LOTUS :

LOTUS ROOTS

CATEGORY :

DIRECT LOTUS

COMPANY ENTERING :

MCCANN WORLDGROUP INDIA, MUMBAI

TITLE :

PERIOD COMB

BRAND :

UNITED WAY DELHI

ADVERTISER :

UNITED WAY DELHI

AGENCY :

MCCANN WORLDGROUP INDIA, MUMBAI

CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER :

PRASOON JOSHI

EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR :

ASHISH CHAKRAVARTY/ABHINAV TRIPATHI

CREATIVE DIRECTOR :

MANGESH KAVALE

ART DIRECTOR :

MANGESH KAVALE

COPYWRITER :

ABHINAV TRIPATHI

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER :

ROBERT JOSEPH

AGENCY PRODUCER :

SIDDHESH PATHRE

DESIGNER :

MANGESH KAVALE/RUCHITA BAIT

PHOTOGRAPHER :

NIRMAL JAIN

AGENCY SENIOR EDITOR :

MANVENDRA RAWAT

AGENCY EDITOR :

VENKATESH BILLA

ILLUSTRATOR :

RUCHITA BAIT

RETOUCHER :

YOGESH BHANDARY/NITIN SAWANT

CULTURAL CONTEXT EXPLANATION :

Every girl gets her period, but not every girl gets to talk about it. Because a majority of Indian households aren't equipped to have a conversation about the topic. Always in the earshot of men and a social apprehension to discuss menstruation leaves the Indian teen ill-equipped to deal with her very first period.

But almost every Indian household practices the centuries-old ritual of a mother combing her daughter's hair. A time when daughters talk freely with the mothers, away from the men of the house. So we created a product to leverage conversations that are inherent to this ritual - The Period Comb. With 31 numbered spikes for each day of the month, and 2 red markers to help mark the menstrual cycle, the comb becomes a reminder for mothers to discuss it with their daughters. Thus turning the process of combing, into an act of education.

CAMPAIGN SUMMARY :

Over 20 million young girls in India are ill-informed about menstruation, Our brief was to increase the knowledge of periods in these girls across Indian households. Through United Way's strong rural network spread across 10 national chapters and their 1700+ NGO partnerships, they hoped to reach as many households as possible. But there was a problem, always being in the earshot of men and a social apprehension to discuss menstruation in schools makes it hard to educate on the topic.

So we found a way-in. The centuries-old ritual of a mother combing her daughter's hair, practiced in homes across the country. During this time daughters talk freely with their mothers, away from social stigma. We created a product to leverage conversations that are inherent to this ritual - The Period Comb. With 31 numbered spikes for each day of the month, and 2 red markers to help mark the menstrual cycle, the comb becomes a reminder for mothers to discuss it with their daughters. Thus turning the process of combing, into an act of education.

THE BRIEF :

Over 20 million young girls in India are ill-informed about menstruation, Our brief was to increase the knowledge of periods in these girls across Indian households. Through United Way's strong rural network spread across 10 national chapters and their 1700+ NGO partnerships, they hoped to reach as many households as possible. But there was a problem, always being in the earshot of men and a social apprehension to discuss menstruation in schools makes it hard to educate on the topic. We needed to figure out a way to solve for that.

THE STRATEGY :

The target audience were teenage girls with limited knowledge of menstruation. But in order to reach them, we found a different way-in. The centuries-old ritual of a mother combing her daughter's hair is practiced in homes across the country. During this time daughters talk freely with their mothers, away from social stigma. So we created a product to leverage conversations that are inherent to this ritual - The Period Comb. We targeted mothers across the country, allowing the comb to become a reminder for them to discuss the topic with their daughters. Thus turning the process of combing, into an act of education.

THE EXECUTION & CRAFT :

The centuries-old ritual of a mother combing her daughter's hair is practiced in homes across the country. So we created a product to leverage conversations that are inherent to this ritual - The Period Comb. With 31 numbered spikes for each day of the month, and 2 red markers to help mark the menstrual cycle, the comb becomes a reminder for mothers to discuss it with their daughters. The combs are all 3D printed, increasing accessibility and reducing costs.

THE RESULT :

Through United Way's strong rural network spread across 10 national chapters and their 1700+ NGO partnerships, we have already managed to reach over 11 million households. Our aim remains to hit as many of the 44 million possible households available through the network.