Bodyform and its agency have jumped through many hurdles to get its campaigns out on mainstream media channels. There was a time when advertising for period products wasn’t allowed on TV in certain countries during mealtimes, said Margaux Revol, strategy partner at AMV BBDO. 

 “Clearly we have won so many battles. It’s not automatic that you will get banned even if there are complaints [from viewers],” Revol said, pointing to Bodyform’s 2022 “#Periodsomnia” campaign, which received hundreds of complaints but was not banned by the ASA. 

Bodyform has won numerous advertising awards and inspired other marketers to venture into previously taboo territory. But despite being praised for its boldness in addressing women’s issues from period pain to miscarriage, Revol said the brand is not just out to get attention and smash taboos for the sake of it. Rather, it carefully considers how to speak about topics that may make audiences uncomfortable. 

“It’s important to have empathy about why something might shock someone or not. It might be an intimate, sensitive or traumatic topic,” Revol said. “There are many ways of bringing difficult topics to people’s consciousness that don’t necessarily involve saying it’s a taboo and breaking it boldly. Sometimes, by using those shortcuts, you shut down conversations about the nuances of a situation.”

Each time Bodyform and AMV BBDO have ventured into new territory, they have first conducted extensive research among women and girls to understand the real experiences and biases affecting them. 

BBH said it did the same when making the GirlvsCancer ads. The creative challenge was daunting–and it ultimately ended with a banned billboard–but the campaign’s message continues to resonate with a community of women grappling with life changes brought about by cancer, said Rhodes. 

“If there’s a section of the community who felt invisible and now feel seen and empowered, that makes it all worth it,” Rhodes said.