Wire, Asda and Hey Girls roll out second Bloody Big Brunch Period poverty drive
Scottish creative comms agency Wire is looking to raise awareness of UK period poverty for the second year running with the Bloody Big Brunch initiative which boasts backing from Asda, Hey Girls, Stacey Solomon (pictured below), Amika George, Grace Woodward and marketing industry partners.
Bloody Mary's Big Brunch Period
The campaign, which carries the ‘enjoy bottomless Bloody Marys – but there’s a string attached’ strapline united Wire, Ginger Comms, Hey Girls and Asda, to research and raise awareness of the issue.
On Sunday 3 March, The Book Club in Shoreditch, London will be hosting a Bloody Big Brunch serving up stacks of Red Velvet 'period pancakes' garnished with tampon macaroons from Ohlala bakery – 15% of profit from each dish will be donated to the #freeperiods campaign. Celebrities including Amika George, Jess Woodley and Grace Victory will be in attendance.
Guests are invited to pay for their drinks with period products from Hey Girls – which will double donations and support charities including The Red Box Project, Bloody Good Period, Girlguiding Scotland, YWCA and Freedom4Girls.
It comes off the back of research commissioned by the group finding that more than one quarter of UK women and girls have been unable to afford menstrual products. 26% of those have missed school or work because of this.
Pam Scobbie, director of Wire said: “We were completely shocked, both at how widespread the issue is and at the continued lack of support from Westminster. So, we decided to do something about it.
“PR is a compelling and cost-efficient way to grab attention – by dedicating time to building our own campaign, we’ve been able to shine a spotlight on period poverty and create an accessible platform for the public to understand the problem and contribute to its solution.” Scobbie added: “By using fun to highlight fundamental rights, we’ve sent out the message that menstruation isn’t dirty and it certainly isn’t a luxury. Plus, we’ve built an incredible list of partners, generated worldwide media coverage and, hopefully, will contribute to real change in the coming months.”
Celia Hodson, founder of Hey Girls, outlined that the brand in 2018 donated 2.3m products to 200 partners and is keen to “accelerate” these positive moves.
Jo Warner, senior director for community and public affairs at Asda, added: “This brunch is a simple but fun way for people to come together and talk about period poverty, what it means and how it can be tackled without feeling embarrassed about the subject. Every host will be helping to break stigmas and get period products to where they’re needed most. We’re proud to support it.”
The event last year helprd more than 5,000 women access period products the aim is to double that and pressure on the UK government for lasting legislative change.
Members of the public are also encouraged to host their own brunches with how-to guides available here. You can donate to the drive here.