The archive · Marketing & Growth · Marketing decision · 2014–2015
Always' #LikeAGirl turns an insult into empowerment — 76M views, teen intent 40%→60%
A filmed social experiment asks girls and adults what it means to do things 'like a girl' — then redefines the phrase into an empowerment movement.
Always (Procter & Gamble) · Leo Burnett
What it had to solve
Always had built its brand on functional product superiority but was losing relevance with the next generation of girls and needed an emotional platform. Research showed a girl's confidence drops to its lowest point at her first period — twice as low as a boy's at the same age — so the brand chose to take on the playground insult 'like a girl' instead of selling pads.
How it works
Always, Procter & Gamble's feminine-care brand, had marketed itself on functional benefits and blue liquid but was losing its grip on the next generation of girls. Leo Burnett's research found that at puberty a girl's confidence drops dramatically, hitting its lowest point at her first period — twice as low as a boy's at the same age. The brand adopted a new role: champion a girl's confidence, starting by taking on the common schoolyard insult 'like a girl'.
The execution was a four-minute social experiment directed by Lauren Greenfield. Adults were asked to show what it means to run, throw or fight 'like a girl' and performed weak caricatures; then the same questions went to young girls, who ran and threw with full strength and pride. The film launched on YouTube on 26 June 2014 with the #LikeAGirl hashtag, accompanied by the published confidence study, blogger outreach and celebrity seeding to give the first days velocity.
Within its second week the film was the world's #1 viral video, reaching 76 million views worldwide — 36% of them earned — plus 1,100 headlines and 3.4 billion total impressions. Sentiment was 99% positive, girls shared over 4.5 million #LikeAGirl achievements, claimed purchase intent rose from 42% to 46% overall and from 40% to 60% among teens, and top-of-mind awareness climbed from 77% to 83%. The work won eight Cannes Lions, a Grand Prix and a Titanium, four North American Effie golds and a Gold Global Effie, and was ranked the Gunn Report's #1 Case for Creativity of 2015.
Why it lands
- The insight was physiological and universal — confidence collapsing at puberty — so the brand took on a real problem instead of selling product features.
- The social experiment format made the prejudice visible: adults performing the insult made it undeniable, and the girls' answers became the emotional turn.
- The hashtag gave the audience a way to join: 4.5 million user-shared achievements became the media, not just the film.
- It united current customers (women 18-25) with future customers (girls 10-12) in one movement, building equity and purchase intent from the same idea.
What it did
The film became the world's #1 viral video within its second week, reaching 76 million views worldwide (36% earned) and 1,100+ headlines; the campaign generated 3.4 billion impressions and 99% positive sentiment, with over 4.5 million user-shared #LikeAGirl achievements. Claimed purchase intent rose from 42% to 46% overall and from 40% to 60% among teens; top-of-mind awareness rose from 77% to 83% and brand share grew to 59.6%.
What you can take
Take on the phrase instead of the category: redefining an insult girls actually hear makes purpose tangible, and a filmed social experiment gives people a film worth sharing rather than an ad to skip.
Since then
One of 2015's most-awarded campaigns — eight Cannes Lions including a Grand Prix and a Titanium, four North American Effie golds, a Gold Global Effie and a WARC/APG Gold — it was ranked the #1 Case for Creativity by the Gunn Report. P&G was named North America's Most Effective Marketer largely because of Always, credited with a 50% lift in purchase intent and a UN award for its impact on female empowerment. '#LikeAGirl' moved from insult to everyday affirmation, and its research-backed purpose, social experiment and hashtag movement became a template for purpose-driven campaigns.
Sources
- #LIKEAGIRL
- AToMiC Awards 2015 Winners: Always – #LikeAGirl
- The 2015 Cases for Creativity
- Always #LikeaGirl: Changing the meaning of words to make girls proud to be girls
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