The TBWAMCR agency has taken advantage of the iconography of Halloween to shape a powerful campaign on women’s health. Titled “That Time of the Month,” the piece represents the pain of endometriosis through a visual allegory that uses fire, claws, and the torn flesh of a pumpkin to illustrate the physical and emotional experience of those who live with this disease every day.

Directed by Zeynep Oguz through Packer Productions and developed as a pro-bono campaign in less than two weeks, the ad lasts 70 seconds and was made with a technical team made up of 70% women. The voice-over guides the piece, describing the internal torment that endometriosis entails: “Pelvis. Bladder. Lungs. Spine. Each stab is a hot iron. Torturing your insides.”

The campaign has been promoted by the Menstrual Health Project charity organization and seeks to raise awareness of a disease that affects 1.5 million women in the United Kingdom alone, with an average diagnosis time that can last up to eight years. Endometriosis occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows in other parts of the body, affecting organs such as the lungs, bladder or spine. There is no cure, and the consequences of late diagnosis can include severe organ damage, hysterectomies or invasive surgeries.

“Girls are prescribed the pill incorrectly. That is not enough”explains Becci Nadin, Deputy Creative Director at TBWAMCR. “Halloween seemed to us to be the most disruptive time to show symptoms that are extremely difficult to describe, but that should not be ignored.”

The title of the campaign – “That Time of the Month” – plays ironically on the common euphemism surrounding menstruation, highlighting how the suffering caused by endometriosis is not limited to a few days a month, but can become a constant and deeply disabling pain.

The campaign will be accompanied by a toolkit aimed at both patients and those close to those suffering from endometriosis, to help recognize symptoms, initiate more accurate medical conversations and encourage greater social empathy. In addition, it invites viewers to make a symbolic donation of £3, “a treat for those who live a real trick every day”, to the Menstrual Health Project, which is funded exclusively through voluntary contributions.

With this initiative, TBWAMCR challenges traditional narrative codes using fear not as entertainment, but as a mirror of a silenced reality.