Dive Brief:

• Femtech apparel company Ruby Love is launching its first omnichannel marketing campaign today to normalize conversations about menstruation, the brand shared exclusively with Marketing Dive.
• A 60-second TV ad, titled "Period Pal," shows a character of the same name appearing at inopportune moments as a woman reminisces about her early period memories from 1989. Ruby Love will promote the full video with paid social, and is in talks with network and cable TV providers on placing 30-second cuts of the spot.
• The brand is targeting teen girls and their mothers with the relatable ads that promote its "First Period Kit" and monthly subscription boxes. Harmon Brothers, an ad agency that developed viral marketing efforts for Squatty Potty and Poo-Pourri, is behind the campaign.

Dive Insight:

Debuting just ahead of Women's History Month in March, Ruby Love's first campaign targeting teen girls and their mothers is well-timed to boost brand awareness while working to destigmatize conversations around menstruation. Some marketers may still be hesitant to address taboo subjects for fear of turning off consumers, though it's becoming increasingly common for newer, typically niche brands like Ruby Love to take these risks via marketing. That somewhat bold mission to normalize these conversations may in turn appeal to some consumers — in this case, women and girls —​ and encourage them to make a purchase.

Ruby Love's choice to develop the campaign with Harmon Brothers appears to be a smart move, as the marketing agency has a track record of successfully using humor to promote taboo products like Poo-Pourri and Squatty Potty.

"They can take something that people just do not want to talk about, and actually make you really see it in a completely different light through humor," Ruby Love Founder and CEO Crystal Etienne told Marketing Dive.

Introducing a new brand character, who embodies the concept of women feeling like their period is "always there at the wrong time," per Etienne, takes a page from other characters such as Progressive's Flo or Allstate Insurance's Mayhem. The strategy of using a physical embodiment to represent a relatable concept may deepen consumers' connections to the brand. Adding a face to Ruby Love humanizes the brand, while its recognizable character who consistently appears in ads helps to solidify a brand's messaging over time.

"That character is who our customer is; it's how she feels and how she breathes. And it's how she views her daughter," Etienne said.