FEATURE4 November 2021

How Bodyform used research to tell women’s stories

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Women’s experiences are at the forefront of a body of work from feminine care brand Bodyform, with research helping it take on still–taboo topics. By Katie McQuater.

Still from #WombStories advert

Women are historically woefully misunderstood and rarely accurately represented by the corporate world. Feminine care brands have typically avoided the complex, multifaceted reality of women’s bodies in marketing their products, with advertising depicting carefree women wearing white jeans, and blue liquid shown in lieu of period blood.

Bodyform’s ‘#WombStories’ campaign was different. The three-minute ad, developed by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO (AMV BBDO), which ran across TV, YouTube and social media in 2020, portrayed the pleasure, the pain, the love and hate women associate with their bodies, telling different ‘womb stories’ through various animations and creative worlds.

In one story from the ad, fertility struggles are portrayed by a lovingly tended garden and a barren wilderness. In another, angry red flames represent the menopause. From first periods to not wanting children to dealing with agonising pain,  the film captures the various impacts women’s bodies have on their lives.

Misery Roulette by Selby Hi

(Misery Roulette by Selby Hi, ...