Description

There is a huge pressure put on women of Kazakstan when it comes to menstruation. And because it is such a taboo topic and so intrinsically intimate, it’s considered shameful to not only speak and discuss periods, but even to have them in the first place. Even though now that we’re experiencing a rise of feminism movement, people’s perception of menstruation is still the same — they’re dirty, nasty and shameful to the point that even government and female hygiene manufacturers tend to nickname it «those days», «red army», «guests from Kyzylorda» (Kazakhstan’s city name that literally translates The Red City). Even the official medical translation of «mensuration» in Kazakh language is «etekkir», which literally means «dirty skirt».

We believe that language is what forms the mindset and attitude to the world we live in. That’s why BBDO CA together with Cosmopolitan Kazakhstan started the campaign #NOTDIRTY in order to find new suitable translation of menstruation in Kazakh language, contribute to a more open culture where women can feel okay about having and talking about periods without feeling ashamed.

Results of the campaign:
4.5mln coverage in social media
637 521 visits of the project website
127 873 votes for new translations
72 publications in mass media
7.2mln total coverage

Even though we’ve reached resonance and heard public opinion, we are still waiting for government’s response.

Credits

Agency: BBDO CA
Regional Executive Creative Director: Anze Jereb
Creative Director: Renata Muratova, Roman Breiman
Copywriter: Erika Romero, Dariya Orazbayeva
Art Director: Svetlana Nikolayeva
Designer: Elena Kossolapova, Alina Ryspekova
Digital strategy: Danil Maslov
PR strategy: Kateryna Maslova
Client service director: Yulia Yugay
Account Director: Alua Baimukhamedova

Video production: Sintez studio

Client: Partner Media Group (Cosmopolitan Kazakhstan)
Commercial Director: Konstantin Gerlich