Decoding Creativity x Effectiveness: In conversation with Rahul Mathew of DDB Mudra Group
Tell us about ‘Project Free Period’
Stayfree has been championing the cause of normalising periods for decades now. But in India, periods are more than just a biological reality. They are a hardline, long-standing taboo. Instead of discussing it openly, a period conversation is often brushed aside in whispers. Thus, to tackle one taboo, we engaged with another—prostitution.
Despite having the largest number of sex workers in the world, prostitution, like periods, has long been a matter of shame and disgust in the country. And we found an insight that brought the two closer. Commercial sex workers look forward to their periods, because it’s the only time they cannot be forced to work by their pimps.
So, we decided to bring together the two taboos of periods and prostitution to create a story of progress. By turning the three days of their period into three days of learning a new skill or trade. This would eventually not just offer them a way out of the industry but would also go on to prove that your period days can become as liberating as you choose to make them.
“When creativity is effective and effective work is creative, it has even greater power to positively impact people, brands and the world.” What are your thoughts on this statement?
At DDB, we believe that creativity is the most powerful force in the business. It’s what inspired our global positioning of ‘Unexpected Works’. If the work we do for our clients is unexpected, it works for them beyond their expectations. And those are the words we live by at the agency.