In the fiercely competitive arena of Brazil's advertising landscape, Kotex faced the monumental task of carving out its distinct identity, especially during events like the World Cup, when advertising space is in high demand. Kotex aimed to effectively communicate its brand platform, "Period or not, she can." The brand's overarching objectives revolved around enhancing critical brand metrics such as differentiation, salience, and meaningfulness. Simultaneously, it had to vigorously defend its leadership position against huge competitors Sempre Livre and Always. With the advertising market saturated and consumer attention fragmented, Kotex needed innovative strategies to cut through the noise, resonating with its audience while reinforcing its message of empowerment and inclusivity. Achieving these goals required a strategic and comprehensive approach, navigating the complex dynamics of brand differentiation and market leadership amidst intense competition and cultural shifts.

More than an advertising film, we created a short film to tell the untold story of the world's first female referee: Lea Campos. But guess what? She was prohibited from refereeing because she had periods. Based on real facts, we portrayed the difficulties she overcame, like a real argument between her and João Havelange, the president of the Brazilian Football Confederation back then. He not only prohibited her from refereeing, using as excuse that the female body was too weak to officiate a male match, but also questioned her: “and what about when you are on your period?” But Lea never gave up and finally, in 1971, she received an invitation from FIFA to referee a match in Mexico. In the end, she refereed more than 90 matches in her career. Lea’s struggle was the kickoff to other women becoming referees, like the 6 referees in the World Cup 2022.

Kotex believes that, period or not, women can do whatever they want. That’s why Kotex celebrates all the women's achievements. But how could we bring the menstruation topic to the spotlight during the event that Brazil always stops to watch: the World Cup? And more: how to hack the Cup without being an official sponsor of the event or the broadcasters? The story of Lea Campos, one of the first female referees in the world, who was prevented from refereeing because of gender stereotypes and menstruation, was porwerful enough to do it. During football's most important event, when the whole world's attention was on the men on the field, Kotex stole the audience with Lea Campos' story, launching a short film based on her struggle, inspiring new girls to pursue their dreams. Because, period or not, they can.

More than an advertising film, we created a short film to tell the untold story of the world's first female referee: Lea Campos. But guess what? She was prohibited from refereeing because she had periods. Based on real facts, we portrayed the difficulties she overcame, like a real argument between her and João Havelange, the president of the Brazilian Football Confederation back then. He not only prohibited her from refereeing, using as excuse that the female body was too weak to officiate a male match, but also questioned her: “and what about when you are on your period?” But Lea never gave up and finally, in 1971, she received an invitation from FIFA to referee a match in Mexico. In the end, she refereed more than 90 matches in her career. Lea’s struggle was the kickoff to other women becoming referees, like the 6 referees in the World Cup 2022. A powerful story that would not only connect with the brand's purpose, but also to get a lot of attention from people and the press. With that in mind, while other brands would talk about the male players, our strategy was to talk about female referees and all the women's struggles against stigmas and prejudices in sports, finding a narrative that would catch everybody's attention. During football's most important event, when the whole world's attention was on the men on the field, Kotex stole the audience with Lea Campos' story, launching a short film based on her struggle, inspiring new girls to pursue their dreams. Because, period or not, they can.

Released just before the World Cup, Kotex’s campaign quickly soared, becoming the 2nd most-watched World Cup ad on YouTube and ranking among the top 5 most-viewed videos during the event. Despite no official sponsorship, Kotex saw significant brand growth from October 2022 to January 2023, with a 1% increase in volume and value, and a notable rise in December metrics: top of mind grew by 4%, and conversion increased from 24% to 28%. In contrast, competitors Always and Sempre Livre saw declines. Kotex also improved in all equity dimensions—salience, differentiation, and meaning—outpacing competitors significantly by year’s end.