Today's Ypulse Interview is with Courtney Schuster, Associate Brand Manager for Procter & Gamble's Tampax and one of the team members behind recent ads featuring tennis star Serena Williams in battle on the court with a pesky Mother Nature attempting to bestow her *ahem* monthly gift.

Not surprisingly, the endorsement deal drew a lot of extra attention in light of its star's recent controversy, but the ads, a continuation of the clever, candid "Outsmart Mother Nature" campaign that debuted in March, really are a pretty noteworthy marketing move on their own (for one thing  they actually use the word "blood!") We caught up with Courtney over email to find out more.

Ypulse Interview: Courtney Schuster, Tampax

Ypulse: What made Serena Williams a good fit for the Mother Nature campaign and the Tampax brand in general? Did the recent incident at the U.S. Open raise any concerns? Why or why not?

Courtney Schuster: We felt that Serena was the perfect choice for the extension of our Outsmart Mother Nature campaign, as she truly embodies the unstoppable spirit of the women who use Tampax Pearl! She doesn’t shy away from anything – on or off the court – and captures the playful wit of the Tampax brand, as she continues to be a champion and successfully Outsmarts Mother Nature.

This is a really groundbreaking partnership for Tampax, and we see this collaboration as a major milestone for the entire feminine care industry. This is the first time that the brand has joined forces with such a high-profile, celebrity athlete, and we are delighted that Serena partnered with us for this initiative.

Regarding her recent incident at the U.S. Open, we support Serena’s formal apology to the people involved and recognize that everyone makes mistakes. In our experience, Serena has been an incredible person to work with and has been extremely professional, composed and confident during our partnership.

YP: Can you describe the online components of the campaign? What motivates teen girls to visit the Tampax site or BeingGirl.com?

CS: This extension of the “Outsmart Mother Nature” campaign includes a series of videos on tampax.com and beinggirl.com, where consumers can view some fun behind-the-scenes footage from the ad shoot, featuring Serena and Mother Nature at a head-to-head “press conference.” The first video in the series is already live.

Beinggirl.com is a fun, informative and interactive Web site for girls by girls (created by Tampax and Always), offering information, advice, resources and games to help answer girls’ questions about adolescence and growing up. Girls are invited to share their opinions, questions and thoughts in a welcoming, open forum, and we felt that this was a great place to share the video with teen girls.

YP: How do these "Mother Nature" spots differ in tone and language from traditional feminine product campaigns? What message do you hope to send teen girls and athletes in particular with the spots featuring Serena?

YP: As mentioned above, we feel that this partnership is a truly groundbreaking initiative, not just for the Tampax Pearl brand, but also for the entire feminine care industry. This collaboration marks a major milestone for the entire feminine care industry, as the nature of the product and topic is typically regarded with privacy and little spokesperson affiliation. Through this ad campaign, we hope to inspire young girls and women to continue to celebrate their own strength and independence and live life on their own terms every day, just like Serena.

YP: What comes next for the Mother Nature campaign and the Serena endorsement?

CS: At the moment, we are focusing solely on the print ads and online videos for this partnership. Our Outsmart Mother Nature video featuring Serena Williams is currently available on beinggirl.com and tampax.com, with more to come. Our print ads launched in October issues of national teen publications and will also run in national beauty, health and women’s lifestyle publications this winter.

For more coverage of youth marketing, go to the Ypulse Youth Marketing Channel sponsored by Youth Marketing Connection.

Categorized under: Youth Marketing

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