Kotex Matches Tennis With Women's Health Message

Red hues rule in 'Own Your flow'

Make the message bigger, bolder … redder. Much redder. Kimberly-Clark’s Kotex does just that to stunning effect, mixing tennis with fiery hues in a short film from ace director Juan Cabral.

A version of ’80s staple “Everybody Wants to Rule world”—pointed yet poppy—provides the soundtrack. That music choice underscores the message about women facing pressure of all sorts and proves an effective counterpoint to the fiery visuals.

This one’s earned lots of press attention in just a few days, and rightly so. The imagery from Cabral proves potent throughout.

The ad does an especially fine job of contrasting calm moments with on-court action and unexpected imagery—notably this wall of menstrual blood:

It’s an especially effective period metaphor, more like an art-house short than a commercial. This will surely rank among the year’s top health and wellness spots.

McCann leads the campaign, which was launched by FCB before the Omnicom deal. The work will run mainly online.