Apparel brand Knix is touting the functional benefits of its protective underwear in its latest campaign, “Every body in Leakproof.”

Created by newly minted Toronto shop, Hard Work Club, the creative is intended to be brutally honest about taboo subjects like bladder leakage, menstruation and perspiration. The campaign is centred around a music video-style spot with the song “Blood, Sweat & Pee (Nothing to Hide)” by Toronto rapper Exmiranda, and features diverse uninhibited women skipping rope, dancing, skateboarding and drumming.

“Every body in Leakproof” is supported by unapologetically forthright OOH, with headlines that read “What’s a little blood, sweat and pee?”

“We really wanted to develop a campaign that broke through and caught people’s attention,” says Barry Alexander, VP, brand marketing at Knix, who says the jarring taglines are meant to reflect the everyday language and experience of the consumer.

Music, Alexander maintains, is a universal language that can be understood by anyone, and is an effective way to get users engaged in the concept and to drive awareness for Knix, which was named strategy‘s Brand of the Year in 2020.

In fact, he says, this campaign represents the largest brand awareness spend in its history, running on TV and online across the U.S. and Canada. And its launch coincides with the largely DTC brand’s recently expanded brick and mortar presence stateside.

Alexander tells strategy that Knix was able to weather the pandemic storm as it moved to being a primarily online business in 2016, and so consumers were already accustomed to engaging with the brand online. Also, he says, the period underwear, which was previously a niche category, is increasingly being seen as both a sustainable and functional menstruation solution.

“We want to make sure we’re shouting from the hilltop that Knix is the leader,” Alexander says, who says New York-based feminine hygiene company Thinx is its immediate competitor, a brand that launched around the same time as Knix, but in the U.S.

The buy was handled internally, with support from partner Tatari for TV.