Libresse wants women to not be shy about period talk with stationery box

International feminine hygiene brand Libresse is encouraging women to not be shy about their periods by creating the Stationer-V Box, which is a stationery holder designed to move emergency pads out of bottom drawers and onto desktops. Done together with creative agency Muma, the Stationer-V box has a main compartment for office stationery and a bottom compartment where emergency pads can be kept securely. In case of period emergencies, a pen can be removed from a pen hole that locks the pad compartment.

This idea came about after its global survey showed that almost 90% of women hide their periods, and more than 50% would rather ask their boss for a pay raise than admit they are on their period in the office. The Stationer-V Box is printed with subtle illustrations of vulvas within the design disguised as a regular tropical floral design and will be available in Malaysia as a gift with every purchase of a Libresse Big Value Pack. 

According to the spokesperson for Libresse, this initiative is part of its quarterly promotion campaign to reward consumers who have been supporting and loyal to the brand. The brand declined to comment on the monetary investment and the number of units of the Stationer-V boxes produced. However, the spokesperson told A+M that this initiative was part of a bigger goal to normalising the stigma against “talking about the V-zone”. However, the spokesperson said that this is “neither be an overnight task nor can it be the job of just one campaign”, and therefore hope to change societal views gradually. 

“If we are able to get ladies to put their emergency pads on their desktop instead of the bottom drawer, or even display the Stationer-V Box with subtle vulva designs on their table, it’s a small step towards the big goal,” added the spokesperson.

In line with Libresse’s mission to break V-zone taboos, Libresse launched a "Know Your V" campaign last May. The campaign's insight was built on recognising the complexities of being a woman, and therefore aimed to create awareness and educate women on their V-zone. The campaign included a minute-long brand campaign film, which featured different female individuals in private situations with their V-zone. 

The brand also covered the other side of the coin by educating men in its 2018 campaign "Men-struation", which sought to reframe what periods are like in men’s minds to improve understanding between women and the men in their lives, creating a stronger affinity towards Libresse in their target audience.

Meanwhile, Muma also got creative with global hygiene company Vinda Malaysia by creating a series of limited-edition tissue holders last year. These tissue holders also doubled up as music amplifiers known as Vinda Jukeboxes. This was done to create hype around the 12.12 sale of its Vinda Deluxe Facial Tissue on Lazada. To strengthen its creative capabilities, the agency brought on board former ECD of BBDO Malaysia Donevan Chew last year in November as creative partner, who now works closely with co-founders Choo Chee Wee and Pang Li Li.

Related articles:
Libresse urges Malaysians not to shy away from private issues with 'Know your V'
Libresse looks to educate men with 'Men-struation' campaign
Vinda MY creates 'jukeboxes' out of tissue holders to drive 12.12 hype
Former BBDO ECD Donevan Chew joins creative shop Muma