Ads on Pads unveils the world’s most period-friendly billboard

Have you ever seen a billboard made entirely of period products? Neither had StopPress reporter Zahra Shahtahmasebi, until this morning.

Aditi Gorasia keeps community at the centre of everything she does – even her first billboard campaign for Ads on Pads was more than just marketing for her brand.

Today, she unveiled the ‘world’s most period-friendly billboard’: an installation made entirely of branded pads on the wall at Kol restaurant in Auckland’s Ponsonby.

Featuring the Ads on Pads’ bold purple branding, it reads: “Building period equity, one pad at a time.”

Live from September 17 to 19, people can visit to the billboard and take a pad for themselves or someone they know. There are also some surprise prizes up for grabs.

“The same space that usually ends up hidden in a bathroom can become a billboard – one that gives back,” says Gorasia. “This installation is marketing that matters: a message you don’t just look at, but literally take away with you. Every ad on our pads comes with real value for the community.”

Inspiration strikes

At the billboard’s unveiling, Gorasia thanked creative partners Hula and told the story of how and why Ads on Pads came to be.

The idea has been percolating in her head for the last 10 years, when she was women’s rights officer at the University of Auckland.

Every day she would hear stories of people struggling with period poverty: having to choose between buying pads and food, or missing classes because they couldn’t afford the products.

After spending her career working in marketing and branding, she continued to be struck by the staggering period poverty statistics in Aotearoa. A KidsCan survey from 2018 shows over 50% of women in New Zealand have struggled to afford pads.

Undivided attention

Gorasia’s career also showed her that we live in a world where every brand is constantly fighting to be seen.

But those moments in the bathroom when you’re changing your period product? That’s 30 to 60 seconds of undivided attention right there. “Both your hands are occupied – so you can’t be using your phone,” says Gorasia.

So what better place for some advertising? The Ads on Pads model is simple: stockists fund the pads, and a hand-picked selection of advertisers pay to put their branding on the packaging.

Advertisers so far have included the Breast Cancer Foundation NZ, Jucy, Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa and EatKinda.

The pads are then made freely available in public bathrooms. A portion of advertising revenue goes to menstrual justice charity Period Place Aotearoa.

In almost one year, ads have funded the distribution of 20,000+ free pads every month, says Gorasia.

Ads on Pads is currently reaching people through universities, community hubs and workplaces. Over the summer, it also ran an activation at Gisborne music festival Rhythm & Vines.

Gorasia adds that with new stockists set to roll out soon – including a shopping mall, convention centre and major events stadium – she expects Ads on Pads to double its monthly impact by January 2026.

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