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Dive Brief:

• Kotex, a Kimberly-Clark brand, wants to destigmatize art about menstruation via a QR-forward campaign created with David London and Ogilvy Singapore, according to press details sent to Marketing Dive.
• “Art’s Missing Period” showcases works about menstruation throughout history to call out how blood, when it depicts acts of violence, is celebrated by the art world but considered too sensitive for public viewing when it concerns menstruation.
• A virtual gallery of more than 40 pieces went live on April 6 and is being promoted with QR-code bearing out-of-home billboards and wild postings outside of major museums, such as the Guggenheim and the Museum of Modern Art. The campaign will also run on social channels.

Dive Insight:

Kotex is leveraging QR codes and strategic OOH placements for an interactive campaign meant to draw attention to art typically considered taboo by the mainstream art establishment. “Art’s Missing Period” comes just a few months after Kotex launched a new brand platform, “Own Your Flow,” at the end of February.

Accompanying the gallery is an eight-minute documentary by Kathryn Everett, an Emmy-award winning filmmaker. The short film is narrated by journalist and producer Noor Tagourito.

The interactive gallery and accompanying mini-documentary showcases work spanning from 35,000 BCE to the modern day, some of which were previously rejected from galleries due to the subject matter and materials used. The documentary goes further into the double standard of depictions of blood in art, namely, how blood is celebrated when it depicts acts of violence but considered too sensitive for public viewing when it concerns menstruation.

The strategic placement of the billboards in front of museums such as New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum further drives home the messaging of the campaign. The QR codes provide easy access to the virtual gallery for passersby. 

“This is not just a campaign. It is a restoration of voices, narrative and art that deserves to be seen,” said Selma Ahmed, executive creative director at David London in press materials.

The documentary is part of a larger trend of brands looking to own more intellectual property amid the fight for consumer attention. Heineken released its own short documentary, “The Pub That Refused To Die,” about a village in Ireland that worked together to save its local pub, with the help of the beer brand.   

Reducing the stigma around periods has been a core part of Kotex’s brand identity. Its recent brand platform uses tennis as a metaphor for the challenges women face. U by Kotex was the first feminine hygiene brand to use red liquid in its commercials, rather than a blue one, and many of its campaigns since then have featured women speaking openly about their cycles.

Kimberly-Clark saw a Q4 revenue of $4.08 billion, a 17.21% decrease from the year prior, according to an earnings transcript.