Creative Story Discussion

“When girls don’t have access to period products, not only do they not feel protected, but it also puts their confidence, dignity and education at risk. They’re less likely to be able to participate in their education & other activities, and if they are, they’re likely to feel distracted and unable to focus on reaching their full potential” (Always, 2021). This is highlighted in a commercial showcasing a teenage girl, Emily, who lives in New Jersey and has experienced inaccessibility to period products.

The story begins with Emily walking to school with her dad and younger sister, talking about how kind and giving her father is. Then, she states that when she first started her menstrual cycle, her dad did not have enough money to buy her feminine products. This caused her to miss out on school, which became very stressful for Emily.

The commercial starts to take a better turn when a truck shows up at the school and unloads boxes of period products. At the bottom of the video, “Always has donated over 20 million products in the U.S. through its #EndPeriodPoverty Program” (Always, 2019) is displayed. The viewer then sees Emily pick products out of a cabinet while explaining that she feels more comfortable and confident not having to worry about her period. At the end of the video, with a big smile on her face as she completes a task at school, Emily says she wants to make her dad and sister proud.

According to Tracey Wallace of Big Commerce (2021), you want the video production to show emotion and honesty — whether it shows actual people or is an animated video. You want potential customers to walk away feeling as though you understood them, and spoke to the core of their best self. I felt more compelled to continue to buy my feminine products from Always after seeing this commercial. In the end, to witness a young girl go through this hardship and come out with support made me feel happy. I want to support a product that will continue to help end the barriers between females and their period products.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEqTEmNkP1Y

References

Always. (2019, September 3). Always works to #EndPeriodPoverty — Emily’s Story by National Geographic. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEqTEmNkP1Y

Always. (2021). Help Always #EndPeriodPoverty So No Period Holds Her Back. https://always.com/en-us/about-us/end-period-poverty

Wallace, T. (2021). 17 Best Ecommerce Product Video Examples. Big Commerce. https://www.bigcommerce.com/blog/product-video-marketing-examples/#man-crates