The ad that almost didn’t make it: How WUKA fought to get its powerful period spot on the air

Last week, period-proof underwear brand WUKA broke on to the broadcast advertising scene with an award-winning 30-second spot that lays bare the messy truth about periods.

With a very powerful message at its heart, the campaign was also deeply rooted in sustainability – ending up as one the Sky Zero Footprint Fund winners for 2022, pocketing £250,000-worth of media value in the process.

Its first foray into broadcast advertising is an exceedingly bold one, and the firm has revealed that the taboo-busting ad almost never made it to air following considerable pushback by reviewing agency Clearcast.

The agency’s reservations mirrored the unease expressed by a consumer focus group responding to the ad, serving the to underline the controversial nature of the campaign and the stigma that remains around menstruation.

WUKA eventually elected to proceed with the film’s original cut, with no edits made to the graphic content despite professional and public aversion.

Co-founder and CEO, Ruby Raut believes that open and accurate representations of menstruation in the media are key to breaking down taboos surrounding the subject, and has spoken with pride about the final product: “I am a female founder, an immigrant and a self-funded businesswoman, who is disrupting the dominance of billion-dollar disposable period product giants.

“I have learned I have to punch way above my weight to make an impact, and the Sky Footprint TV commercial presented us with the perfect opportunity to speak up.”

She continued: In this ad – a first for WUKA – we didn’t want to hold back. We have been surprised by the challenges we faced in getting approvals, which is clear evidence that there is still a long way to go in normalising periods, smashing taboos and depicting period realities.

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“A focus group also revealed real discomfort for some viewers, which again, shows how much work still needs to be done to make period realities part of our everyday conversations.”

Running across Sky linear TV and video-on-demand until 21 May, all carbon emission resulting from the shoot and production process were offset.

Sustainability also lies at WUKA’s core – with its flagship re-usable period pants highlighting the brand’s overarching emphasis on environmentally-friendly values, as Raut points out: “Our creative was inspired by real life stories from customers. Since launching WUKA, over half a million women have ditched pads and tampons in favour of a more sustainable period product and over the years, many of them have shared their period stories (and frustrations) with us.

“I continue to receive personal emails weekly, thanking us for changing their lives with WUKA. This ad is for them; to feel seen and heard and, most importantly, to bring periods out of the shadows and into the mainstream, normalising them and helping others speak more openly about this entirely natural biological process.”

Reiterating her satisfaction with the finished article, she added: “We are so proud of the final ad, of its no holds barred and taboo-busting approach to periods. We are open to all reactions, as our goal is to encourage more frank discussions about menstrual health.

“A more realistic depiction of what periods are and how they impact our lives is well overdue and we hope that with this ad, we are setting a new standard in the industry, normalising the menstrual narrative, and making tangible progress for women’s rights and period equality.”

Concluding, WUKA period health expert and senior consultant ObGyn, Dr Nitu Bajekal underlined how having a realistic representation is a “a huge step towards normalising these issues”, which she hopes will lead “to important conversations that can literally change lives.”