Diving overview:

• Kotex has launched ‘Own Your Flow’, a new global brand platform aimed at empowering young women, according to details shared with Marketing Dive.
• The initiative includes a 90-second video that uses tennis as a metaphor for the pressures women and girls face, from social stress to on-court surveillance. The anthem, directed by Juan Cabral, includes a remake of Tears for Fears’ hit “Everybody Wants To Rule The World.”
• The new brand platform is joined by an updated brand identity that introduces red as a core brand color, updated typography and new photographic principles rooted in “bold confidence.”

Dive Insight:

Kotex continues its long-term, purpose-driven commitment to removing taboos around periods and empowering women with a brand platform that takes responsibility for the issue. “Own Your Flow” will be distributed across U.S. digital and social media across YouTube, Amazon Connected TV, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snap and Pinterest.

At the heart of this initiative is a striking 90-second video that follows women through different stages of their lives. Enhanced artificial intelligence helps younger and older versions of women overcome difficult moments on the court, pool, locker room, classroom, and bedroom. One scene uses a bright red court, stadium, and tennis ball as visual metaphors for menstruation, while another uses overlays to suggest messages on social media.

“Why Tennis? Because it captures a moment that many women experience every day: the pressure of being watched, judged, and told who to be,” Luis Sanchez, chief creative design officer at Kimberly-Clark, said in a statement. “With ‘Own Your Flow,’ Kotex focused on the intersection of vulnerability and strength. In a world that tells you to adapt, your voice is what makes you stand out. Kotex exists to remove barriers, so nothing gets in the way, even your period.”

The anthem is a remake of Tears for Fears’ 1985 song “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” giving new meaning to lyrics like “Welcome to your life” and “There’s no going back.” Coincidentally, a version of the original song recently re-entered the cultural conversation after it was featured in the Oscar-nominated film Marty Supreme. Coach Cabral also worked on notable campaigns, including: IKEA bed and Cadbury’s Gorilla. This video was produced by MJZ and local service production company Labhouse.

The ‘Own Your Flow’ initiative was started by FCB but is now led by McCann. Omnicom post-merger reorganization. This effort builds on Kimberly-Clark’s other work to update marketing and media around the taboos of our time. Previous U by Kotex campaigns have focused on: sports and fashion.