BLOOD, SWEAT, AND PEE (NOTHING TO HIDE)

Challenges & Goals: 

There wasn’t an ounce of realness in undergarments until Knix introduced it. 

Think unobtainable, airbrushed “angels” stiffly posed in unrealistic positions. Then add to that soft pastels, shy, demure expressions and speaking only in symbolism. 

But the problem with reinventing a category and leading the way in real-talk and body positivity is that every competitor is ready to copy whatever’s working for you.

So when suddenly everyone carries a product in the leakproof category you invented, and everyone is copying your body positivity, how do you re-establish your brand leadership?

How do you re-break that mould you broke before and cut through to a newer, younger audience that’s already way more comfortable with directness than most? 

All while continuing to build and grow the category?

Insights/Strategy: 

We noticed that while others were coming for the white space Knix created - from small brands all the way up to bigger players - they were tiptoeing in. 

Maybe they’d ditched that mysterious blue period liquid or introduced a soft pink seashell to symbolize “down there”. But that was about as real as they were willing to get. 

It was obvious to us that if Knix wanted to lead in body positivity yet again, instead of dancing around the conversation like everyone else, we’d have to twerk towards it. 

To truly grow awareness of Knix Leakproof underwear, we wouldn’t stop at de-stigmatizing body leaks. We’d straight-up celebrate them. Not just monthly periods, but all the ways real bodies leak every damn day. 

Execution: 

We wanted to stand out not just for what we talked about, but also how we talked about it. 

With an unapologetic realness that was break-through even to a younger generation used to discussing almost anything. 

So we created an original music video campaign with an anthemic soundtrack about none other than Blood, Sweat and Pee. 

Local hip-hop artist and body positivity activist Exmiranda belted out lyrics that were explicit - in the sense that there was no confusion as to what she was rapping about. 

“What’s a little blood, sweat and pee? ‘Cause I can run, yeah I can sneeze. And my flow ain’t nothing to me. I made a human, don’t know where you been. We Leakproof.” 

Bold lyrics, bright lights, real athletes, dancers and recent mothers, plus a female-led production and crew all came together to create an in-your-face ode to real bodies - especially the ones that leak. 

Results + Impact:

We knew we’d nailed it when some stations in the US refused to even air the spot. 

But wherever it ran, it resonated. We set out to re-establish our leadership in the industry all while building and growing the Leakproof underwear category, and we succeeded: 

- 6% increase in agreement with, “Knix is doing very/somewhat well on its mission to empower customers to be unapologetically free.” 

- 9% increase in interest in buying leakproof underwear 

- 17% increase in customers shopping for underwear

In addition to smashing stigma, the campaign also smashed client expectations with: 

- 16% increase in Knix purchases in the last 3 months of the campaign 

- 10% increase in likelihood to recommend to a friend 4% increase in familiarity 

By turning shame and stigma into a body-leak-positive banger campaign, we shifted the perception and use case for the entire category - from wearing Leakproof underwear occasionally, to wearing it DAILY and PROUDLY. 

Cultural leadership turned into category leadership. All thanks to a little Blood, Sweat and Pee.