British feminine hygiene brand Elvie has unveiled a billboard that “urinates” on pedestrians below to draw attention to a problem that reportedly affects 84 per cent of women – urinary incontinence.
The billboard has been set up in Shoreditch in London and features actual incontinence sufferer, 28-year-old mother-of-two, Megan Burns, in a weightlifting pose.
The campaign actually came about after Elvie posted footage of Burns leaking urine during a gym workout on TikTok. However, the social media giant promptly banned the footage, deeming it “graphic content”.
Working with its agency Don’t Cry Wolf, Elvie decided to erect the #LeaksHappen billboard as its own protest to the ban.
Don’t Cry Wolf was responsible for all the strategy, creative and PR execution for the campaign and worked with Elvie’s in-house creative team to design the billboard’s graphics.
Video and imagery of the installation will also be shared across Elvie’s owned channels, alongside stories from the women involved. Elvie also collaborated with fitness influencer Nesrine Dally, who was the first hijab-wearing athlete to compete in Muay Thai, to highlight how women can tackle the issue of incontinence.
Commenting on the project, Elvie CMO, Aoife Nally, said: “Incontinence is common in women at all ages and stages of life. By censoring content that shows women experiencing urinary leaks, social media platforms are reinforcing taboos around the issue.
“Elvie’s giant ‘peeing’ billboard is bringing the issue out of the shadows and into the spotlight. We hope it will encourage women to start speaking out about the issue and seek the help they need to solve the problem. Elvie’s goal is to empower and enable women to achieve everything their bodies are capable of.”
