One thing which makes Internet forums so popular is that you can use them to post an Open Letter. Open letters can be posted to people or companies you know would not otherwise read them. Posting it online offers the opportunity to get your thoughts across to a wide audience, and perhaps if it’s picked up by enough people, the company in question may actually read it.

Enter Wendy Aarons, a woman who posted an open letter to Mr. James Thatcher, Brand Manager, Procter & Gamble. The letter in question is a complaint about feminine hygiene product packaging.

A warning for readers

At this point, I would like to caution any male readers that the content ahead will contain references to “that time of the month.“ In a sincere effort to spare your male sensibilities, I would, therefore, like to introduce you to the exciting and informative articles in the Blasting News Sports Section.

For those of you who are still reading, you have likely read the letter already because it has been posted online since 2007. A Hilarious condemnation of the “Have a Happy Period” slogan which was included with Procter & Gamble packaging for the Always Brand feminine pads (on the pad's peel-off strips), has been an internet meme for quite some time now.

As humorous as it is, and it is well worth the read, it is unfortunately not actually real.

It is real in so far as it was written by a real person, Wendy Aarons is a copywriter from Austin Texas. Ms. Aarons, however, did not actually send the letter to Procter & Gamble, nor does this Mr. James Thatcher actually exist.

Snopes revelation

As Snopes has revealed under their humorous letters section, they have confirmed that the letter was originally posted on the McSweeney’s website which features a section entitled "Open Letters To People Or Entities Who Are Unlikely To Respond."

As far as Mr.

James Thatcher, however, he is not a Brand Manager at Procter & Gamble and it was actually two marketing directors and a group president who was among the women who had greenlighted that "Happy Period" campaign.

The only complaints Procter & Gamble have had about this campaign are that some users prefer to use a tampon. The success of the media campaign has been validated by Infegy’s social radar social-media-monitoring system, confirming that response to the campaign has been overwhelmingly positive since it first appeared in March 2007.

Real or not, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Wendy Aarons for a hearty good laugh. Whether the letter is genuine or not, it was extremely well written, has several good points, and is well worth the read.
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