P&G’S #Likeagirl Campaign: Marketing That Tells A Story

Everyone’s panning advertising. Millions of cellphone users have installed adblockers. PPC conversion stats are dismal. The old model is falling from favor. These days, it’s all about connecting and building relationships. Good marketing tells a story—a superb way to connect with an audience.

You have to hand it to Procter & Gamble . . .

They’ve done a brilliant job of harnessing the Olympic momentum and celebrating women athletes with their #LikeAGirl campaign. It’s a sad fact that, while many young girls participate in a wide variety of sports—softball, basketball, soccer, swimming and gymnastics– confidence for many plummets at puberty and half of them drop out of these sports programs. This is a tragedy on many levels. Kids who are involved in sports form strong relationships that can last for a lifetime. They learn important life skills—how to be part a team, how to compete, how to win and lose. And of course, as P&G points out, sports helps instill confidence in these young female athletes—something they’re going to desperately need as they get older and deal with the world we’re leaving them.

 A video of young girls playing nontraditional women’s sports

The video interviews young girls playing sports—particularly those sports that have been traditionally considered suitable for men—weightlifting, boxing and rugby. These young girls clearly think that girls should not only be able to play rugby—a very rough sport—but also be captain of the team!

P&G calls for Olympic athletes and organizing committees to inspire a world where “every girl truly feels that she can play sports and will Keep Playing #LikeAGirl.” Of course this is a plug for Always feminine products, but the message is heartfelt and timely, and it’s never been more relevant.

A new tagline for Always: Rewrite the Rules

While this is an excellent example of marketing as a story, it also shows a big brand’s stepping up to support—or create a cause. One final note—for this campaign, Always has added a new tagline: “Rewrite the Rules”. I’d love to see P&G turning this into a real cause—not just a one-off ad campaign.

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