City Hall and Transport for London (TfL) have announced that Holland & Barrett’s ‘Me.No.Pause’ campaign has won an innovative competition designed to celebrate diversity in advertising.
The campaign, which challenges perceptions around the menopause, was chosen as the winner of the ‘Women We See’ competition due to its positive presentation of women going through the menopause and commitment to reflecting the diversity of women in London.
The competition was launched in July last year to encourage advertisers to create positive and inclusive campaigns. Sponsored by TfL media partners, Exterion Media and JCDecaux.
Following entries from more than 90 brands and advertising agencies, the submissions were reviewed by a panel of judges comprised of advertising and media industry experts and City Hall and TfL representatives.
As the winning entry, Holland & Barrett’s campaign will run across JCDecaux and Exterion’s digital channels in London. Holland & Barrett’s campaign was created by Pablo London.
Mothercare was awarded runner-up in the competition, with a campaign celebrating mothers, and their campaign will go on display later this year.
I’m absolutely delighted to be able to announce Holland & Barrett as the winner of the ‘Women We See’ competition. Their Me.No.Pause campaign is a positive and empowering message that shows the brand’s commitment to capturing the diversity of the women in our city.Heidi Alexander, Deputy Mayor for Transport
It was a privilege to judge all of the fantastic entries into our advertising competition, working with the Mayor and our advertising partners, Exterion Media and JCDecaux. Congratulations to the winner, Holland & Barrett, as well as the runner-up, Mothercare - the competition was tough with a range of impressive entries, with each one considering the importance of gender and diversity. It was heartening to see how brands had embraced the challenge and I hope that this competition will continue to drive widespread change in the industry.Chris Macleod, Customer Director at Transport for London (TfL)
Raising awareness of menopause is something we feel very passionate about at Holland & Barrett. It feels like the ‘last taboo’ topic that people still don’t talk about openly, but it is such a natural part of life and something all women will experience! By partnering with City Hall and TfL we will now be able to convey this message over 31 million journeys. We hope this campaign will give all these amazing women the confidence to talk about what they are going through and seek advice or tips on how to alleviate any symptoms if needed. And we are taking this seriously in store too; we have invested in training for all our store colleagues on the topic so we hope women experiencing the menopause come in and speak to us.Caroline Hipperson, Chief Marketing Officer at Holland & Barrett
Out-of-home advertising is a powerful platform when it comes to championing important issues – and we are delighted to support this initiative across TfL’s bus shelters supporting diversity and gender equality. Holland & Barrett’s campaign delivers an important message that will resonate with people across the capital. Out-of-home advertising has an important part to play in cities, it not only champions great causes but it also provides revenue streams to municipalities and transport partners that are reinvested back into public services.Helena Kavanagh, Managing Director, Street Furniture at JCDecaux
