Boots, QVC, Royal Mail, Marks & Spencer, Next, Holland & Barrett and WW are among over 60 brands supporting an uplifting out-of-home campaign aiming to portray the menopause as a positive, empowering stage of life. Titled “The Future Is Yours”, the campaign was devised by GenM, the menopause partner for over 60 brands, all of whose logos appear on the campaign graphics.
GenM’s Invisibility Report shows over half of menopausal women find advertising for their age group uninspiring (56%), old-fashioned (54%), or not reflecting their real lives (57%). Starring model, influencer and Yorkshire Businesswoman member Rachel Peru, who became a lingerie model at the age of 46, this campaign directly addresses the menopausal audience, saying that this life stage is a time to thrive, not just survive. This positive messaging acknowledges that women, and others in menopause, deserve to be seen and have their needs met, whilst showcasing the brands who have commiteed to doing just that.
Running throughout Menopause Awareness Month (October), the national OOH campaign will appear on 96-sheet, 48-sheet and six-sheet ads across 18 sites, including London, Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, Hull, Leeds, Bradford and Huddersfield. Media was provided by 75Media and will deliver a reach of over 27 million impacts. The creative was designed by Propaganda Brand Consultancy.
The last few years have seen the menopause enter the public conversation like never before, and we are seeing brands begin to take the menopausal audience seriously for the first time. Some have accused businesses of trying to exploit those in menopause, but research shows overwhelmingly that the opposite is true. A huge 87% of menopausal women feel overlooked by brands and society at large, while a further 90% wish brands were more inclusive to the menopause. In fact 91% of menopausal women have never seen any specific marketing for menopause products. GenM’s collective of over 60 Partner brands is committed to improving the menopause experience for all through better product signposting, workplace policies, advertising, product development, and using their platforms to normalise the conversation.
Recent initiatives from GenM’s Partners include Holland & Barrett training 4,000 staff to deliver support to menopausal consumers and opening quiet consultation rooms in high street stores; QVC’s ‘Menopause Your Way’ campaign to fight stigma and spread awareness featuring Strictly’s Shirley Ballas and Olympian Sally Gunnel OBE; as well as Boots (in collaboration with GenM) launching a menopause-friendly symbol in-store and online to improve signposting to helpful products.
Heather Jackson, co-founder of GenM said, “We’re so pleased to be working with some of the nation’s biggest brands to change perceptions and paint the menopause in a positive light. Half of the world goes through this transition and it impacts everyone. We all have a role to play, and that includes brands and organisations. Look how much money and effort goes into catering to the vegan market – less than 4% of the UK – compared to 20% of the population who are currently in menopause! This audience deserves signposting to products, informative and uplifting campaigns, and support in the workplace, and more and more, they are demanding to be seen. Just like with meat-free or gluten-free consumers, brands can make strategic gains by serving this market and using their platforms and resources to normalise the conversation. Embracing the menopause is mutually beneficial for brands and their customers.”
Sam Simister, co-founder of GenM said, “With this campaign we want to transform the perception of the menopause and those in this stage of life. Alongside our collective of Partner brands, we want to let women know that we see you, we hear you and we understand you! The menopause isn’t an illness to fix, it’s a life stage to be embraced. Sometimes the conversation can focus on doom and gloom, but we want those in menopause to feel empowered to truly reap the benefits of the experience, skills, confidence and relationships that come with midlife. We don’t want to just survive the menopause, we deserve to thrive!”
