Menopause Monopoly: how Aviva reimagined an iconic board game to spark a national conversation

Aviva, Saatchi & Saatchi and Hasbro turn the world's most famous board game into a conversation starter about menopause, with licensing facilitated by Born Licensing.

What do hot flushes, missed promotions, financial worries and Monopoly have in common? Quite a lot, as it turns out.

Aviva has teamed up with Saatchi & Saatchi, OMD UK, Channel 4 and Hasbro to launch Menopause Monopoly, a creative reimagining of Hasbro's iconic board game designed to challenge the stigma surrounding menopause and encourage more open conversations about its impact on everyday life.

And while Monopoly is traditionally a game about buying property, collecting rent and navigating financial fortunes, this particular edition explores an entirely different set of challenges.

Passing GO, navigating menopause

Developed by Saatchi & Saatchi, Menopause Monopoly transforms the familiar board into a reflection of the physical, emotional and financial realities of menopause.

Properties have been replaced with spaces including Self-Care, Missed Promotion and Financial Worries, while Chance cards feature scenarios inspired by real experiences, from taking control of pensions and savings to navigating changes in libido. Even the iconic player tokens have received a makeover, with a fan, eye mask and open purse representing some of the challenges players might encounter along the way.

It's a clever creative fit. Monopoly has always revolved around money, life decisions and unexpected twists of fortune, making its familiar mechanics a natural vehicle for exploring how menopause can affect careers, relationships, finances and wellbeing.

The result is a playful but purposeful way to approach a subject that, despite affecting millions of people, is still too often misunderstood or overlooked.

A ‘Games Night’ with a difference

The bespoke board game sits at the heart of Games Night, an original branded entertainment film created in partnership with Channel 4.

Hosted by comedian Kerry Godliman, the film brings together television presenter Anna Richardson and content creator Fats Timbo for an unconventional games night, with the reimagined Monopoly board prompting candid conversations about their experiences of menopause. Combining humour, personal stories and honest reflection, the film explores the different ways menopause can affect individuals, going beyond symptoms to address its wider impact on everyday life.

The campaign launched on 7 October and runs until the end of the year across Channel 4's linear, streaming, YouTube and social platforms. The bespoke Menopause Monopoly board was created exclusively for the campaign and will not be available for consumer purchase.

Bringing an iconic IP into new territory

Working on behalf of Hasbro, Born Licensing managed the licensing process for the campaign, collaborating with the various stakeholders to bring the creative vision to life.

From facilitating discussions and negotiating the commercial agreement to managing contracts and overseeing creative approvals, Born Licensing acted as the central liaison between Hasbro and the campaign teams throughout the process.

Reimagining such an iconic property for a sensitive and important subject required close collaboration. The challenge was to give the creative teams the flexibility to adapt Monopoly’s familiar gameplay and visual identity while ensuring the property remained recognisable and appropriately represented.

By working closely with Hasbro and Saatchi & Saatchi, Born Licensing helped navigate those requirements from the initial stages of development through to the final execution.

It's a great example of how licensing can go far beyond placing a recognisable character or logo into an advert. In this case, the IP isn't simply an addition to the creative idea: it's the creative idea itself.

For advertisers, Menopause Monopoly is a reminder that the most effective use of entertainment IP isn't always about borrowing a famous face or capitalising on nostalgia. Sometimes, it's about taking something universally familiar and using it to tell an entirely new story. And in this case, to start a conversation that's long overdue.

Read more about our work with Monopoly.

---