• by Les Luchter , August 6, 2024

With Lumé commercials seemingly everywhere, and newly launched whole body deodorants from such brands as Procter & Gamble’s Secret and Unilever’s Dove also touting odor protection for what are termed female “privates” or “bits,” Summer’s Eve – which has concentrated unabashedly on vaginal odors for 50 years -- has gone on the offensive with a campaign promising to “Wipe the day from your vajay.”

In one :15 spot, a woman is shown multitasking during her “nine to five, to my five to nine, and every hour in between,” but in the end, “24/7 freshness with PH-balanced washes and wipes” wipes the day away from her vajay.

That spot features Summer’s Eve’s Simply Sensitive line of products, while another focuses on its new Ultimate Odor Protection line of sprays, washes and wipes, launched in May.

There are also :06 versions of each spot, along with a :30 combo, plus other static and video assets being used in digital and social media.

“Wipe the Day” comes from creative agency FCB and production company Prettybird.

The campaign is slated to run through year’s end on digital, social and retail platforms.

Asked by Marketing Daily about the new competition from whole body deodorants, a Summer’s Eve spokesperson stressed that Summer’s Eve pioneered the feminine care category 50 years ago “by prioritizing women, listening to their needs, and committing to understanding how women wish to care for their bodies.”

She also noted that Summer’s Eve’s products are “uniquely formulated for intimate areas and pH-balanced to match the body’s natural chemistry, unlike ordinary soaps and some body washes.”

In May, when Summer’s Eve launched Ultimate Odor Protection, the brand said it was on a mission to “foster open conversations about intimate wellness.” It cited Mintel research from 2019 showing that 70% of women feel uncomfortable discussing vaginal odor, along with a PCH Suzy study from 2023 that found 57% of women do not actively seek vaginal odor solutions.

Summer’s Eve says that “Wipe the Day," besides fighting odor, destigmatizes conversations around the topic while “empowering women with body confidence.”

“Our consumers have long sought open conversations about intimate wellness and solutions for long-lasting freshness and odor control,” Cassin Chaisson, the brand’s vice president of marketing, said in a press release.

Summer’s Eve is marketed by Prestige Consumer Healthcare.