125 million Indian women experience menopause each year. But low symptom recognition, social stigma and fear mean over half won’t speak to their doctors about it. When they do, just 1% of India’s doctors offer Menopausal Hormone Treatment (MHT) and, even in debilitating cases, will typically only prescribe a three-month course, despite symptoms usually lasting 7-14 years.

With MHT in its portfolio, Abbott wanted to debunk widely held misconceptions about menopause and raise symptom awareness among women, families and HCPs.

30 local interviews and a survey of 1,226 Indian women, daughters and husbands revealed deeper challenges: even when physical symptoms were known, menopause’s real-world impacts – on everyday life and mental wellbeing – were poorly recognised.

Ultimately, we had to break India’s menopause taboo – a tall order, not least because we needed to replicate the campaign subsequently in three very different countries (Brazil, China, Mexico); total budget, EUR 400,000.

Primary audience: 45-65 yo women

Secondary: families and HCPs

Stigma demanded a concept that allowed for discreet discussion, so we couldn’t rely on social media campaigning alone. Traditional media pushes, meanwhile, risked replicating the dry, diagnostic information about menopause already publicly available – when what was missing from India’s discourse was its lived reality.

Our solution:Invite 70 women to share their heartfelt experiences of everyday menopausal life. Collated in a physical and digital book, The Next Chapter was menopause told by women, to women; something discreet to read in private and pass to friends and daughters; something frank and truthful enough to shatter the taboo.

Arranged into sections (e.g., relationships, beauty) reflecting our research cohort’s primary concerns, the book would be illustrated by a peri-menopausal Indian artist and supported by an online hub, 1,900+ menopause-clinic activations, assets (posters, brochures,etc.), and support material for HCPs – all deploying consistent design motifs.

Women don't recognize the symptoms of menopause, either because they think it's a "grandmotherly" thing, unpleasant to discuss, and needs to be dealt with in silence, or because they aren't able to connect their symptoms to the life stage. 50% of women aged 45-65 who have currently experienced menopause in the past 10 years had not consulted an HCP about their symptoms. This is the core insight we were working with, giving us a clear objective to educate women and HCPs while reducing the stigma of menopause.

With this, our strategy was clear:

GET women 45-50 who are unaware/scared by the symptoms and do not see the urgency to seek treatment, nor do they know whom to consult

TO not suffer in silence and instead stay in control of their health, body, and mind

BY educating them on how to recognize symptoms and empowering them not to fear the symptoms

On completion of the book production, a customized plan for India was developed, considering all mediums. We ensured that an integrated campaign enabled us to reach as many women as possible. This started with pre-seeding content with leading women publications a few months before the launch - May 2022 onwards. This was followed by a launch on the occasion of world menopause day attended by top-tier journalists and influencers.

A six-week paid campaign led women to a digital version that rested on an online content hub that supported more stories and support materials on menopause.

HCPs being a vital influence group, 1900+ menopause-clinics hosted informational assets, including posters, brochures, and other support materials.

The New Chapter’s launch (19 October 2022, marking World Menopause Day), led by Bollywood’s Lara Dutta, was attended by 30 top-tier journalists,195 influencers and prominent KOLs. A paid campaign drove people to the digital hub.

The result was astonishing, sparking a boom in menopause conversations across India:

90mn+ impressions (Facebook/YouTube)

930mn earned media impressions

70,000+ book downloads

310,000 page views (digital hub)

#MenopauseStories scored 18.8mn+ uses, trending #1 on Twitter for three hours!

Abbott’s campaigning had similar impact:

Facebook engagement 6.5% (vs.1.9% average)

LinkedIn: +320,000+ impressions

But the commercial results around Abbott’s MHT, “Femoston,” resonated deepest: Its market share among Indian MHT brands surged from 4.8% (May 2022; campaign pre-seeding) to 36.6% (February 2023). Industry analysts IQVIA now rank Femoston #1 among Indian MHTs – up from #4 a year ago.

The book will now launch with Chinese (May 2023), Brazilian and Mexican (2024) editions, each designed by local artists.