According to the Bangladesh National Hygiene Baseline Survey, 2014, only 14% of girls and women use sanitary napkins in Bangladesh. More than 80% of the Bangladeshi market remains untapped due to lack of awareness of the product and the stigmas attached with menstruation in this cultural sphere (Bangladesh National Hygiene Baseline Survey, 2014). In Bangladesh, menstruation has often been perceived as a shameful topic of discussion, turning it into a cultural taboo. Earlier, sanitary napkin television commercials focused mostly on clinical aspects and product benefits such as comfort, absorbency and freshness. Recently, in the last seven years, there has been a large change in the images and messages of these commercials. Brands are much more aware of the status quo, and research findings of this paper denotes that they are eager to invest in building a brand image which highlights them as socially responsible. A textual analysis of twenty-five new and old television commercials of the leading sanitary napkin brands in Bangladesh was conducted which analyzes the past and the present television commercials and examines the changes of its images and messages. Interview findings of these brands and their respective advertising agencies reflect a hypothesis that both the brands and the advertising agencies are trying to push a social change in terms of breaking all the pre-existing taboos and raising awareness of sanitary napkin usage. The paper also highlights how the worldwide trend of ‘Femvertising’ (incorporating women empowerment in advertisements) is also being tapped by the advertisers of sanitary napkin in Bangladesh. Drumwright and Murphy’s theory (2001) of corporate societal marketing is used in this paper to understand the current trend of these brands to indulge in making such commercials. Furthermore, the paper also identifies and analyzes the challenges faced in order to make these changes.
Keywords: Corporate societal marketing, sanitary napkin commercial, Bangladesh, menstruation and cultural taboo, women empowerment and television commercial