Why Kimberly-Clark Is Only Sponsoring Athletes Who Are Menstruating

In 2023, Kimberly-Clark's feminine care brand Intimus became the first brand to only sponsor athletes who compete while on their period. Created by FCB Brasil, ‘Playing with Intimus’ aimed to spark an important discussion around the stigmas related to participating in sports while menstruating. Now, the project has developed into the ‘Shameless Pad’, a menstrual pad-shaped sponsorship on the clothing of athletes who are menstruating.

The platform, accompanied by TV spots, has now sponsored players in Brasil's largest volleyball championship and São Paulo state’s women's soccer championship, as well as athletes (including Olympic athletes) in judo, skateboarding, and basketball. Additionally, Intimus also donated period underwear to the sponsored teams.

At the core of the initiative is the aim to keep girls and young women in sport, an issue raised in a global survey from Puma which revealed that 50% of teenage girls give up on sports out of embarrassment, fear of leaks, or menstrual pain. In the last year, the platform has earned over 426 million impressions and many women have since come forward to share their own experiences of being shamed.

To find out more about how this project has evolved into this latest iteration, LBB’s Ben Conway spoke with Anna Martha Silveira, executive creative director at FCB Brasil.

LBB> The ‘Shameless Pad’ platform evolved from ‘Playing with Intimus’ last year – how did the idea become what it is today? 

Anna> The decision to evolve ‘Playing with Intimus’ into the ‘Shameless Pad’ platform came about by happy coincidence, thanks to Kimberly-Clark's desire to develop a long-term brand initiative in the sports arena, and the traction we received when we launched the first activation. 

When the commentators pointed out the reason why the player had the image of a pad on her jersey, we saw an immediate response on social media. Both from those who found it outrageous to announce to the entire country that a woman was on her period, and from teachers and parents celebrating the fact that this discussion was taking place in such a high-profile environment – in the middle of a volleyball court on national television – to help bring the conversation into schools and homes across the country. 

That's when we realised that our intuition was right, and there was an opportunity to develop the work into a larger platform, rather than an isolated activation. 

LBB> The platform has received 426 million impressions in the last year - what has been some most impactful feedback you’ve received about the work?

Anna> One of the comments that had a huge impact on the team was when Ana Moser, the national secretary of sports in Brazil, and former Olympic volleyball athlete, said the platform is absolutely necessary and urgent to change the way girls relate to sports. 

At the same time, it’s been inspiring to hear from teachers and parents that our work was the catalyst for opening up a necessary conversation with young girls, as well as hearing from women who supported the initiative and emphasised its importance to help end the stigma surrounding menstruation.

LBB> What was the creative spark behind the new ‘Shameless Pad’ iteration? What insights or data inspired it?

Anna> The creative was anchored in data from global research that indicated seven out of 10 girls stop training when they’re on their period, and 50% of girls end up quitting sport forever. Among the main causes of this is period shame, whether it will leak during practice or if the pad will be visible. 

This spurred us on to bring in great athletes, inspirations to many girls, to show that periods aren’t something they should be ashamed of and shouldn’t stop them playing sport.

LBB> Why was Kimberly-Clark the ideal brand partner? And what was the strategy behind this partnership?

Anna> Kimberly-Clark has been working on a very solid positioning for Intimus/Kotex for several years. The concept that accompanies the brand is ‘Period or Not, She Can’. In 2023, we launched a new campaign that talks precisely about female progress and how periods should not be a hindrance. So, the platform is totally connected to the brand purpose. 

LBB> How did you ensure the project ended up being representative of the female experience with menstruation shame/stigma? Was the creative and brand team female-led?

Anna> Both the brand and agency teams are mainly made up of, and led by, women. However, we still conducted a qualitative survey with girls aged 14-21, the target audience of the campaign, as well as having conversations with the teams that had sponsored athletes. We wanted to listen to as many people as possible to understand the relevance of the idea and make sure we were being sensitive when it launched. 

LBB> What were some of the biggest lessons you learned throughout this process - either from the fellow creatives, research, or the athletes?

Anna> One point that caught our attention, which is not necessarily surprising, was how disconnected men are from the topic of period shame. Both in the comments on social media and in discussions we had internally, we often had to explain the feelings that accompany girls when they start dealing with periods and the stigma surrounding it.

LBB> How many different athletes have been sponsored through this campaign? Which sports have been most receptive to the idea?

Anna> The athletes we were sponsoring changed game by game, because we were sponsoring them according to their menstrual cycle. We started with volleyball, simply because it’s the most popular sport among young Brazilian women, and moved on to others from there. Many team sports, including football, were very receptive to the campaign and wanted to get involved which was great as we could then sponsor more and more athletes each time. 

LBB> What was the biggest hurdle you encountered on this project, and how did you overcome it?

Anna> I believe the biggest obstacle was really finding the right tone for the message. We didn’t want an imposing campaign or one that suggested girls need to push through the pain and discomfort that the cycle brings to play sports. We worked hard and talked to a lot of girls and athletes to ensure that we were being empathetic and respectful, while encouraging them to overcome the stigma.

LBB> What are the plans for the future evolution of this platform?

Anna> We’re continuously looking for ways to evolve the platform, including working with new players or people involved in the sport, such as coaches and teachers. The more people we can bring on board, the better, because the responsibility for ending the stigma lies with everyone.