Big Vagina Energy Got Big Results for Olly Vitamins

Miya Kanzaki, Creative Director, Studio ResonateMar 23, 2023

Celebrating success for women’s health, podcast Host Reads, and judgment-free advertising.

Women’s History Month is a great time to talk about vaginas. So is every month.

That’s why we’re highlighting Unilever’s Olly podcast campaign, Big Vagina Energy. Olly’s mission: start a movement of unapologetic confidence and shame-free self care, encouraging people to talk openly about women’s health—and vaginas! Studio Resonate was all for it. We embraced the opportunity to get the word out (the word being “vagina”) and empower others to talk about body parts, including those we’ve been made to feel shouldn’t be talked about.

The strategy: female empowerment and podcasts

More women are listening to podcasts than ever. In fact, 48% of podcast listeners identify as women, with 90% saying they’ve listened to a podcast hosted by a woman. We’ve seen this audience say it’s important that podcasts include unfiltered conversations, and female podcast listeners can be more likely to purchase from brands that advertise on shows created or hosted by women.1 So Olly’s podcast strategy was set up for success.

To align with the campaign’s theme, we paired the brand with female-hosted shows in categories that feature conversations about female empowerment and women’s health, including Scam Goddess, Juicy Scoop, Best Friends, Crime Junkie, and more. The brand sent the hosts the products to try for themselves, so they could share their real experiences and opinions.

Crafting scripts for the best Host Reads

After a lively kick off call where we brainstormed with the brand and media agency, Tinuiti—and we said “vagina” a lot!—it was time for Angelica Florio, a Studio Resonate Copywriter, to write Host Read scripts. When Studio Resonate creates scripts for podcasts hosts, we distill the brief from the client into a format that will flow smoothly, while also making sure the host emphasizes product benefits that are important to the brand. Writers also add helpful cues to provide a jumping off point for hosts to riff on anecdotes and personal experiences—which are often the most engaging and influential part of the read.

“
Because hosts like Laci Mosley (Scam Goddess) and Heather McDonald (Juicy Scoop) infused the scripts with their personalities, the word ‘vagina’ sounded more natural and familiar. Speaking about women’s health is important, and having hosts serve as conduits for those messages makes it feel like it’s coming from a friend. This campaign helped us to prove that using the word ‘vagina’ for a good cause works when we don’t shy away from it.”

Angelica FlorioCopywriter, Studio Resonate

Olly Host Read on Scam Goddess

Voiced and personalized by Laci Mosley, host of Scam Goddess.

Olly Head Read on Juicy Scoop

Voiced and personalized by Heather McDonald, host of Juicy Scoop.

But how would it all land with audiences?

Podcast listeners were definitely here for Big Vagina Energy. When we received results from the Nielsen study,2 we were thrilled and validated in our belief in the concept. Some of the campaign’s success was most likely linked to the intimacy of the podcast ad environment and the fact that hosts innately understand how to speak to their audiences in ways that will resonate with them.

Big vagina energy delivers

12-pt lift in purchase intent
10-pt lift in “Big Vagina Energy” message association
Significant lifts in agreement with brand attributes including:
- “Olly is innovative” (+23 pts)
- “Olly is empowering” (+17 pts)
- “Olly makes a positive contribution to society” (+16 pts)

You know those few and far between moments in life when you start to believe we might actually be evolving as humans? For us at Studio Resonate, seeing these results was one of those moments.

“
We were excited to be a part of Olly's mission to de-stigmatize anatomically correct terms like VAGINA. This campaign presented an opportunity to help us all feel more comfortable talking about the realities of women's health.”

Angelica FlorioCopywriter, Studio Resonate

More of this: judgment-free advertising

As marketers, let’s continue to strive to create this kind of advertising. Even if we don’t always notice or acknowledge it, let’s remind ourselves that ads have the potential to make a positive impact on culture. Making sure the message gets across the right way, in the right environments is crucial, and Studio Resonate is here to help. Let's talk big energy.

Want to hear more about our work? Check out the Studio Resonate page.