The survey that sounded the alarm

In 2020, a Croatian human rights organization called PaRiter conducted a 6000-person survey about period poverty. The results were nothing short of alarming:

• Nearly 9% of surveyed women had missed school due to a lack of period products to get through the day

• 10% don’t have enough menstrual products in general

• 36.4% don’t have the resources to buy high-quality pads or tampons.

“Period poverty” is a term that refers to the lack of resources to buy menstrual products like pads, tampons, or painkillers. Alongside the financial element, the term encompasses a slew of other problems like lack of knowledge, period stigma, as well as feelings of guilt, and shame. To make the public aware of this, we started a campaign called✌️ #ZaVaginu (V for Vagina), together with Libresse.

Libresse wanted to alert the public

As a feminine hygiene brand committed to women’s health and well-being, Libresse wanted to join the fight to combat period poverty in Croatia. They turned to us for help with launching a comprehensive CSR campaign.

The campaign had three main goals:

1. Raise public awareness of period poverty in Croatia with the latest statistics

2. Destigmatize menstruation and menstrual poverty

3. Reinforce Libresse’s positioning as a brand that supports women

How it all unfolded 

Teaser

First, we started with a campaign teaser to kick off the conversation, posting graphics of the PaRiter study statistics on Instagram.

Phase 1 - Reveal

As comment sections started getting heated, we began by galvanizing our ambassador team of high-profile Croatians, revealing our campaign hashtag ✌️ #ZaVaginu, and igniting the discussion.

Phase 2 - Dialogue

In phase 2 we took the talk a step further by bringing a team of influencers in the fold, who used their feeds as platforms to talk candidly about periods, self-esteem, and period shame in Croatia.

Phase 3 - Donations

Finally, we installed 34 pad dispensers in student dorms in underserved areas all over Croatia. All told, 150,000 free pads were distributed to almost 2700 students

Backed up by PR efforts

Throughout all three phases of the campaign, we ran parallel PR activities like round tables, native campaigns, and highly publicized interviews in Croatia’s most-followed news outlets. As a result, Croatian media ended up publishing 19 media articles on period poverty and women’s health. 

Reaching over a quarter of the entire country

With ✌️ #ZaVaginu, we started a wide-reaching conversation about period poverty in Croatia, with Libresse at the helm of the movement.

• The campaign reached over 1.3 million people

• IG engagement grew by 238.2% from March to April

• Nearly 80,000 women shared their experiences 

"We needed a PR agency, and went with 404 because of their stellar references. Immediately after our first meeting we realized we didn't need to look any further. They were extremely friendly and efficient, and everything went much faster than expected. Our internal structure being what it is, it was extremely important for us to complete every milestone within the set deadline—no room for errors or delays. 404 had everything under control, and even though our management was initially cautious because of past negative experiences with PR campaigns in other countries, 404 delivered a specific, high-quality plan, and made it easy for the campaign to get approved and implemented."

Antonija Podnar

Brand Manager, Libresse