothes for a paper doll, the free template was in the distinctive shape of a sanitary towel.  

Turning the page revealed the second part of the ad, which highlights the shocking statistic that one in 10 girls in the UK cannot afford sanitary products, so every month have to resort to using toilet roll, socks or even newspaper such as the one in the press ad.

The simple but striking campaign was created by adam&eveDDB to promote the launch of Hey Girls - a social enterprise that tackles period poverty by donating a pack of sanitary pads to girls in need for every pack it sells - in Waitrose and Asda supermarkets. Media agency the7Stars also lent their support to the cause by securing media placements in newspapers to help raise awareness.

“Period poverty is a degrading inequality which sees girls right here in the UK left to improvise," says Mat Goff, CEO, adam&eveDDB. "When we met Celia and the team at Hey Girls we knew we wanted to get involved and help shine a light on their social enterprise approach to ending period poverty in the UK."

“The lack of appropriate menstrual protection has an impact on school attendance, participation in sports and self esteem," adds Hey Girls founder, Celia Hodson. "Getting Hey Girls period products in front of supermarket customers lifts the lid on period poverty and showcases ways in which consumers can make a difference through their purchasing power, every month.”