Playtex opens dialogue for women to talk about "the girls"

Yesterday, Playtex launched an advertising and marketing campaign called "Girl Talk" at playtexfits.com, where confident women talk about their breasts – often euphemistically as "the girls" – and the quest for finding a well-fitting bra that keeps the girls happy.

"Our new campaign harkens back to our innovative marketing roots when Playtex intimate apparel was the first bra brand to advertise nationally on television—back in 1954—and did so with a great-fitting bra and a touch of humor," said Vicki Seawright, marketing director for Playtex intimate apparel. "Flash forward to 2007 and you see Playtex intimate apparel at the forefront of bringing to life what women honestly say about their bras and breasts."

The multimillion-dollar Girl Talk campaign, one of the largest marketing endeavors in the brand's history and supports the Playtex 18 Hour® and Playtex Secrets® product lines. The multidimensional marketing campaign will include television, online and print advertising, as well as Internet-based social networking and Web site initiatives.

"This new approach brings to life candid conversations of women and will engage women in a dialogue they can relate to through a variety of channels," Seawright said. "Our priority was to capture the realness of 'girl talk,' and we devoted a year of marketing research with women for this campaign. We uncovered that women of all shapes and sizes talk about their bras and breasts in funny, witty and candid ways. That was the strategic underpinning for developing the Girl Talk campaign and underscoring the diversity of our Playtex bras to fit the many needs of real women."

Playtex intimate apparel will bring the campaign's woman-to-woman dialogue to life at playtexfits.com – a destination specifically created to foster bra banter.

Examples of bra banter that emerged during Playtex's market research and made it into the Girl Talk campaign include: "Gravity is no longer my enemy, but brownies are" and "Wearing a bra shouldn't be punishment." And one woman remarked that she often has to remind men during conversation, "Eyes up here."

The revitalized website, playtexfits.com, includes interactive and viral extensions such as:

* The opportunity to share personalized bra banter by submitting a line about bras and breasts like those featured in the ads
* Voting for favorite lines submitted by others that could be highlighted in future executions of the campaign
* Perking up someone's day by sending them a "Girl Talk" e-card
* BYOB – "Bring your own bras" into the conversation by submitting videos of personal bra stories
* Get the fit right by consulting with Roz, the site's virtual bra fitter

In addition Playtex intimate apparel will utilize YouTube™ and American Greetings™ online channels to promote the Web site's interactive functions to women who are active in social networking communities. The brand also will execute a series of online advertisements through mid-December.

The advertising campaign, created by Kraftworks LTD of New York City, will run through December.