“The Camp Gyno”: A New Spin on an Old Problem
Image Source: PolicyMic
Everyone is talking about it – on Twitter, on “The View,” on The Huffington Post,and on PolicyMic, where they published a piece, “The Tampon Commercial You Wish You’d Seen as a Kid.” At one point, I was watching the ad on YouTube (joining almost 2.4 million other viewers) and a television program was running a clip as a point of discussion – spooky.
The ad is from monthly subscription service HelloFlo. Their tagline is “Simplify your period.” You choose your “flo” – lo, medium, heavy, etc. – and they deliver a package each month with the corresponding level of protection, along with some delicious treats.
In September, HelloFlo is launching their Period Starter Kit, which parents can order to be ready for their daughter’s first period. Enter the ad, titled, ”The Camp Gyno.”
This is brilliant on two counts. The first is the product launch, and thus brand extension, itself. More on that tomorrow, as it is a topic worthy of its own post, but let me just say, “perfect.”
The second is the ad, which has taken a subject, that has been around literally since the dawn of (wo)man, but by-and-large has been taboo, and made it not-scary, accessible, and dare I say, “funny.” Really. All of it, especially the line about the starter kit, uttered from the mouth (and face) of a 12-year-old, “It’s like Santa for your vagina,” well, too much. It is entertaining and informative, and provides an opening for “the conversation.” I can’t imagine a parent who wouldn’t appreciate some help with that.
So what is the business lesson here? You may think that a subject is tired and worn and done-to-death, that there’s not a new way to look at it, but is it really? Think about the “God Made a Farmer” Super Bowl ad for the Dodge Ram and the “Admission” ad from Target, or the budget-friendly “Will It Blend?” YouTube series from Blendtec and “Our Blades Are F***ing Great” video from Dollar Shave Club. None of these products (or, in the of “Admission”, an experience) are new, people.
It’s time to take a step back and get creative. See with new eyes (as Marcel Proust would say). Engage your customer in a different way and design a new experience for an old product/service/idea. One that is actually exciting.
If HelloFlo can make getting your first period look like this much fun, you’ve got to be able to be able to put some spice into whatever recipe it is that you’re cooking.
A P.S. today – because the ad is that good – here is the team behind it:
Co-Writer/Co-Director: Jamie Mccelland and Pete Marquis
Production Company: Hayden 5 Media