There’s been much debate here at Brandinstinct about P&G’s creation for Tampax of Zack the 16 year old guy who gets a taster of the whole menstruation experience for a teenage girl.

The idea seems to be about creating conversation around this still-embarrassing issue. As menstruation is specific to females of our species, you may think Tampax cannot benefit from the civil branding approach because it is not inclusive to both genders. Indeed the primary objective may be to increase dialogue between mothers and daughters about periods. The fact that Zack has so many female followers on Twitter probably indicates that these films talk mostly to women.

By transferring the menstruation experience to a male character, Tampax may be creating more than just a rhetorical device. It may be opening up conversation on the topic amongst guys, perhaps not a conversation they start themselves but that they get drawn into because they are guys.

These Tampax films contain a great deal of empathy, and could work towards creating more gender equality through empathy and understanding (helping men understand women).

So, could Tampax be on a Civil Branding trajectory here? It could well be, if it’s inclusive because guys get drawn into the conversation. It’s important because desensitising menstruation could make a big difference to women’s lives, and it’s influential because the empathy shown in these films gets people thinking and may even get them to behave in a more gender-equal way.

Through the Campaign for Real Beauty, Unilever’s Dove made a great contribution to body image issues with an inclusive approach. We think ZackJohnson16 has potential for similar success.

One thing we agree on is that these films are very socially active. The civil branding approach increases brands’ social activity by using socially-progressive narratives to make a connection with people as members of wider society rather than just customers.

It would be great to hear your views.

http://zack16.com