A Modern Take On Contraception: Dirt & Glory Media Creates Beguiling Animation Series for ellaOne and Hana
When it comes to hormonal contraception and emergency contraception, it's incredibly hard to separate the fact from the fiction. Research shows that many women and people with uteruses don't know that the morning after pill works by delaying ovulation, or that not all contraceptive pills, from the mini-pill to the combined pill, are created equal.
In a bid to help demystify the myriad of miseducation and lingering stigma associated with contraception, Dirt & Glory Media produced two animations - one for Hana, a daily contraceptive pill available to buy online or in pharmacies without prescription, and another for ellaOne, the most effective morning after pill - to visually showcase how these different methods of contraception work.
Working with animator Lydia Reid, voiceover artist Khaya March from Soho Voices, and sound engineer Edward Railton from Coda Post Studios, Dirt & Glory created visual worlds for both brands that beautifully bring to life how Hana and ellaOne work to prevent unplanned pregnancies.
The films were inspired by independent research conducted by Dirt & Glory for each brand, which highlights how and why so many young women struggle to get the right education and information when it comes to accessing different methods of contraception. This lack of good sex education is leaving a generation of young people in the UK vulnerable to misinformation that could put them off using emergency contraception or the progestogen-only contraceptive pill (sometimes called the mini-pill), when they need it most. In one survey of over 1,000 British 18-35 year olds for ellaOne, the data revealed that 59% of people do not understand how emergency hormonal contraception (EHC) works by delaying ovulation, and over 40% thought the morning after pill causes an abortion, which is incorrect. In a separate survey for Hana, 53% of the 1,000 people polled said they didn’t know how progestogen-only contraceptive pills work, and almost a third didn’t think that this particular contraceptive pill worked by delaying ovulation.
To demystify how Hana and ellaOne work to prevent unplanned pregnancies, Dirt & Glory worked on films that succinctly distil how each method of contraception works to prevent unplanned pregnancies. Working within the boundaries of the the PAGB, the consumer healthcare association who represent the manufacturers of branded over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, self care medical devices and food supplements in the UK, the final animations break down the journey of contraceptive pills through the anatomical body, showing how pregnancy can occur and how ellaOne and Hana work respectively to help prevent unplanned pregnancies. Bright colours and playful character accents were utilised alongside the brand's unique look and feel, accompanied by Lydia’s unique animation style which is central throughout each one.
Nell Grecian, social media creative at Dirt & Glory Media, who worked on the storyboarding, voiceover script and creative concept, says: “There seems to be a distinct gap in the market at the moment for relevant sex education that teaches the future generations about so much more than just puberty and procreation. Realistic sex education (with readily available information about pleasure, sexuality, consent and not least of all contraception) is not being taught in schools. We wanted people to feel empowered to know what works for their bodies and why. When it comes to making important decisions around how to prevent unplanned pregnancies, all of the information should be available and articulated in a way that people can actually understand.”
Ben Moss, partner at Dirt & Glory Media, says: “So much traditional and archaic sex education is either framed through the male gaze or it’s not created with younger audiences in mind. We wanted these films to be both watchable and educational. They needed to succinctly showcase how the morning after pill and the progestogen-only contraceptive pill actually work to prevent pregnancy. Lydia and the team did an incredible job bringing to life the complexities of how each one works. We created vibrant visual worlds that speak to a generation of young women and people with uteruses who are being left behind by archaic sex education in schools. The team managed to do this whilst also negotiating the occasionally complex regulatory review process that can sometimes prohibit us from being
really explicit about the benefits of each of these incredibly effective brands.”
Hana is the UK’s best selling progestogen-only contraceptive pill that is available to buy online or over the counter in pharmacies without a prescription. ellaOne is the most effective morning after pill available in the UK, and is 2.5 times more effective than levonorgestrel when taken within 24 hours.
