Over 5 mn women trust Paree with their menstrual hygiene every month: Shruti Kapoor

Paree Sanitary Pads recently announced an association with young female Indian athletes under the #ChampionForChampions campaign through a creative and bold digital film with an electrifying anthem with a special message from actress and brand ambassador Janhvi Kapoor. Through this association, the brand is supporting female athletes across different sports through a scholarship program. Under this program, the brand is helping young aspiring female champions having one common goal in the minds, that is, ‘Reaching for the Sky’.

In conversation with Adgully, Shruti Kapoor, Senior Marketing Manager, Paree Sanitary Pads by Soothe Healthcare, speaks about associating with female police officers and female athletes to promote menstrual hygiene, the key objective behind ‘Champion for Champions’ campaign, taking a progressive approach in Paree’s brand communication and marketing strategy, and more.

Please elaborate on Paree Sanitary Pads’ association with young female athletes?

Paree has been actively working with real life champions towards prioritising menstrual health for women in India under the #ChampionForChampions initiative. Last year, the brand joined hands with Dr Kiran Bedi and the female police force to raise awareness for menstrual hygiene. We have been bringing together the real champions from different walks of life to encourage women to prioritise menstrual hygiene and wellness.

This International Women’s Day, Paree Sanitary Pads has joined hands with five female Indian athletes who are poised to make it big with their sheer grit and determination and we at Paree want to help them achieve their goals.

Through this association with Sporting Ethos, Paree has extended its support to female athletes across different sports through a sponsorship program. Under this, the brand stands with five very talented and young female athletes – Narmada Nithin, who recently won Gold at the ISSF Shooting World Cup in Cairo 2023; Shikha Yadav, a member of the Indian Senior Women’s Rugby Team; Ruchi Yadav and Raziya Khan, who represent Delhi in the Sub-Junior National Football Championship; and Dolly Gola, who is a Para athlete and has won 2 Golds in Discus Throw.

Through this association, we are not just helping these champions, but also aim to encourage other girls and tell them that once you decide, there’s nothing that can stop you from achieving your goals.

What is the idea behind the #ChampionforChampions campaign and how is it helping raise awareness about menstrual hygiene?

We at Paree Sanitary Pads do not see ‘Champion for Champions’ as just a campaign, but rather an initiative that celebrates women champions from different walks of life. In our capacity, we want to honour, celebrate, and shine a light on their achievements and contribution to the society. By dedicating brand Paree’s offering to these real-life champions, we want to raise awareness on the important subject of Menstrual Hygiene, from one Champion to the other. Year on year, we want to make this initiative bigger to encourage women to make menstrual health a priority.

It was started with the #SheFirst campaign during the pandemic to distribute sanitary pads to ensure dignified menstrual protection for women. This was followed by the #ChampionForChampions initiative, where the brand reached out to approximately 20,000 female police officers across 75 cities to not only provide them with the right menstrual protection, but also promote the importance of menstrual health and to celebrate their heavy-duty contribution to the society. Dr Kiran Bedi and India Vision foundation joined forces with Paree’s initiative to lend voice to this important message. 

This year, we have joined forces with young women athletes and extended our support to them through a sponsorship program. We believe that sometimes all that a champion needs is the right support and through this association, we are not just helping these champions, but also aim to encourage other girls and tell them that once you decide, there’s nothing that can stop you from achieving your goals.

How is the company upending the women’s hygiene sector with its cutting-edge products and marketing techniques?

As a brand, Paree understands the many avatars of the modern Indian woman, and the same is reflected in our products and our communication.

When it comes to our products, our philosophy is to make products that women need and not what we find easier to make. Our products solve real problems that women face during periods, like Heavy Flow. Hence, every product from Paree is a Heavy Flow Champion! We have a state-of-art US FDA certified manufacturing facility committed to bringing world-class hygiene products for the Indian woman.

Even in our brand communication and initiatives, we always take a progressive approach – be it talking about PMS or encouraging women to prioritise their menstrual hygiene and wellness.

Due to this, over 5 million women trust Paree with their menstrual hygiene every month!

What are your further plans related to this campaign?

We believe any initiative that is started with a good intent tends to go a long way. We introduced #ChampionForChampions back in 2020 for female police officers during the Covid phase and in the last 2 years the program has grown by leaps and bounds with Paree having reached out to 20,000 female police officers across 65 cities. The voices that have joined us in this initiative are adding so much volume to the message of Menstrual Health Prioritisation that we feel humbled. When you work towards the right direction relentlessly, you are eventually joined by forces who will accelerate your purpose. Hence, we will work towards expanding ‘#ChampionforChampions’.

Along with #ChampionForChampions, we are also continuously working on menstrual hygiene awareness, especially for young school going girls under our initiative – ‘PareeVartan’. Under ‘PareeVartan’, we conduct various activities for making menstrual hygiene a priority. We recently adopted 100 schools in the state of Bihar to provide sanitary pads to the girls in these schools. Along with this, the brand also hosts Menstrual Hygiene Awareness Programs in schools focused on menstrual wellness and good hygiene practices that one must follow. Apart from Bihar, this initiative has now been extended to Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan as well.

Whatever initiatives we have taken so far and the ones we will work on in the future, it will always be with the intention of making menstrual hygiene a priority and positively impacting the lives of the women.

What is the media mix strategy? How does your approach differ from competitors towards audience engagement?

Our media mix strategy is simple – to be present where our consumers are! And we follow the 360-degree approach so that consumers not only become aware of the brand, but also build a positive disposition towards the brand.

From mass mediums like TV to in-person product demos and samplings through activations – we are present across various communication touchpoints.

With the younger audience now largely moving towards digital, we connect with them through social media, OTT and even platforms like ShareChat and Moj.