Case Study: Viva La Vulva

Background

AMVBBDO had started working with period care brand Libresse in 2013, creating the platform ‘Live Fearless’, as a rallying cry for women to not let periods hold them back. The breakthrough moment for this relationship was ‘Bloodnormal’: a ban-defying, taboo-breaking and boundary-pushing campaign that won a D&AD White Pencil in 2017.

Following the campaign’s global success, both the brand and agency had appetite for more, as the AMVBBDO team explain, “We could have stopped there – especially when you know upfront all the battles you’re going to have to fight to get your campaign out in the world, again (nervous sweat emoji)… But when your brand end line is ‘Live Fearless’, you have to lead by example.”

The brief

In 2018, Libresse was ready to expand beyond period care into intimate care, the fastest-growing segment in Feminine care globally.

As with any market entry campaign, the brand couldn’t compete on history, “But we could compete through empathy and understanding of women’s reality. If we wanted women to care about us, we had to show how much we cared about them.”

The idea

AMVBBDO had identified some problematic aspects in the sector: existing brands were guilty of telling women what to do, reinforcing fears, or simply treating women’s anatomy as ‘broken’. They felt there was a need for modernisation.

Furthermore, they explain, “There is an unhealthy quest for the perfect vagina, with almost half of women embarrassed by their vulva, and an increasing number hating the way it looked, to the point that labiaplasty was the fastest growing cosmetic surgery in the world.” The team goes on to claim that this is a problem exacerbated by “porn culture combined with abysmal ignorance,” as well as “the systematic use of euphemisms to avoid saying “vagina” or “vulva”. A plan was hatched to bust the myth of the perfect vagina, with a music video.

But how would they bring the vulva to life?

“We knew we wanted to throw a big vulva party”. The first breakthrough was the idea to use the song ‘Take Yo’ Praise’ by Camille Yarbrough and make it a feminist anthem.

The next step was to bring on board director Kim Gehrig. Gehrig began picking up D&AD Pencils back at the turn of the 21st Century, as an Art Director at Mother, and has since gone on to be one of the most in-demand commercials directors in the world.

Securing Gehrig as Director would be a coup that took the film to the next level, “Working with Kim allowed us to have the visionary, incredibly talented and empathetic eye we needed.” Say the AMVBBDO team, “Not just because she had to bring to life so many vulvas in different shapes and forms, but because she was also so good around all the women cast, getting them to talk about their own self-image and experiences with passion and without shame.” Gehrig cites the most significant challenge as “finding the right tone for the film.” She continues, “The subject matter was pushing the boundaries of what you normally talk about in advertising. I wanted to make sure it wasn’t sensationalist, but more of a celebration that everyone could acknowledge and enjoy. It needed to be both confronting and entertaining.”

The lip-sync idea belonged to Gehrig, who says ”The imagery AMV sent me was really inspiring, but I only had one clear thought… which was to make the ‘lips’ sing. It was such a ludicrous idea I really thought they would never go for it… but I am very grateful that they did.” So the production process focussed on finding the right group of women, and bringing to life a variety of vulvas, each with their own character.

Production company Somesuch helped Gehrig pull together an all-female team of illustrators, embroiderers, dress designers, purse makers, puppeteers, food stylists, cupcake chefs, and life drawing and balloon artists to create together a new visual language to celebrate the diversity of the female form. Trim and Sound Tree collaborated on the edit and the sound design, and visual effects came from Time Based Arts, known in particular for their D&AD Yellow Pencil winning post-production on Nike’s Nothing Beats a Londoner. They took on the task of animating a total of 450 different vulvas. Techniques included stop motion with live-action plates, rigged puppeteering, performance puppeteering, and air jets to make oysters sing in sync.

The launch

In November 2018 the campaign launched in Sweden, Norway and the U.K., coinciding with the Libresse/Bodyform retail introduction. The main ‘Viva La Vulva’ brand video was supported by short format videos to increase social sharing.

Further activations under the Live Fearless platform followed. These included an education effort encouraging women to become more comfortable and knowledgeable about their own bodies.

This was created in partnership with Nina Brochmann and Ellen Støkken, authors of ‘Wonder Down Under,’ and featured like branded hand mirrors and creative vulva origami. Meanwhile in London, for ‘Viva La Vulva Bathroom Takeovers’, the agency enlisted renowned illustrator Oliwia Bober to redefine bathroom graffiti — notorious for its depiction of penises — with an artistic celebration of vulva diversity.

The response

Initially, virtually all media owners rejected the film, on a number of grounds. Often they claimed it was too ‘overtly sexual’ or deemed ‘indecent’. Or, as AMVBBDO put it, “We knew it wasn’t going to be easy when one said ‘your cupcakes are too erotic’. We had to fight incredibly hard, scene by scene, frame by frame, to challenge their notions of decency.” Despite the battle to get the campaign broadcast, the long film quickly reached over five million organic views online, and 96% positive comments on social.

The team at AMVBBDO and their client were unfazed by the response from media owners, and online trolls, “The rejection we faced – and still see from some haters online – is the symptom of taboos. That’s their nature – when you’re breaking them, people’s instinctive reaction is to reject it. When you have to defend a grapefruit or a cupcake, you know you’re in unchartered territory, and it’s definitely not about the cupcake! ;)” says Tanja Grubner, Global Marketing & Communications Director, Essity.

The campaign went on to exceed all brand metrics, doubling the norm on brand differentiation and brand interest (Ipsos Dec. 2018), and creating an immediate sales uplift at launch. Five weeks after the launch, new product Libresse wipes had already gained market share of 33% (Nielsen data, Dec. 2018). “In a category that made women feel bad about their vulvas, their bodies and themselves, we did everything we could to make them feel good” say the AMVBBDO team.

For Gehrig, beyond the D&AD Black Pencil for Directing, the impact was even more personal, “I have two young daughters, so it is important to me that they grow up in a world where they can feel proud of themselves and their bodies.”

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