This campaign leveraged the media's power to transform societal norms by bringing the taboo topic of "pads-shame" into mainstream conversation at a high-visibility event—Dubai Fashion Week. Central to our strategy were the "Taboo Totes," which we transformed from a medium of concealment into one of transparency.

By strategically deploying these see-through totes in a context synonymous with public attention, we made our way to the trending event and ensured widespread coverage.

The strategic use of Dubai Fashion Week was pivotal in turning a regional campaign into a global dialogue, highlighting the effectiveness of media in leading cultural change.

In the Middle East, menstruation is highly stigmatized.

It is often viewed as impure or shameful, leading to restricted conversations and limited access to menstrual products.

Despite no religious teaching enforcing these taboos, societal expectations often dictate that women should keep their periods private, avoiding discussion or visibility.

This secrecy can lead to feelings of isolation and embarrassment among women, inhibiting open dialogue and education about menstruation.

Today, the majority of women continue to hide period products in public. They end up concealing them in old newspapers or black plastic bags as if they are doing something illegal.

This stigma is deeply ingrained, leading to women teaching their daughters to keep menstruation a "hush-hush" topic and treating menstrual products as a secret.

Nana has, for the longest time, challenged period taboos around the world.

However, in the Middle East no global brand has dared to open this conversation due to the high potential risk of widespread backlash.

This campaign is an example of how societal taboos can be challenged, giving hope to the women of the region that the generations to come will not have to feel ashamed about their period anymore.

Nana has been a pioneer in challenging period taboos around the world, encouraging women to LIVE FEARLESS.

However, in the Middle-East no global brand has dared to open this conversation due to the high potential risk of wide-spread backlash.

Meanwhile, majority of women continue to hide period products in public. They end up concealing them in old newspapers or black plastic bags as if they are doing something illegal.

It was time to change behavior by ending the unnecessary secrecy around menstruation.

Getting women to speak about it was not enough. We needed a powerful symbol that will allow the media and the society at large to recognize the cause and normalize period behaviors.

We conducted extensive research to understand the audience’s perceptions on this  this long-standing taboo.

71% of women were feeling embarrassed to buy period products and 78% of women were the ashamed to carry sanitary pads.

However, 82% of women in the region expressed a desire to freely buy and carry sanitary pads in public without feeling shamed.

Our Creative Solution:

TABOO TOTES - a bespoke line of see-through bags challenging the secrecy around pad taboos, and acting as a symbol of transparency 

We collaborated with daring local influencers to proudly showcase their pads in transparent totes during the period of one of the region’s most anticipated events – the Dubai fashion week.

Unbranded and without carrying any message, our totes then made their way into the media frenzy of the Dubai Fashion week, making an appearance that could by no means be overlooked in a mainstream pop culture event.

Despite the majority of women feeling embarrassed to purchase menstrual products—often treating it as a secretive act—the majority wished to buy and carry sanitary pads openly without shame.

Our strategy focused on highlighting our creative hero device- the “Taboo Totes” to empower period transparency that would challenge pad taboos and normalize the conversation, allowing women to carry the message just like they carried the stigma for the longest time.

We aimed to ignite discussions on menstruation where our audience frequently engages yet hesitates to discuss periods—social media. Leveraging influencer partnerships during the period of Dubai Fashion Week, a time where followers are keen on fashion trends, we strategically introduced the topic through popular fashion influencers, effectively bringing “pads” into mainstream conversations.

The campaign started two weeks before Dubai fashion week and followed three phases:

SPARK:

It began with influencers featuring a transparent bag in their “Get Ready With Me” for #FashionWeek' videos, showcasing Nana pads inside.

A daring act, never seen before by people in the region.

This phase brought in the backlash we were expecting.

EMBRACE:

Instead of backing down, we owned the cause and turned the viral message into a full fledge #NotATaboo campaign:

Introducing our Bespoke “Taboo Totes” collection.

We then featured them on billboards. magazines, and social pages to normalize the conversation.

COMMIT:

Committed to sustaining momentum, we amplified our campaign by flooding social media with educational content

At this point, we started making our way not only to a key event like Dubai Fashion Week, but going beyond regional boundaries and capturing global attention, thereby significantly influencing the international dialogue on pad shame.

40M People Engaged

$20M Earned Media

73% of the region reached

37% drop in “pad taboos” vs. before the campaign

Influencers were integral to our strategy, serving as the initial catalysts in challenging menstrual taboos. By engaging influencers who are respected and followed throughout the Middle East, we introduced "Taboo Totes" in a relatable and fashionable manner directly to our target audience.

This approach maximized engagement and visibility, transforming influencers into advocates for change. By sharing personal stories throughout all campaign phases, these influencers showed resilience and succeeded in shifting the conversation's sentiment from negative to positive.

Their commitment was crucial in normalizing the conversation around pad shame, demonstrating their significant role in driving societal change.