At the end of June this year, Libresse in Holland pulled this stunt on the beaches of IJmuiden, Bloemendaal and Zandvoort
to remind all females on the beach that their best bikini friend is the good old fashioned tampon.
Over 3,000 little pink parachutes with "emergency supplies" were air dropped down on the beaches,
and women scrambled to get their cute free samples.
The idea came from recent research that showed only one in seven women actually go to the beach when aunt Flo is visiting. Libresse wanted to remind girls of the practical side effects of tampon wearing, like the ability to take a swim. Dear Libresse, that's not actually why we avoid the beach during the moon-phase, but I'll give you ten points for effort.
3 comments:
What a video this is! As a PR/Marketing consultant myself, I can definitely see giving Libresse “10 points for effort” -- not to mention ingenuity. But how about TAKING AWAY THOUSANDS OF POINTS for the way their stunt is adding to the debris that is routinely tossed into our environment!
All you (and Libresse) have to do is read environmental champion Laurie David’s recent postings on the Huffington Post, in which she publishes portions of letters from Captain Charles Moore, whose research is dedicated to exposing the effect plastic debris has when discarded in or near our oceans. These postings are at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laurie-david/.
I work with The Keeper, Inc., manufacturer (since 1987) of the latex reusable menstrual cup. Our company is dedicated to keeping plastic (and other forms of debris associated with disposable menstrual products) from being tossed into the environment in the first place.
And tampons and other disposable menstrual products are particular offenders.
The statistics astound. While I doubt that 100% accurate statistics exist, it is estimated that, in a woman's lifetime, she’s likely to use 15,000 sanitary pads or tampons. Put another way, she throws away 250 to 300 pounds of tampons, pads and applicators in her lifetime. And plastic tampon applicators may not biodegrade for several hundred years.
But these numbers are too large to fully imagine. To VIEW a comparison photo showing the amount of waste caused by tampon use in 1 month, 1 year, 10 years, and 40 years (one woman’s average menstruating lifetime), go to http://www.keeper.com/photographs.html , The Keeper’s web page. You’ll be shocked by what you see there. (HINT: A DUMP TRUCK was used to show an average lifetime use!)
So, while I can readily agree with giving Libresse kudos for thinking up a stunt that will get noticed, I have to wonder where their heads were at environmentally!
By the way, I just checked on YouTube and this video, placed there 2 weeks ago, has so far garnered 144,869 views. I have no doubt that the tons of online publicity it is getting will add to its acclaim!
How sad that companies like The Keeper, Inc. -- and other small manufacturers of environment-friendly products -- don’t have the budgets necessary to create slick videos like this one! If they did, they could REALLY change the world.
Thanks so much.
Julia Schopick
Director of Marketing
The Keeper, Inc.
www.Keeper.com
Woah!
Julia - I'm a HUGE fan of the keeper and had a US based friend buy me one (ages ago, can't recall why ordering online wasn't doing it for me but I know that is no problem these days as I send friends to get their at your website on a regular basis).
This isn't a slick video produced by Libresse, this is a Dutch *News* report. What Libresse did was this outrageous stunt (and don't worry, in Holland there are ad laws req. the advertiser to clean up after a stunt like this - and - in instances like this one they have to apply for permission to do it in the first place). What you have going for you is actually much more valuable - there's an entire army r converted women who share the Keepers name with friends, word-of-mouth is the most trusted medium of all.
But if you need to get the word out further, I know a few guerilla advertsing people you could call.
Dabitch:
What a great response to my comment. I really appreciate it -- especially the fact that you're a happy Keeper user, AND the part where you write that "there's an entire army of converted women who share The Keeper's name with friends, word-of-mouth is the most trusted medium of all."
You are so, so right on all counts. And I can't tell you how wonderful word-of-mouth from satisfied users like you has been for The Keeper. And the wonderful online testimonials and reviews are also great: for instance, the recent review at http://ultimatemoneyblog.com/my-review-of-the-keeper-menstrual-cup (one of our favorites).
I just can't help wondering how people think up such stunts as these. They certainly do get amazing publicity! You have to admit: it is very impressive!
Tell us more about these "guerilla advertising people" you know! :)
And again, thanks!
Julia Schopick
Director of Marketing
The Keeper, Inc.
www.Keeper.com
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