MullenLowe and Unilever Persil team up with Arsenal F.C. for campaign tackling the taboo of period stains starring footballers Beth Mead, Katie McCabe, Leah Williamson and Kim Little
Unilever laundry brand Persil has joined forces with Arsenal Football Club to unveil a campaign challenging the potential shame surrounding period stains in sports.
“Every stain should be part of the game”, created by MullenLowe, calls out the double standard in sports, where blood stains from injuries obtained while playing the game may become badges of honour, while period stains can be met with embarrassment. Its aim is to empower the next generation of girls to play sports without fear of stains.
The campaign line-up includes Arsenal Women’s Football Club captain Kim Little, and players Beth Mead, Leah Williamson and Katie McCabe.
It includes a 50-second film starring Arsenal forward Mead and featuring footage of female athletes taking part in various different sports and showing how grass, mud and sweat stains are part of the game.
The ad goes on to question “What about blood?” and highlights that six in 10 girls fear playing sports because they worry about period leaks. The film ends with Mead, alongside Little and McCabe, emphasising that every stain should be part of the game.
The out-of-home element of the campaign consists of real images of female athletes who have bled during their performances, with the stains transformed into statements through juxtaposing blood-stained underwear and grass-stained shirts to question why they are viewed differently in sports.
The OOH and print assets link to a video content series where Arsenal players give guidance to coaches, parents and teachers regarding how they can tackle the conversation around period stains.
The push launched around Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium in Islington ahead of the North London derby on 16 February, and the activity included a pre-match video and a programme takeover too.
A second burst of content will go live on International Women’s Day (8 March) and run nationwide near Women’s Super League stadiums and schools, with further activity planned for World Menstruation Day in May and the Women’s Euros in July.
The campaign was directed and photographed by Jane Stockdale through You Are Here.
Every stain tells a story of determination. Of giving everything to the game you love. We’re proud to team up with Arsenal in challenging this double standard that's pushing young players away from sport. We believe that everyone should feel empowered to play on, enjoy going outside, getting stuck in, and getting dirty. Together, we're backing every player to stay in the game – without fear, without shame, without holding back.
Tati Lindenberg, Chief Brand Officer, 'Dirt Is Good' Unilever
In addition, Arsenal’s community department, Arsenal in the Community, has launched a programme supporting young people to break down the barriers to sport participation and encouraging conversations around periods as part of the campaign.
The work for 'Dirt is Good' is always about encouraging people to live without the fear of getting dirty. We talk about mud, grass and sweat, but there is still a great deal of stigma around period blood. That’s why we felt that showing real athletes and real blood was essential. More than just an encouraging message, we wanted to inspire young girls with real-life examples of resilience – showing how elite athletes play on through all kinds of stains every day.
Eduardo "Duda" Salles, Global Creative Director, MullenLowe
The launch of the campaign follows a Unilever survey of 1000 girls in the UK between the ages of 15 and 18, which revealed 78% had stopped playing sports because of their periods, with 68% sharing that they did so as a result of their fears about period stains and leaks.
We’ve all been in that situation, facing a leak or period stain and fearing how others might react to it. But it’s not right to feel shame over something that’s so normal. In football, we wear our stains with pride — they show our commitment and passion for the game. That should be the same for all blood stains, regardless of where they come from because they are part of the game. We’re proud to be part of this campaign and to stand up for girls who feel afraid or ashamed about blood stains when playing sports. We all deserve to play with confidence and feel like we belong in the game we love.
Beth Mead, Footballer, Arsenal F.C.
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