2019 Winner

Shoppers Drug Mart

The Monthly

John St.

SilverCause/Public Service

It’s not something many people think about, but every month, homeless women face an impossible decision: do they buy food, or tampons? Many, in desperation, will resort to makeshift replacements like socks or paper towels, which can cause infections.

Women who live on the street feel a sense of shame and vulnerability, which prevents them from walking into a Shoppers to ask for help. So John St. created “The Monthly” to preserve their privacy and dignity, creating tampons disguised as periodicals. The tampons were stored in unused newspaper boxes. Hiding in plain sight, the boxes dispensed tampons when women opened them using a secret PIN given by shelters.

Shoppers has deliberately not promoted the program (which won a Silver in Cause/Public Service) to preserve the initiative’s discretion. But the success of the initiative has led the Toronto City Council to waive the permit fee for Shoppers to install boxes in other areas.

Credits
Client Credits
VP, Corporate Brand Marketing: Cheryl Grishkewich
VP, Marketing: Deon Alhadeff
Director, Community Investment: Lisa Gibbs
Senior Brand Manager, Corporate Brands: Jodi Lumsden
Senior Director Marketing, Health & Wellness: Pam Russell
Senior Marketing Coordinator: Kristen Sinanan

Agency Credits:
Chief Creative Officer: Angus Tucker
Chief Strategy Officer: Megan Towers
Executive Creative Director: Cher Campbell
Creative Director: Mark Scott
Copywriter: Stephie Coplan
Art Director: Lia MacLeod
Executive Design Director: Mooren Bofill
Designer: Teresa Tam, Hannah Lee
Executive Director, Production: Cas Binnington
Head of Integrated Production: Aimee DeParolis
Producer: Neal Owusu
Director of Creative Technology: Joshua Richards
UX Designer: Teunis Vorsteveld
Team Lead: Nick Pigott
Account Director: Kristin Meier
Account Supervisor: Nikita Nelson
Account Executive: Ariel Segal
Account Coordinator: Tristan Heighington

Production Credits:
Production Company: Heyd & Saffer
Installation Production: Paus Woodwork, Sixpenny
Photography Production: Gas Company

For submission inquiries, please contact Clare O'Brien at cobrien@brunico.com.
For partnership inquiries, please contact Neil Ewen at newen@brunico.com.