Nobel Hygiene Ropes in Radhika Apte to Get ‘Real’ with RIO Heavy Duty Pads Campaign

RIO, the first sanitary pad designed for women with heavy flow, launched its communication campaign today. With Radhika Apte as the face of the campaign, they aim to spread awareness about heavy flow and establish the inadequacy of existing solutions.

 

The campaign will also seek to educate the audience on the pains of heavy flow and its main causes being PCOD and early onset of menopause, create solidarity among women facing it. It will do so by letting the women know that they are not alone and encouraging them to talk about it. RIO has already taken up a raw and real approach with its Digital Audios released with #MyBloodySecret. The same tone is carried forward in the TVC with Radhika Apte calling Heavy Flow, for what it is. The imagery used is true and brings out the problems of heavy flow without mincing any words and striking imagery. After the successful digital leg, that saw a plethora of women share their stories on heavy flow, the video campaign will take the conversation a step further.

 

Heavy Flow is not considered as a separate medical problem, but a personal complication. Combine it with a general reluctance in visiting a doctor and most cases of Heavy Flow remain undiagnosed. Thus, women refrain from opening up about it and continue to suffer in silence. RIO’s own qualitative and quantitative research re-affirmed this view and threw light on the pain and the ostracization that women face because of it across different strata of society. 

 

Commenting on the campaign launch Kartik Johari, Vice-President, Nobel Hygiene, said that menstruation is one of the women’s more discussed taboos, but issues with Heavy Flow are largely subsumed. With this latest direct campaign, they hope to spark a few million conversations in homes and shine a light on the silent suffering of women throughout the nation. One can't imagine what it must be like, when one’s body is fighting against one so regularly, and when everyone around her is indifferent, at best! So, the company hasn’t pulled any punches - casting Radhika Apte with her performing prowess; Afshan as the director of the film, who is close to the problem herself; a maxed female crew, so that they don’t miss a step along the way. And they have a powerful film that can command a heavy-duty conversation, for a heavy-duty problem, he said.

 

Navin Talreja, Founding Partner at The Womb Communications, said that one out of 5 women suffer from PCOD in India, a condition that leads to heavy flow. Most of these women are middle-aged and above. The brand communication had to appeal to these mature, self-assured, confident women. This offered them the opportunity to lead culture with this brand and stay away from the fake codes of the category. In a category obsessed with whimsical and impractical pay-offs like women jumping hurdles and wearing white pants, RIO is pitched as an empathetic brand, a brand that understands the real issues faced by real women who suffer from heavy flow, he said.

 

Radhika Apte, theatre and film Actress also said that by now, everyone knows what a sanitary napkin ad is going to be like. It’s the same old white pants, girls running and hopping around, and that same old blue liquid! They've had enough. It's 2020! Why can't the women just show what heavy flow is really like? Why can't the women just show the blood? That's why the red, bleeding balloon. A symbol of heavy flow. And a symbol to help women open up about their feelings and experiences. Heavy flow is not just something one can forget. It needs attention. It needs solutions; not jugaads, she said.

 

The 30-sec TVC / video will be seen across multiple digital platforms and television channels that include Sun TV, Star, Zee, News18 and a few more.

 

Rio sanitary pads come in XL size and will have features such as Cottony Top Sheet, 3X More Absorption, Better Dryness, Wetness Lock, Odour Lock, Extra glue grip and will provide complete coverage with strong Side Leak Guards instead of wings.