23 March 2025
Mrs Catherine Abbott, Head of Business
In January and early February, 20 students in Years 9 to Upper Sixth took part in weekly focus groups to give their input to the development of a marketing campaign for Persil washing detergent. Titled ‘every stain should be part of the game’, the campaign features Arsenal Women’s Football Team and tackles the issue of girls dropping out of sports due to their periods. In the sessions, run by Unilever Global Marketing Manager Holly Hetherington, the students shared their thoughts and opinions on a number of advertisements to help Holly refine the campaign’s messaging and ‘tone of voice’. Our students were also involved in the development of educational games and materials to help promote children’s involvement in sport.
The shoot with the Arsenal football players took place during the half term break – you can view the final advertisements here. As a reward for our students’ involvement, Unilever organised two opportunities for the girls to watch an Arsenal Women’s football match at the Emirates Stadium. The first group had a brilliant time soaking in the atmosphere from an executive box as they watched Arsenal score four goals against Liverpool on Sunday 22 March (see photos below). At the end of the match, the girls were each given a signed Arsenal Women’s football shirt as a memento, which was a lovely surprise. The rest of the students are really looking forward to watching Arsenal Women take on Manchester United in May.
The message of the campaign speaks to our values as a girls’ school, championing confident and courageous young women, and it is our hope that our students’ input will help inspire more girls to take part in sport, regardless of the barriers faced.
Alice, Lower Sixth
It was exciting to be involved behind the scenes on an advertising campaign. Being part of the Unilever focus group was a very enjoyable experience. We were able to see how much time and effort is put into developing a campaign and making sure it is perfect before releasing it to the public. We were able to share our ideas to help create the most effective advertisement to capture the target audience’s attention. We also developed games we thought would help younger people learn that periods aren’t something we should be ashamed about.
Chloe, Lower Sixth
Being part of the focus group was an amazing opportunity to collaborate with my peers and learn all about the process of launching a campaign. I thoroughly enjoyed being able to influence which advertisements should be released - especially when I actually saw one of them at Angel tube station. The meetings were very informative, and I learnt so much about periods, including tips I can share with others. It was really interesting to hear everyone’s perspectives on what would appeal the most to the public and the importance of effective marketing. The focus group allowed me to share opinions in an encouraging environment, as well as giving me an insight into how to utilise all members of a team to deliver a successful campaign.
