Situation:

Fueled by insights from a 2023 study revealing the stagnation of women's progress, Kotex sought to spark dialogue and drive systemic change by furthering its commitment to women’s progress by addressing the threats women are facing globally.

Brief:

Inspired by Kotex’s brand purpose and commitment to “never let a period get in the way of any woman’s progress”, create a poignant piece of content that authentically represents and resonates with a diverse, global community of women facing the discomforts of progress being escalated in the cultural moment.

Objectives:

Generate awareness and visibility around the threats to progress women are facing globally by beginning to stir discourse and action. Invite women to share what #ProgressFeelsLike in their daily lives to preface regional market activations, and a much larger Kotex partner initiative with She’s The First, Wash United and Plan international to drive progress and systemic change regionally across the globe.

The editor embraced the collaboration being brought in prior to filming, allowing her to take different intentions into account while crafting this story. Once script was written the editor scoured archival footage to compliment the director’s footage. Finding the rhythm of the piece through motion, sound design, performance, and flow.

The editor wanted the viewer to feel the relentless struggle over time by juxtaposing women dragged away in identical actions cut from historical to modern footage. Portraying that although some things have changed, there is still much that has not. It is through these juxtapositions the edit was impactful. Complimenting the visuals, the editor used sound design to bring tension through the build that culminates at the plate breaking, allowing a rebuild throughout the rest of the edit.

The takeaway is with every step forward there are two steps backward, but there is progress that the edit structure reflects.