CAMPAIGNS

Midol says stop apologizing

Midol, an over the counter painkiller marketed to those experiencing menstrual side effects, rolled out a new campaign this week based on something women often wish they did less of: apologizing. 

• Midol’s latest ad features four people who menstruate telling stories about times they’ve apologized for having their periods. 
• A mother tells viewers she apologizes for eating too much while PMSing, a poet admits they say “Sorry” for crying easily during their period, an artist recalls instances when she’s apologized for saying “No” to sex on her period...you get the gist.
• The Bayer-owned brand conducted a survey with Wakefield Research that found 62% of people with periods under the age of 40 in the US have apologized for their cycles, while roughly 70% of Gen Z respondents said the same. 

The deets: The video—which was created in collaboration with twelvenote, an agency that’s part of Lippe Taylor Group—will air across Midol’s social platforms (with both organic and paid posts), YouTube, Amazon, on its website, and on Bustle Digital Group’s sites, thanks to a partnership between the two brands. 

For its first campaign since its brand refresh in 2020, Midol paid Maja Jovanovic—sociologist, professor at McMaster University, and author of the book “Hey Ladies, Stop Apologizing!”—to consult the brand on how it could destigmatize menstruation.

Why it matters: Period product advertising has come a long way since the days of women wearing white tennis gear, pointing at a box of Tampax with a smile. Now, it’s more common for people in these ads to actually *gasp* talk about the realities of having a period instead of glossing over them.

Big picture

While brands like Modibodi and Essity have leaned into showing the pain and discomfort that can come with getting your period, others have taken a less direct approach. 

• For instance, U by Kotex’s Spring 2021 “new cycle” campaign shies away from uncomfortable period symptoms, instead opting for a “women can do anything on their periods” message that includes a lot of running around, upbeat music, and boisterous activity.  
• And Tampax’s recent Amy Schumer ads show the celeb trying to “normalize conversations about periods,” per Refinery29.

Jovanovic told Marketing Brew that opening up an honest dialogue about period shame could help strip away some of the stigma and embarrassment around the topic, ultimately paving the way for advertising that more realistically portrays what having periods is like.

Click here to read more about Midol’s latest push.—PB

APPLE

iPrivacy

Even if screen sharing on FaceTime *is* a godsend, at Apple’s annual developer conference on Monday, most marketers were likely paying more attention to the company’s privacy announcements.

What did we hear? Lots of things that start with P.

• Mail Privacy Protect: This prevents email senders (think marketers) from knowing when a user opens an email in the Mail app. It also conceals user IP addresses so they can’t be linked to other online behavior.
• App Privacy Report: A feature that lets people see how frequently apps (that have gotten permission) accessed things like their photos, location, or microphone over the past week—and if that data was shared elsewhere. 
• iCloud Private Relay: It’s basically a virtual private network (VPN) that Apple says makes users untraceable while they browse Safari.

When are the updates rolling out? Sometime this fall, Apple said. 

A reminder: Apple recently introduced those pesky “Can we track u?” pop-ups on iPhones. Oh, and Google is killing third-party cookies by 2022. 

As companies begin to take user privacy more seriously, Apple’s showing that its commitment is more than just a marketing campaign: “Privacy is not just rhetoric from Apple. It was actually refreshing to see [them] be so concrete about it,” Dr. Augustine Fou, a privacy advocate and ad-fraud consultant, told Marketing Brew. “It’s another tsunami that’s hitting ad tech...Most of these companies are going to die and go away.”

Learn more about a ~shudders~ SKAdNetwork and everything else Apple is up to here.—RB

SPONSORED BY 99DESIGNS BY VISTAPRINT

We’re all guilty of choosing the wine with the cute label. Which just proves that design matters. And 99designs, the go-to graphic design service by Vistaprint, makes it easy to work with professional creative experts from around the globe. Run a contest to explore your creative options or work directly with an experienced designer of your choice. Either way, your design will be . Get started today. 

PUBLISHERS

Road trip

This month, Thrillist is debuting a vertical dedicated to LGBTQ+ travelers called “We’re Out Here.” Sponsored by travel site Orbitz, it will cover topics like safe travel tips + highlight the “best queer events, programs and spaces across the country,” according to a statement from Thrillist.

• Orbitz will sponsor the vertical through the remainder of 2021, a Thrillist spokesperson told Marketing Brew. They added that the brand spent somewhere in the “mid six figures” on the deal, which includes things like custom branded content.
• The spokesperson also told us Orbitz is “looking to reignite the attention and trust of LGBTQIA+ travelers as consumers begin to rethink and replan future travel.”
• Thrillist said it intends “We’re Out Here” to become a permanent fixture. As of now, the publisher said existing staff will produce content for the vertical.

In April, Orbitz debuted “Travel As You Are,” a campaign that plugs its “long-standing commitment to inclusive travel”, according to an announcement. Orbitz has a history of targeting LGBTQ+ travelers; in 2002, it created a microsite for them, advertising in publications like Out, per Chief Marketer. 

Zoom out: Orbitz’s multi-month sponsorship comes as marketers and agency executives encourage “Pride marketing that ‘goes beyond June,’” Digiday recently reported.—MS

WHAT ELSE IS BREWING

• Burger King mocks Chick-fil-A with LGBTQ+ donations during pride. Another battle in the chicken sandwich wars.
• Instagram announced influencers can earn a commission on sales for brands they’ve promoted. 
• Pinterest lets users include gender pronouns on their profiles.
• Domino’s Noid mascot is getting its own NFTs.
• GroupM clients including General Mills, DoorDash, Target, and Nestlé have pledged to spend at least 2% of their budgets on Black-owned media.
• Facebook global ads lead Carolyn Everson is leaving the company after more than a decade. 

EVENTS

We’re a few days away from June’s The CTA event with Check My Ads cofounders Nandini Jammi and Claire Atkin. If you haven’t completed your (free) registration for next week’s event on Wednesday, June 16, at 1pm ET, maybe you should? Especially if:

1. You want to learn how to make sure your ads don’t end up funding disinformation sites.
2. You want to know the latest on brand safety.

RSVP right here to guarantee your spot.

AD FRAUD

Can you tell a real marketing story from a fake?

1. Tribeca Film Festival ditches “Film” from its name.
2. Reese’s has launched a campaign around...the residue left in the paper cup?
3. In-store sampling is back like it never left.
4. Coinbase will pay its new AOR, The Martin Agency, in bitcoin. 

Keep scrolling for the answer.

FRENCH PRESS

There are a lot of bad marketing tips out there. These aren't those.

Networking: LinkedIn isn’t the sexiest social media platform, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worthwhile as a marketing channel. Read this guide to get started on creating a LinkedIn content strategy. 

Jobs: Speaking of LinkedIn, the job site came out with a list of the top 10 in-demand marketing skills in 2021, which you can peruse here. 

Carousels: Help your brand account keep up with the Instagram Joneses and their “photo dumps” with these IG carousel tips. 

Big decisions, big value:  The Wall Street Journal is the essential resource for the world’s most influential people and businesses. That trust is why WSJ influences more than $1 in every $3 spent in the US on B2B-related purchases. Partner with WSJ, and your company can reach the world’s business decision-makers.*

AD FRAUD ANSWER

While we don’t know the full details of the contract, it’s safe to say it’s probably an exchange of cold hard cash.

FRIENDS OF MARKETING BREW

Internet MVP. Meet Internet Brunch, a newsletter that curates the best of the Internet—ever-changing trends, jokes, viral recipes and more.

Lauren Nicholas of Big Spaceship is the brains behind the operation, so you can blame her for sending you down rabbit holes like:

- You need to watch this 27-year-old clip of newscasters talking about the Internet

- Google has a fun Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Easter egg

- This Terms & Conditions game from The Guardian is pure chaos

Subscribe for news, GIFs, and group chat bragging rights. 

ICYMI

Catch up on a few Marketing Brew stories you might have missed.

• Olipop takes on Big Soda in first major campaign
• Spotify’s ‘Only You’ campaign coincides with Congressional inquiry
• Twitter’s updates: The social media marketer’s cheat sheet