This simple advert as featured in The Drum’s; ‘ad’s we like’* is extremely effective in getting a shocking fact across; that one in 10 girls in the UK can’t afford sanitary products. It leaves nothing to the imagination, it shows a template of a sanitary pad to cut out. Message is received simply and clearly that so many girls have to ‘make their own’ This alarming revelation for many will easily grasp attention and in doing so raise awareness of the brand aligning it with a thought provoking initiative by donating to the organisation ‘girls in poverty’.

This is an excellent marketing and brand awareness campaign for HeyGirls. It is a worthwhile Corporate Social Responsibly (CSR) initiative for the brand but it’s certainly not gimmicky. You can see the passion HeyGirls has for the campaign through this stark advertising. The newspaper advert doesn’t make the message underwhelming by covering it up with pretty, aesthetic pictures of women happily riding bikes to work. It aims to leave a strong impact for people reading their morning paper. The founder has clearly done a lot of research too stating that “The lack of appropriate menstrual protection has an impact on school attendance, participation in sports and self-esteem.”

It raises awareness of the issues of accessibility of sanitary products, makes people think about how they might feel if they were put in that situation; Embarrassed? Helpless? Unclean?

This campaign enlightens us that many girls across the UK must decide between sanitary products and survival. HeyGirls is carving a voice for those who struggle with the financial strain of buying these products. The founder herself has been a single mum on benefits and knows first-hand what it is like, therefore choosing to create HeyGirls to help others. So, not only is there a great story to help the brand break into the market, there’s real passion behind HeyGirls.

People are always led to believe that issues of poverty, unhygienic conditions, and hardships are far from home. But HeyGirls has broken this ideology and exposed the truth about deprivation experienced from those who are unable to afford sanitary products. So what HeyGirls has seemed to realise is that to help those elsewhere we need to help ourselves and understand that those around us are struggling too.

We need more ads like this that get to the point, stark and true, no messing. Ultimately it is about sales for Hey Girls but in this day and age there needs to be much more CSR like this for brands to enter the maelstrom and hopefully weather the storm. Women should never be denied access to sanitary products. Period.

Source: *The Drum

We’re loving the series by The Drum looking at the origins of companies in the context of advertising campaigns. Recently they focused on Levi’s and wow did that bring memories back for some of the Smart Cow team.

The iconic “Launderette” ad featuring Nick Kamen stripping down to his underwear to wash his clothes in a public launderette is an ad that will stick around in people’s minds for a while to come. This ad really saw the start of Levi’s spreading from America to Europe. The sexy undertone of the ad turned heads and got people interested in the brand. Airing in the 80’s with limited TV choice, no internet, smart phones, social channels or YouTube, Levi’s stood out, it was different and became an instant hit.

The background music “I heard it through the grapevine” not only reflected the mood of the advert with everyone staring and gossiping about Nick, but it also foretold the future for Levi’s. There was much gossip on the Levi’s advert and Nick Kamen across Europe, before you know it boys had lost their mullet hair opting for short smooth hair and a new market clamoured for Levi’s jeans.

Looking at the other launderette customer’s clothes it is obvious that Levi’s is ground-breaking and goes against the grain. So, the shock is not only Nick Kamen stripping but the revelation of discovering a new fashion and style from where the streets are paved with gold. It most certainly grabbed the attention of Europe.

Now, skip forward 30 years and it goes without question that Levi’s is a household name. A quick straw poll around the office certainly indicates that Levi’s are at top of mind when asked to name a brand of jeans. Although Wrangler and Lee were also mentioned as worn by our Digital Manager’s Dad!

Today, Levi’s popularity is still booming. Young adults and teens today are aware of the brand through celebrities sporting the jeans, and the fun Levi’s 2017 “Circles” advert.

The jeans seem to be everywhere! Levi’s has been around for generations and has made it work because of its power to change and adapt to the attitudes, mood and fashion of any given era. Its timeless image attracts the attention of any generation, and many more to come.

The big question is, can a brand of jeans match Levi’s? Other top brands such as Guess, Wranglers and Diesel are all very popular. But, what makes Levi’s stand out is its successful advertising campaigns; spread across all channels from TV to YouTube and social networks. The company has been around for 165 years, this is a long time compared to Guess and Diesel, who were both only founded 37 and 40 years ago, and it’s also longer than Wrangler who was founded 114 years ago. It seems fair to say the Levi’s is a hard brand to beat with its ability to adjust and restyle to complement feeling and spirit of the present era.