TENA’s position as the world’s leading Adult Incontinence Product brand was not translating into market penetration in the region. TENA was lagging with a market share of 18% and found itself in a solid challenger position. With this context, a re-set was needed to gain traction in key markets such as KSA. Analyzing market conditions, the challenges became clear. Incontinence is globally the most stigmatized of health conditions, but in Saudi, the stigma was elevated to a taboo. The result is that 90% of women in KSA seek don't seek medical advice for incontinence as the topic is sensitive and the result is that most women chose sanitary pads as opposed to a specialized product. Additionally, TENA suffered a perception challenge and was being viewed as a medical product for older women that didn’t resonate with a younger audience, making it difficult for the brand to gain a cultural foothold.
Describe the strategy
Menopause is a critical period in every woman’s life that comes with unpleasant symptoms that decrease her quality of life. Among those, incontinence is very common and affects more than 50% of menopausal women, yet is extremely stigmatized in the region. We, therefore, chose to primarily target women in the Middle East above the age of 45, entering menopause.
Our core audience is new. They are most likely to buy regular sanitary pads as opposed to our specialized products because they feel less embarrassed to purchase the former.
Additionally, we wanted to reach a younger female audience to drive awareness for a phenomenon that would unavoidably reach them around the age of 45 and build understanding among all females -- in the end, they are our future consumers. But more so, because young Arab females are bold drivers of change and have a far-reaching influence to challenge the status quo.
Describe the execution
To erase “The Age of Despair” across MENA and change it forever, we called on women to submit their positive alternatives and replace ‘despair’ with words of empowerment.
On international women’s day, we launched a film featuring traditional Arab music - Tarab - and gave it a modern twist. With Tarab Star Ghalia, we created a song that turned the negativity of ‘the age of despair’ into a call for positive change. We also launched the music live on Anghami.
Through social & digital platforms, strategic partnerships, and activations we created a movement for women, by women. We called on women across the region to tell their stories and invited them to submit alternative words.
Thousands of women joined the conversation and suggested words that could replace ‘despair’, a female panel chose the one that stood out. “Renewal.” – Labeling menopause as the beginning of a new, exciting life chapter.
List the results
Our efforts were designed to make a big impact on society, and the results spoke of a movement that took hold. With 4.7 million video views and over 240K song streams, the message had cut through. But what got us excited was the high conversation, as we saw 6.9 million social engagements and for the first time in 2 years search queries about incontinence increased by 44%.
From a market-share perspective, TENA became the n.2 brand in volume during the campaign period with an increase of 13.1% compared to Jan ’21 and the n.1 brand in value with an increase of 16.5% compared to Jan ’21.
Most notably, the No.1 Arabic dictionary in the region adjusted the term Age of Despair to the Age of Renewal and the UN-endorsed our efforts. Main-stream media started using the new phrase. This meant we didn’t just create a successful campaign, we affected change.
Credits
Name
Company
Role
Dani Richa
Impact BBDO
CEO and Chairman
Azeem Afzal
Impact BBDO
CEO
Paul Shearer
Impact BBDO
Chief Creative Officer
Marie Claire Maalouf
Impact BBDO
Executive Creative Director
Ali Rez
Impact BBDO
Executive Creative Director
Ali Rez
Impact BBDO
Chief Creative Officer
Salma Shahin
Impact BBDO
Account Director
Sarah Berro
Impact BBDO
Creative Director
Irina Siraeva
Impact BBDO
Senior Art Director
Haitham Elias Shaheen
Impact BBDO
Senior Account Executive
Hiram Naman
Impact BBDO
Regional Head of Production
Ryan Gonsalves
Impact BBDO
Editor
Dema Almalik
Impact BBDO
Talent Manager
Mohammed Mahdi
Impact BBDO
Talent Project Lead
Oscar Ayala
Essity
Global Marketing & Communication Director TENA
Stamatios Mantzaris
Essity
Global Brand Communication Manager, Incontinence Care