Depend kicked off a new campaign aimed at breaking the stigma around bladder control issues yesterday with a stunt at Yonge and Bloor in Toronto where models dropped their pants on a live video billboard.
The new campaign, called “Underwareness,” was completed with media from Mindshare, North American creative from Ogilvy & Mather, PR from Ketchum and shopper marketing work from Geometry.
Nadia Said, senior brand manager, Depend, says the campaign is one of the bigger pushes the Kimberly-Clark brand has done. She says the campaign aims to open up discussion around the fact that the average age of its products’ users is 52, with everyone from mothers who have given birth to people who have had surgery below the waist facing bladder control issues, not just the stereotypical elderly consumer. She adds that 10% of all Canadians suffer from bladder control issues, a statistic most might be unaware of.
In addition to the stunt, Depend’s campaign will include print, TV, OOH and an in-store retail level component to the project. Retailer pieces will ladder up to the larger campaign creative, but Said says more details on that part of the campaign are still in the works.
Print and OOH campaign creative will feature models wearing Depend undergarments rather than pants in order to change the conversation around use of the product. The online ad will be spread through MSN and Sharethrough, as well as with paid spots on Facebook and Twitter. Campaign spots will run until December.
Said says sales of the brand’s products are not flatlining or declining, adding that the push is more about opening up the discussion about bladder control and the need behind the products’ use.
To help change the conversation around its products, Depend is urging people to submit their own pants-drop photo with the hashtag #underwareness or #dropyourpants. For each shared photo Depend is pledging to donate $1 to United Way Worldwide and The Simon Foundation for Continence, up to a maximum of $3 million over the next three years across North America.
