The story behind Clue’s 'Cost of Bleeding'

Creative Moment caught up with Olivia Rawal from Pangolin to discuss raising awareness for an unsung cause, the cost of periods.

Working with broadcaster and activist Ashley James, and cycle tracker app Clue, Pangolin recently unveiled the ‘Cost of Bleeding’ – i.e. the lifetime cost of menstruation – as £20,359 over 38 years. 

The petition, calling for period products to be free and widely available in the UK, has already amassed nearly 30,000 signatures from organic activity alone.

CM (Creative Moment): How did the collaboration with Ashley James come about?

OR (Olivia Rawal): We knew from the outset that this campaign required an authentic voice - someone who has consistently and openly championed issues around women’s health and the experiences of people who menstruate. Ashley James was an obvious choice, given her raw honesty and ongoing advocacy in this space.

Her strong social media presence, combined with her broadcast experience and wider media appeal, made her the ideal spokesperson. 

She not only brings credibility and authenticity to the campaign, but also the ability to drive meaningful, far-reaching conversations.

CM: Tell us about the various facets of the campaign and how it has gained momentum?

OR: The campaign came to life across multiple channels - always a key ambition given the importance and emotional resonance of the topic. 

Its passionate nature helped us build strong momentum across platforms, particularly on social media, where engagement was high (including a repost from Nicola Sturgeon).

We also secured impactful media coverage, particularly in female-led titles, ensuring we reached audiences most invested in the issue. Broadcast played a crucial role in engaging a new audience, with our research uncovering the final “cost of bleeding” featured on the Storm and Alexis Show on launch day, reaching thousands of viewers and igniting debate to help drive conversation.

Podcasts further extended our reach, while hosting the petition on Change.org allowed us to tap into an engaged, like-minded audience. 

As the campaign gained traction, the platform amplified visibility by promoting the petition to its users, helping to sustain momentum and drive continued engagement.

CM: Are there any rules/tips to creating a successful organic awareness campaign?

OR: It may sound obvious, but having a core campaign team that is genuinely passionate about the issue you’re raising awareness of makes all the difference. The all-female Clue team here at Pangolin brought a deeply personal and empathetic perspective to the work, which fuelled our motivation to create meaningful change.

In addition, simplicity is key. The best campaigns are understood at a glance, and ‘Cost of Bleeding’ used money as a lens to interpret an overlooked issue in a way that was clear and accessible to all.

Equally important is ensuring that any talent you partner with is the right fit. They should be able to speak about the cause with genuine passion, knowledge and credibility - enhancing the message rather than overshadowing it, and ensuring the integrity of the campaign remains intact.

CM: Which awareness campaigns have you admired and why?

OR: One campaign that has always stayed with me is Campaign Against Living Miserably’s Missed Birthdays campaign (adam&eveDDB). It saw 6,929 individual birthday balloons installed at Westfield London - each one representing a young life lost to suicide, aged 16–24, over the past decade.

Statistics can sometimes be difficult to truly grasp, but visualising this number through something as universally understood as birthday balloons created an incredibly powerful and human moment. It brought the scale of loss into focus, while reinforcing the importance of the charity’s work.

I know families whose loved ones were represented in the installation, and who felt grateful for the tribute. That, to me, is a true marker of success - raising awareness in a way that is respectful rather than self-serving, while creating a meaningful and memorable moment for those most affected.

Image credits: All supplied by Pangolin.