NAFC Fashion Week Campaign

NAFC’s Fashion Week Campaign – 2018

The Need

For many people living with incontinence, one of the most common ways to treat their symptoms is through the use of absorbent pads or other protective garments. While these can be effective at managing leaks, adult absorbent products are often considered unappealing alternatives to traditional undergarments. This is not only because they are constant reminders of a condition that many find embarrassing, but also because they are prone to make noise and can be bulky in appearance, both of which can make users feel self-conscious in the presence of others.

Because the way people present themselves outwardly often influences how people feel about themselves inwardly, we wanted to explore the connection between absorbent products, fashion sense and self-image in greater depth to learn the extent to which people alter their clothing based on the need to wear adult absorbent products.

Strategy

NAFC began by conducting a short survey to determine the emotional and physical aspects associated with wearing absorbent products.

We found that half of the people we surveyed were bothered by the absorbent products they wore, with the biggest physical drawbacks being that they felt bulky and uncomfortable. More than 40% of respondents said that absorbent products dictated the clothing they chose, and respondents commonly reported that wearing absorbent products made them feel embarrassed, unattractive and like they couldn’t be themselves.

Based on these results, NAFC next sought to show that bladder protection solutions existed that could help address these concerns. We focused our efforts on educating users on effective measures to identify products that were right for them based on a number of factors, including their body type, their activity level and their particular symptoms.

The product options we presented included a number of new, fashion-friendly absorbents that many users may not have been previously aware of. Our goal was to provide information to help users feel better protected and in greater control, enabling them to live more freely and confidently than before.

Program Development and Execution

NAFC highlighted the results of the survey in a one-week campaign that ran during New York Fashion Week, September 6 to 18, 2018.  We utilized social media and an email campaign to raise awareness of the problem, with all communications making use of attention-getting images that directed audience members to a dedicated page on NAFC.org.

That dedicated web page presented additional details about the survey, tips to more effectively select absorbent garments, and information about new designer options. The coverage of designer options was particularly appropriate for fashion week, given that our survey respondents said that these products contributed to a greater sense of confidence, resulted in an improved self-image, and enabled them to wear an expanded range of clothing.

Results

The fashion week campaign received excellent overall engagement. In one week’s time, we reached nearly 30,000 people and had more than 1,700 engagements on social media.

As a result of our efforts, we generated greater awareness of incontinence and the variety of absorbent products available. Moreover, we successfully showed current users of absorbent garments that they can protect themselves from leaks without having to sacrifice comfort or style.