Written by Joe Jackson on Mar 16, 2022. Posted in Production News

72andSunny’s fictional cereal campaign uses loophole to fight period poverty

Creative agency 72andSunny New York are combatting period poverty with a fictional cereal. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme (SNAP) in the United States provides food-purchasing assistance to low-incoming families. However, there are no major federal funding lines dedicated to period care, and nearly one in four menstruators in the US struggle to access appropriate healthcare products. 72andSunny’s fictitious Loopholes cereal is SNAP-eligible and offers a special prize in each box: a cycle’s worth of tampons and pads.

“Period products are as necessary as toilet paper and food,” says Elaine Cox, executive creative director at 72andSunny New York. “Not having access to them has lasting consequences. This is not just an issue for those of us who menstruate. It leads to missed days of school, it affects job performance, and leads to physical and mental hardships. It touches entire families. The solution is not a mystery. It’s time to address this ridiculous inequity and put an end to it once and for all.”

The Loopholes advert was directed by Matt Morgan and shot at SCHROM Studios in New York. As well as being world leaders in tabletop production with over thirty years of experience, the SCHROM 'kitchen' boasts a brand new 22,500 square foot facility 25 minutes from the city's Columbus Circle.

This particular campaign is made in partnership with non-profit organisations PERIOD., Free the Period, Ignite, No More Secrets and The Flow Initiative, alongside period care brand August and plant-based cereal brand OffLimits. Loopholes aims to put the severity of period poverty on people’s radar, directly calling on politicians and influencers to support the Menstrual Equity For All Act. There will be a series of films, social assets and ongoing activations, such as a panel at SXSW and a satirical influencer campaign.

“As a period brand, it's our responsibility to use our platform to fight for a more positive vision of periods, and that includes advocating for more equitable access to period care,” details Nadya Okamoto, co-founder at August. “We were excited to participate in this campaign, because it highlights the ridiculousness of how our society thinks of period care.”

"Access to Period products is a matter of human rights, especially as these products are used monthly by over half the US population,” adds Michela Bedard, executive director at PERIOD. “We need national policy change to address systemic period poverty, including the ability to use public benefits to purchase products. Everyone deserves to live a full life, regardless of a natural need. Period."