Summer's Eve® Launches Barrier-Breaking Marketing Campaign With The Richards Group

Bold new campaign is the culmination of two years of research; redefinition aimed at changing the way the category engages women

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Summer's Eve

Jul 18, 2011, 07:53 ET

LYNCHBURG, Va., July 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading feminine hygiene product manufacturer Summer's Eve® (www.summerseve.com) has launched a creative multimedia campaign with Dallas independent agency The Richards Group, to promote its full line of external cleansing and freshening products. The campaign's centerpiece is a dramatic television spot called "The V," starring Cleopatra and other strong female archetypes exalted for their combination of power and femininity. Using epic stories of beauty and influence through the ages, "The V" is anything but women running through fields of flowers or along a beach with their mother talking about feeling fresh.

"The whole category has been talking to women the same way since feminine hygiene products have been in the marketplace, and ironically, many media outlets won’t even allow the use of the word vagina in advertising. We are way past-due for a change,” said Angela Bryant, director of U.S. marketing, feminine care for Summer's Eve. "Hearing from women on our listening tour last year cemented that now is the time. This campaign is about empowerment, changing the way women may think of the brand, and removing longstanding stigmas: Summer's Eve is not a means to confidence, rather it's a celebration of confidence, of being a woman, and taking care of their bodies."

"It's not every day a client wants to turn the category on its head – it was either go big or go home," said Tina Johnson, creative director for The Richards Group. "We can't wait to see how women respond to the new campaign, and where the dialogue goes from here."

In connection with the new campaign, Summer's Eve recently launched a new logo and product packaging, a new website (www.summerseve.com), an edgy online video known as "That's Vaginal" (www.thatsvaginal.com), and a body-awareness and education campaign called "ID the V" (www.IDtheV.com), all of which elaborate on "The V's" message of acknowledging and taking pride in the vagina as part of a woman's body.

Summer's Eve will also take its "The V" campaign to the big screen for the brand's cinema debut, with a 60 second spot running in National CineMedia's FirstLook pre-feature show in select movie theaters nationwide through the end of July.

"Often, the most interesting ads are based on a truth, and our truth was that women have had this power since the beginning of time," said Terence Reynolds, creative director for The Richards Group. "If Summer's Eve stands for empowerment, and we deliver that message in an entertaining way, then we've succeeded. "

CREDITS
Client: Summer's Eve
Spot Title: "The V"
Break Date: 7/18/2011
Agency: The Richards Group
Art Director and Writer: Terence Reynolds and Tina Johnson

About Summer's Eve®

Summer's Eve® is made by Fleet Laboratories, Inc., a global manufacturer of pharmaceutical, OTC and cosmetic products. Now the number-one brand in feminine hygiene, Summer's Eve has evolved to offer a complete line of external cleansing and freshening products such as Summer's Eve Cleansing Wash and Cleansing Cloths, to fit within a woman's lifestyle.

SOURCE Summer's Eve