Fake tampon 'Votex' urges women to stem 'the conservative flow'

A Colorado agency is asking women to vote with their vaginas.

Fortnight Collective has created a parody campaign for a fictitious tampon product called Votex, timed to the midterm elections, to encourage women to turn out and support pro-reproductive rights candidates in the state. The packaging, which looks uncannily like a tampon box, contains instructions on how and where to vote, along with warnings about the danger of not voting. And to promote Votex, the agency has created “commercials” loaded with imagery and language commonly found in feminine hygiene ads.

“Worried about a conservative flow leaking into your reproductive rights?” begins one 15-second video. “Get the protection you deserve. Votex. The most effective way to protect your reproductive rights. Period.”

The shop went so far as to create its own instructional pamphlet that mirrors those found in actual tampon boxes, but with a democratic twist. “Insert protection from conservative flow,” reads the pamphlet. “Using your fingers, gently slide your preferred lawmakers into place with your votes. Be sure to apply enough pressure so that your voice is heard and they land securely in place in office.”

As part of the campaign, Fortnight Collective created a website called FlowToThePolls.com, with details on voter registration in the Centennial State and canvassed citizens in Boulder and at the University of Colorado.

“We didn't want to just sit around while reproductive rights are being stripped away. We wanted to do something,” said Associate Creative Director Steph Strange at the agency, which is particularly targeting women in their 20s, who the agency said account for more than half the abortions in the country.

“We know the power of branding, so it was great to create a brand for something like this that matters,” added Martha Crompton, associate creative director at Fortnight.