Libresse, the Nordic market leader in female sanitary napkins, decided to break the taboos around menstruation with their target group.

The goal: to reach a wide range of people in the target group with a minimum media value of 1,000,000 SEK, to get a minimum of 5,000 entries and 10,000 votes in a competition. The Nordic campaign was done in four phases: 1) Voice Edition – sanitary napkin packaging created by female designers. 2) Voice Battle – competition with art about taboo subjects.3) Auction – female celebrity bloggers created art.4) The Blood Bible – best art from competition was published, selected by female editors.

All goals were reached; media value 2 251,875 SEK, competition entries 14,586, votes 87,972.

Positioning goal:Position Libresse as a legitimate spokes company for girls and young women, regarding female taboo subjects such as menstruation. Spark a long-term attitude change to periods in the target group.Publicity goal:Reach a wide range of people within their preferred media, reaching a minimum media value of 1,000,000 SEK.Engagement goal:Get a minimum of 5,000 pieces of art produced in the 'Voice Battle' competition, and at least 10,000 votes for the different pieces of art.

1: Packaging – Voice EditionDesigners created the Libresse sanitary napkin 2009 spring/summer edition. Wrap themes: taboo subjects.2: Competition – Voice BattleGirls created art and voted on a campaign website. Entry categories were the same as Voice Edition themes.

Widgets enabled spreading the competition through social media. Libresse and CSR-partner The Red Cross used newsletters and debate articles. A PR-survey about taboo subjects was conducted. Results were picked up by political blogs/lifestyle magazines. Banners were placed on selected websites.Collaborations with youth magazines were executed. Sweden’s largest teen web-magazine, VeckoRevyn, created a digital scribble board, connecting to the competition site. A popular blogger became a spokes person for the campaign.

3: Auction - Celebrity bloggers created art about menstruation, which was auctioned out on Swedish Ebay, and wrote about the auction. Revenue went to The Red Cross.

4: Book launch – The Blood BibleCelebrities edited the book, which was distributed through media partners, with winning Voice Battle-submissions.

Total media value:2 251 875 SEK – 50% higher than goalTotal estimated media results:Publicity results: 2,5 hours of on-air radio broadcast about taboo subjects on Sweden’s largest radio station SR P3.More than 65 blog posts directly connected to the campaign.More than 40 articles connected to the campaign in national print, magazines and online magazines.

Young women connect with each other and are most active on the Internet; they read and write blogs and consume their favourite magazines online. Therefore the campaign was digital. 76% of girls (according to a Libresse-survey) would find it easier to discuss taboo topics if role models did the same. Therefore strong female role models were recruited to the campaign.The solution: create a platform where the girls could make their voices heard and discuss sensitive subjects. The concept 'Make Your Voice Heard' was a pan-Nordic campaign where the core message was female self-expression.The campaign consisted of four phases:1. Launch sanitary napkin packaging 'Voice Edition': created by up-and-coming female designers.2. Competition “Voice Battle”: women created pieces of art about taboo subjects.3. 'Voice'-auction: strong female role models created art about taboo subjects.4. Book 'The Blood Bible': Including best pieces from 'Voice Battle'.

The Nordic countries are seen as the most liberated in the world. But, in 2009, it was still taboo to talk about something as natural as menstruation. Therefore Libresse, the Nordic market leader in female sanitary napkins, decided to focus on strengthening the self-confidence in the segment of their target group that needed it the most; girls and young women age 12-24. In these formative years, today’s harsh image-obsessed society has great influence, and Libresse aimed to act as an antithesis when launching a new sanitary napkin packaging.