No beating about the bush: Digital turns table on taboo conversations

Brands that once beat around the bush on mainstream media are shattering the silence around forbidden topics, on social media

Time was when television ads would have people believe that periods are all about women hopping around in white clothes; and condoms, solely about safety and family planning. Not anymore. A slew of new brands in the space are changing the conversation about all that was once banned at the dinner table—from period cramps to orgasms, all thanks to the digital platform.
 
Going online has helped brands drop their inhibitions and talk to their young customers, not always afraid of breaking the taboo around such issues. Besides, many (young and old) users of social media have also found it easier to speak up on such subjects, even if they hesitate to engage with them outside the virtual world. And the medium and the message are feeding off each other to create new ways of branding and promoting age-old products. 

 
Carmesi, a brand of sustainable hygiene products, recently introduced a campaign called #realwomenrealpads. Show it and say it like it is, the brand says, as it takes on TV commercials where menstruation ads shy away from showing the product or blood. Other sanitary product brands like Ecofemme, Floh Heyday and Nuawomen are also walking the talk, using influencers, memes and posts to speak their mind.
 

Some brands use humour to dispel the unease around such topics. Sirona, the company that has come up with India’s first portable, disposable female urination device, PeeBuddy uses memes and jokes to normalise discussions about gynaecological issues and products that cater to regular (but unspoken) bodily functions.

 
“Our products solve issues faced by women which are unaddressed, due to the sheer nature of the problem which makes it almost a taboo to talk about it. Digital is the perfect channel. Our customers discover all our products through this medium as they can learn as much as they want, keep it private and explore at leisure,” said Deep Bajaj, Founder, PeeBuddy & Sirona.
 
Bajaj added that digital also offers the possibility of the content going viral, which results in great sales while it is actually impossible to address the same discussions on mainstream media. However, he cautions, that just being on social media isn’t enough without a relevant content strategy.

 
Another way to break the taboo is to use digital influencers. This works best for brands that deal with sexual health. Recently, Durex India initiated a campaign called #OrgasmInequality by leading a conversation to rally public opinion towards having a healthy, positive and important conversation around the subject. The brand roped in popular personalities with a prominent digital footprint such as Pooja Bedi, Swara Bhaskar, Kaneez Surka, Aditi Mittal, Aparshakti Khurana among others to share their point of view. The campaign, which included a TVC, reached 7.1 million users (at last count) with over 14,000 conversations tapped around it.

 
“Orgasm is still considered as a tabooed topic in Indian society, to come up with a film talking contextually and visually about it was no easy task. The driving force behind the campaign is the philosophy that sex and pleasure are great when equal, fair and mutual,” said Bobby Pawar, chairman & chief creative officer, Havas Group that created the TVC.
 
Interestingly the focus for these brands is no longer how to skirt around a difficult topic, but rather how best to reach the target group. “As existing brands have been ‘whispering’ about periods and convenient feminine hygiene solutions, we can create a good buzz around the topic by using a language that works well with millennials, who are a major part of our target audience,” said Gauri Singhal, founder of FLOH Tampons.