Brand bravery in Cannes
This year, in the midst of the first ever Glass Cannes Lions, we wanted to reflect on brand bravery and how Unilever´s Magnum took the challenge to be brave head on with its “Be True To Your Pleasure” campaign.
The essence of the campaign encourages people to be true to their own version of pleasure, in whatever form it takes. Not always an easy task for most people. It’s a new creative strategy for the brand that has been building for the past five years; the shift taking Magnum away from hidden, private pleasures to out in the open and self-expressive ways of enjoyment. So to bring the strategy to life in the most daring example of its on-going history, we chose to feature three celebrity drag queens telling their stories of being true to their pleasure, to inspire and encourage pleasure seekers.
Giving our drag queens the reins represents what brand bravery is all about: fearlessly going in a direction where the outcome may be unpredictable but the purpose is deeply rooted. We learned a lot from this experience and trust us, it has nothing to do with how to put on fake eyelashes.
Magnum has always been true to its brand philosophy that a day without pleasure is a day lost. Yet for years, Magnum’s pleasure was product focused; portrayed as sinful, dark and to be enjoyed behind closed doors. In 2008, when LOLA (the strategic and creative hub of the Mullen Lowe Group in Spain) won the global account, Magnum embarked on a strategic shift that brought its definition of pleasure out into the open as something to be proud of.
We needed to develop a campaign with longevity that had universal truths at its heart, and that would celebrate the ways in which individuals embrace their personal pleasure. We knew it had to be bold, authentic, real and lasting. “Be True To Your Pleasure” was the platform that would help us achieve that by putting the spotlight on individuals that are courageous enough to let their true selves shine. The campaign included a partnership with i-D Vice and award winning director Xavier Dolan to invite young filmmakers to create their own stories around “Be True To Your Pleasure” in order to explore all possibilities of the idea, no matter how venturesome.
Here are 3 key thoughts about brand bravery from the team behind the campaign.
1. Mick Van Ettinger – Senior Vice President, Ice Cream (Unilever)
“The campaign was risky, different and daring for the brand. It carries a message about self-expression that has value in our society and with purpose driven brands the results are inherently part of the marketing objective.”
2. Sophie Galvani – Global Brand VP, Magnum (Unilever)
“With this work, we hope to inspire Pleasure Seekers everywhere to indulge their personal pleasure. We recognize that there are occasionally external and internal barriers to this, but everything we do at Magnum is about inspiring, enabling and daring pepole to take that moment of pleasure for themselves. It doesn’t matter who you are, or what you take pleasure in.. This film puts a spotlight on the ways one specific group of individuals embrace their personal pleasure in a particularly courageous way, and we hope it encourages all people to be true to their own pleasure.
3. Tomas Ostiglia – Global Creative Director, Magnum (LOLA)
Everyone has a little voice inside their heads that compels us to live up to social expectations and often say no to pleasure. But we stood behind the core idea that pleasure comes from who you are as a person and what you do on a daily basis to express yourself individually. The build up to this creativity was full of challenges and doubts but strategy is a solid foundation to fearlessly go forward. Once we firmly established that each individual gives pleasure its own meaning and diversity creates a more fulfilling and meaningful world, the pathway was open and we just had to take the first step in this direction, even if deep down we were scared shitless.
So, what’s your pleasure?
Watch the campaign video below.
Miguel Simoes, CEO and Partner, LOLA (Mullen Lowe)
Tel: +34 664 041 018
Email: miguel.simoes@hello-lola.com
Web: www.hello-lola.com
Twitter: @Hello__LOLA
Content by The Drum Network member:
Mullen Lowe Group
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