Category: 미분류

Cannes Lions 2019 Grand Prix in PR – The Tampon Book : A Book against Tampon Discrimination

The Big Idea

• The social campaign to beat discriminating tax system
• A German startup company “The Female Company” created and published ‘The Tampon Book’.  
• The book packed with 15 tampons as well as 46 pages of menstruation-related content within its cover.
• The company targeted politicians and influencers to raise awareness on tax issues and the campaign went viral around social media.
• The company is now making the impact sustainable through the petition, which gained more than 178,000 signatures, to eliminate luxury tax imposed on tampons.

Background

Is tampon a necessity? Or a luxury?

This may sound like a stupid question. But in various countries, the common sense was not common – sanitary items have been taxed as luxury products. In Germany, especially, the sanitary items were taxed at 19 percent, while flowers, truffles, oil paintings, or books are rated at 7 percent.

Why is the tax on the sanitary items that high?

Let’s visit 1963 when Germany introduced “luxury law” on tampons. At the time, male politicians dominated the parliament. Only 36 of 535 members were women.  And the tax law on tampons was established by male politicians, mostly, who were unlikely to possess enough knowledge in female sanitary products. As a result, the law has lasted more than decades.

19 percent tax on tampons, 7 percent tax on books?

Yes, books are taxed at 7 percent while tampons at 19. This is the point that two founders of The Female Company, Ann-Sophie Claus and Sinja Stadelmaier, focused and created their idea to speak up against the unfair tax system.

First, they gave a name for the VAT charged on women’s sanitary pads – “tampon tax.” Then they created a campaign as a protest against highly taxed feminine hygiene products that were classified as luxuries. How? By publishing a book with tampons inside it!

How the Idea developed

So, they created a “Tampon Book,” packed with 15 actual organic tampons. The book has 46 pages of funny and empowering stories and illustrations about menstruation. The books were sold for the exact same price as the tampons including 7% tax (€3.11) as books. In addition, the book helped promote a petition which urges the German parliament to discuss the abolition of the tampon tax.

Influencer marketing : Find the right target

The Female company adopted the influencer marketing for their outreach strategy. First, the company made a promo video that introduces the book. And they sent the book to 100 politicians and 100 female influencers. More than half of the people who received the book, especially female politicians, advocated the campaign through their social media and solicited the public to participate to the campaign. And the story went viral.

When it comes to influencers, are the oneswith high number of followers more likable and profitable for outreach?

Some studies say this doesn’t always make the case. One of the initial decision-to-make in viral marketing is to find a right set of initial adopters who can trigger the most wider reach through their network. And some studies say cooperating with too-much-popular influencers might not be the best marketing choice as it may lower the brand’s perceived uniqueness(Vierman et al., 2017).

In this regard, The Female Company made the right decision, the purpose-driven one. Their goal was specific – eliminate the unfair tax law levied on female sanitary products. Then they found the right groups of people to make it.

Result

The result? The first run sold out in two days. The second within a week.

The book quickly sold out. How much? The first run of 1,000 books were sold out in two days. Another 6,000 books flied off the shelves within a week after the campaign launch, and the company achieved the record of selling 10,000 Tampon Books(Vogue).

Their promo video on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram was viewed more than 10.5 million times. Around social media, the story got on the agenda of key influencers and the book became a political message.

Surprisingly, no budget for the media advertising was used. The idea, only, induced people to join the campaign. The power of idea made people to share content voluntarily and this engaging power finally led to a petition for a legal change.

Social Impact

The campaign went big

A petition on change.org to reduce the tax rate to 7 percent has gained 178,000 signatures (as of 29th August, 2019), which required the German Committee for Legal Affairs to formally debate the issue.

” We believe that The Tampon Book is a great example of modern communications. It combines creativity with the craft of public relations, and we hope this is also a callout to the craft industry of PR to work closer with the creative community, because when the two crafts go hand in hand, this is the type of magic that can be produced.”

– Michelle Hutton / PR Lions jury president & Managing director, Global Clients at Edelman

Insights

• Clear problem identification : The Female Company targeted two problems and set its objectives clear – tax law revision and raise public awareness. As the problems are clearly identified, it is easier to set objectives and build strategies in a concerted manner.
• Audience targeting : Based on two problems, they targeted two different groups – politicians and social media influencers. By sending them books with tax issues, they raised awareness from professional and public audiences on the needs for the tax revision.
• The financial power of idea : No expenditure for marketing. A good idea can succeed without enormous budget.
• Use of core competence : The company utilized their core competence – produce sanitary items – for solving social problems. When business core competence meets social needs and only if they are aligned closely, not only the idea becomes authentic but also attractive. Lots of brands miss this, but people can actually distinguish authentic brands at their first sight.
• Power of authenticity : Moved by genuine idea, people – politicians, influencers, and the public – voluntarily shared the content and signed up for the petition.
• Sustainable impact : Not only the brand created a worthy impact social but also sustainable. If the tax system is revised, it will affect millions persistently.

All of the work started from a thought or hope to beat unfair taxation on feminine hygiene products. Big changes were once a small idea.