Em Rusciano, Flex Mami and Ali Brigginshaw become The Body Shop’s Mrs Claus in activation by One Green Bean
Em Rusciano, Flex Mami and Ali Brigginshaw have taken up the role of Mrs Claus this Christmas in an activation for The Body Shop.
The campaign, devised by One Green Bean (OGB), was created to celebrate the feminist heritage of the brand and subvert the tradional conversation surrounding Mrs Claus – as either a “frumpy housewife or sex symbol” – by introducing strong Australian women in her place.
Instead of taking photos with Santa, customers have the opportunity to meet Rusciano, Brigginshaw and Flex Mami in store. Rusciano will be appearing in Melbourne, Brigginshaw in Brisbane and Flex Mami in Sydney.
Em Rusciano, Flex Mami and Ali Brigginshaw have taken up the role of Mrs Claus for The Body Shop
All proceeds from the activation will go towards Plan International Australia’s 2020 Youth Activist Series, a 12-month training and leadership program.
Shannon Chrisp, The Body Shop Australia director of marketing and corporate responsibility, said the campaign idea is what inspired the company select OGB for its PR account following its pitch process.
“Australians definitely agree Christmas is a time for bringing people together, but research also shows us that outdated stereotypes rear their head over the holidays. As a brand that champions fairness and equality, The Body Shop hopes to inspire both men and women to dream big and fight gender norms, both during the festive season and beyond,” Chrisp said.
“This campaign was the winning idea from the pitch we held earlier this year that saw us appoint OGB to handle ongoing consumer PR as well as lead creative for seasonal and product-led campaigns. In OGB we found an agency partner whose creative approach to earned media and experience delivering purpose-driven content stood out in the market. What’s more, their culture complements what we represent at The Body Shop, with both being purpose and value-driven organisations who champion diversity and stand up for what we believe in. We’re thrilled to now be demonstrating this in our first major campaign.”
Natalie Helm, head of PR for OGB, explained the campaign shines a light on those who do “the lion’s share” of work at Christmas.
“When The Body Shop came to us with a brief to bring to life their commitment to women this Christmas, we had to look no further than the outdated festive traditions that demonstrate the inequal representation of female figures – from Santa, to snowmen to elves, to who does the lion’s share of festive season organising. As an agency defined by its culture and commitment to diversity, we were thrilled to bring this campaign to life,” Helm said.
Anthony Freedman, chairman of Havas – One Green Bean’s parent company – commented on OGB’s success this year: “We’re delighted to be leading such an empowering campaign for The Body Shop. The OGB team has had an exceptionally strong year for new business, welcoming many new partners alongside The Body Shop including Afterpay, Club Med, Henkel, Seafolly and Virgin Active to name a few. It’s exciting to see work resulting from this hit the market. Our new clients join the agency as we enter an era with a refreshed brand, new website, clear positioning of ‘Original Ideas for Adventurous Clients’ and stronger offer than ever across PR, social and influencer. We’ll of course be welcoming our new CEO, Simone Gupta, in early 2020 and I look forward to seeing the Beans go from strength to strength next year.”
topics
Ali Brigginshaw
Anthony Freedman
Em Rusciano
Flex Mami
Natalie Helm
One Green Bean
PR
public relations
Shannon Chrisp
The Body Shop
