Hey Girls National Campaign Takes the UNsanitary Out of Period Poverty

Social enterprises Hey Girls, adam&eveDDB and The Big Issue have come together to launch a national campaign to raise awareness of the shocking extent of period poverty in the UK. 

The campaign centres around a new brand called ‘UNsanitary’, so named as 1 in 10 girls and young women are regularly forced to use unsanitary items in place of real sanitary products, because they cannot afford it. 

The UNsanitary range, created by adam&eveDDB, encompasses real products, available at pop-ups in selected ASDA stores on Saturday 15th February. 

At first glance, the UNsanitary range resembles authentic products that follow the normal category cues. However, on closer inspection, shoppers see that they contain items representing some of the real unsanitary items girls are often forced to use - socks, newspaper and loo roll. The products were not actually for sale. 

The UNsanitary brand, Hey Girls’ biggest campaign to date, is being supported by a consumer campaign in partnership with 3 Monkeys Zeno and Clear Channel. 

3 Monkeys Zeno - working with some of its partners, Markettiers, Run Ragged and Opinium, created a full PR launch plan comprising influencer social media support from people such as Georgie Swallow and Sheri Scott, broadcast, and full media announcement. In collaboration with Clear Channel, the campaign, including some of the influencer content will be displayed across full motion digital advertising screens in shopping malls nationwide and on their Storm site in London. 

To help drive awareness and education, The Big Issue have created a ground-breaking special edition, which includes a 24- page special mini-magazine about periods, menstrual products, poverty, activism, the environment – and what we can all do to make a big difference by taking little steps. 

The exclusive edition is a UK- first in the publishing world, the first of its kind, dedicating an entire publication to the issue of period poverty. For many years The Big Issue has championed organisations that tackle period poverty, and through social investment arm, Big Issue Invest, they have supported Hey Girls in their remarkable growth. 

In addition to the national distribution from The Big Issue vendors, Hey Girls have recruited their own community partners, who are getting behind the campaign by distributing the publication. For every copy sold through their community partners, Hey Girls will be donating a product to someone in need. 

All of the communication links through to the UNsanitary website where Hey Girls and the UNsanitary launch story is revealed. 

Celia Hodson, founder of Hey Girls, said: “We created ‘UNsanitary’ to provoke awareness about the shocking extent of period poverty in the UK. Progress is being made, but we knew we needed to do something drastic for large numbers of people to take notice of what so many women and girls are going through. We hope the campaign will rally businesses and the government to instigate more radical changes.” 

The mini-magazine, which will be included within the regular The Big Issue edition will be on sale from vendors across the UK from Monday (17th February).