Carefree delivers another frank message in latest tampon ads
Carefree are promoting its tampons with a new ad aimed at younger women who may have avoided using the product before due to fears and confusion, ending with the line “itty biddy and silky smooth so you can get them in and out easily”.
The brand hit the headlines in 2012 when it became the first to use the word vagina in an advert in an ad from 303Lowe, which upset several viewers and became the most complained about ad during 2012. The ASB eventually ruled use of the word “vagina” was acceptable on Australian TV.
It features a number of young women and their fears before focusing on a woman who appears calm and stress-free, ending with the tagline “Stress free with Carefree pro-comfort tampons – itty biddy and silky smooth so you can get them in and out easily”.
The commercial, created by DDB Sydney, is the second ad of a campaign which “looks to tackle the taboos of periods and vaginal health head-on by demonstrating the reality – and normality – of period”.
DDB Sydney creative director Jen Speirs said: “With this campaign, we needed to reassure girls that whatever they’re experiencing, however scary or uncomfortable in relation to their period, is actually perfectly normal. We felt the most effective way for us to do this was to get other people to talk about what they’ve gone through in the past, or are going through now.”
The campaign is a result of recent research from Carefree that discovered women are more comfortable talking about their sex lives than their periods.
A Carefree spokesperson said: “We need to break these taboos to normalise the conversation around periods and provide women with the comfort that they are not alone in their experiences. We want to encourage women to feel more open and comfortable in discussing their personal health, and in turn, feel more confident in managing their period.”
The first commercial of the ‘Be Real’ campaign features women experiencing anxiety over tampons and first period experiences.
“The conversation that Carefree is starting with the TVCs will continue online where people can share their own real stories. The idea being that when girls hear lots of different stories, they’ll see just how similar we all are. And there’s something very comforting in that,” said Speirs.
As part of the campaign the brand is calling on women to share their stories to help normalise conversations around periods.
I’m no prude, but having a conversation about periods with my husband sparked by “does that really happen” is not my idea of a good evening on the couch. I find the ads confronting and bad taste, I’m not sure how much wine they gave those girls in research but they’ve missed the “insight jewel” mark here.
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Liz, I completely agree. I really don’t appreciate seeing ads like that at 7.15 pm when am thinking about dinner. Particularly the remark about ‘finding the right hole” . Very bad taste.
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“Carefree are promoting its tampons with a new ad aimed at younger women…”
OH is they? How is they doing that ? through its usual various channel I suppose?
Nearly everyone loves sex, nearly everyone loves babies. It has always seemed odd to me, that so many people are offended by the anatomy and physiology of sex and reproduction, as they also seem to be with the wonder of the almost magical functioning of women. Perhaps I am just an old romantic fool.
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“taboos of periods and vaginal health”. Seriously. Do people actually think this way?
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RJ… if the first two comments are anything to go by, some people clearly think it’s still a taboo, and don’t feel comfortable talking about it.
It’s a shame that they think something like periods are in ‘bad taste’ and ‘confronting’ – get a grip!
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When someone starts a sentence with “I’m no prude……..” you wonder who they are trying to convince. Open discussion of things like menstruation surely demystifies it and makes it no more threatening than any other body function. I’m more offended by fast food advertising myself.
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If nothing else the campaign will always be known as the “did I put it in the wrong hole” line… Maybe this will be writ large on its epitaph.. I think somewhere between the silly old ads where running on the beach, playing tennis, swimming and smiling were the norm and the current, equally silly batch of in your face stuff, that we may have accelerated past a workable way of advertising this category
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this latest advert is nothing but discusting. I am a single parent to 2 boys and one is in his teens . pictures of young girls with pads sticking out their leotards and swimming with pads coming out in pool and the worst what hole do l stick it in.
omg sick this should not be alowd to be on television.
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Going by comments here menstrual taboos are still very much real, and like the products suggest maybe some of us need to start educating our children about basic reproductive anatomy (Angeline – if your son is in his teens shouldn’t he already know about menstruation? And as a woman isn’t it a bit messed-up that you view talking about your own anatomy as ‘sick’?)
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I really didn’t like the ads. “AM I PUTTING THIS IN THE WRONG HOLE?” really do we need to hear this, ad is in poor taste. Everyone knows about periods and where they come from.
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These ads have gone way too far – its not that periods are taboo – its the disgusting scenarios spoken about – and this invades my lounge room every night! We are women and should be treating ourselves and our bodies with respect and ensure that all men treat us with respect. Girls are so lucky these days that menstruation is made so much more comfortable for them than the old days. There can be dignified open discussion without these ads
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Ban this ad……I feel sorry for the young girls and boys who are in a room when this
ad is on. It must be so embarrassing for them. Not only is this commercial useless
but entirely unpleasant. People either cringe or switch it over……get rid of it.
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Carefree come on!!!!!!R u trying to show young girls to be a bunch of ferals!MODESTY is not old school as far as I’m concerned and I am bringing up the next gen.I bet this ad has made you lots of money and you will keep doing crude ads because its all about the money.Your ads have nothing to do with helping young girls they just cheapen women and make men cringe as well as putting parents in a situation where ther e young children ask what your ads mean.Pls get off our tv!!!!!!!!
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I also feel this add is disgusting and goes to far!!!! If they think this is the way to educate young girls…thank god my girls are In their 20’s and have been educated in a respectful way..I DEMAND IT BE REMOVED FROM TV!!!!!!!!!..Bon I totally agree with you.. They want the kids to grow up and show respect..what respect is being shown here…You disgust me with this add
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We have been bombarded by ads about wiping our bums with a multitude of toilet paper brands for the past 40 years and more recently the trend has been towards bladder leakage solutions. I didn’t notice any moral uproar with these ads so why all of the sudden are we having such a meltdown over another natural bodily function that affects half of our population? Poo and wee are okay but not blood? grow up.
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