JOAN London’s First Campaign Goes Big on the Word ‘Vulva’ for Luna Daily
LONDON, 7th November 2023 – JOAN London, the newly opened London shop from New York’s award-winning JOAN Creative, shows their joyfully rebellious DNA with their first work. With a mission to normalise and destigmatise the word ‘vulva’, JOAN London has created the world’s first ‘VULVA’ Therapy Hotline (0800 233 LUNA) and integrated campaign for Luna Daily, a challenger body care start-up on a mission to remove the ‘feminine hygiene’ category as we know it today with their expert-developed range of microbiome balancing products for Head, Vulva, Knees and Toes™.
The campaign, titled “VULVA Therapy” aims to eradicate the societal-imposed stigma and shame around the word ‘vulva’. Because this discomfort with the word is fueling vulva miseducation and shame - as evidenced by Luna Daily’s extensive research that uncovered women felt more embarrassed about talking about their vulva than they do talking about their sex life or how much they earn. To add to this, ‘vulva silence’ is also causing health issues that see one in three women not attending routine cervical screenings, citing embarrassment as the reason. A sad statistic given that cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer in women under the age of 45 and is 99.6% preventable through screening.
Tackling this issue head on, JOAN London goes bold and impactful with the campaign creative. At the epicentre sits the first ever free ‘VULVA’ hotline created in partnership with celebrity psychotherapist expert Annabelle Knight, utilising exposure therapy as a method to help actually tackle the stigma and uncomfortableness with the word ‘vulva’.
To drive awareness of the societal issue with the word and of the newly released ‘vulva’ hotline, JOAN London leant into the exposure therapy thinking in their campaign execution. Creating a bold and bespoke-designed typeface that puts the word ‘VULVA’ front and centre of the artwork, this 360 campaign - running for two weeks across the UK and USA - includes high impact OOH.
In response to some media owners’ rejections of the creative, JOAN London lent into their rebellious side with guerilla executions and fly postering – all complimented with a global influencer activation, merchandise and a PR and social media strategy to drive talkability. Getting the word ‘vulva’ out in a bold and affronting way across so many channels helps confront the stigma with the word and aims to start conversations.
Luna Daily is a disrupter brand, specialising in microbiome-balancing body care suitable for all skin types, including the most intimate, revolutionising the outdated intimate care category. Launched in Boots stores across the UK last month and already stocked in Sephora in the US and the UK, the company’s mission is to confront the shame and discomfort associated with the vulva, which often leads to vulva miseducation and undue stigma. Born from founder Katy Cottam’s personal experiences of using feminine hygiene products that came with a “what’s wrong with her” stigmatisation, the campaign's central theme is to normalise the word 'vulva' much like any other body part. And Luna Daily's tagline, "Head, Vulva, Knees and Toes™” reflects this mission.
While the campaign’s primary target audience comprises women and people with vulvas of all ages, stages and backgrounds, the campaign's overarching goal is to engage society at large.
Katy Cottam, Founder of Luna Daily, said: "We have a huge mission trying to tackle how people are taught to speak about their bodies and JOAN London are the perfect partner for us to help spread the word in the most impactful, yet compassionate way. We're not just challenging the status quo; we're redefining how society views the word 'vulva' and our bodies. This campaign embodies our mission to empower women and promote open, unapologetic conversations about our bodies. It's about time that the vulva is celebrated as a natural and integral part of who we are."
Kirsty Hathaway, ECD at JOAN London, said: “To really trigger change, you need to start real conversations between real people. You need to be audience first. We want to stop people in their tracks -- which, I'd say, this does -- addressing a serious topic in a way that drives cultural talkability. It makes you laugh, all while eradicating shame. This sets the tone for what to expect from JOAN London. Creativity that is unafraid, bold, fun and mostly has the audience feeling something. Because, that is what joyful rebellion really is.”
Jaime Robinson, Co-Founder and Global CCO at JOAN Creative, said: "As JOAN London’s first campaign, it sets the tone. I think Kirsty and the team have smashed it, in partnership with a client who wants to advance the conversation. Yes, it’s loud. It’s cheeky. It’s fun. But behind it all is a really deep truth. Why should women be ashamed of their bodies? I also love that I can see this work live in both London AND New York”
Luna Daily is one of JOAN London's founding clients and was won without a pitch earlier this year.
