Libra confronts period stigmas and societal pressures in new #LiveLiberated campaign via Cummins&Partners, Melbourne
Leading Australian period care brand Libra is not afraid to push against the boundaries of societal norms when it comes to their advertising campaigns. Following on from last year’s #bloodnormal campaign, Libra has launched #LiveLiberated via Cummins&Partners, an unapologetically female-driven campaign made by women, for women. The campaign strives to make women feel powerful and authentic, while subverting the pressures to conform to unattainable standards of perfection.
Created by Cummins&Partners, which was appointed by Libra as its creative agency earlier this year, the campaign features a cast of five women, each with their own distinct character. The women express confidence, determination, power, defiance and playfulness, while at the same time rejecting the confines of what society deems ‘normal’.
Says Sarah McGregor, creative director at Cummins&Partners: “As a woman growing up in Australia — and growing up in Australian advertising — the opportunity to work on an iconic Aussie brand like Libra was a bit of a dream come true. This felt like a chance to not just win a piece of business and make a campaign, but a responsibility to do the right thing and create a positive conversation — not another piece of noise that makes women doubt themselves and their bodies.”
The Australian-made campaign was created in Melbourne and shot in Sydney with all female heads of department and a predominantly female crew, led by director Gemma Lee, who has directed campaigns for Mazda, Lexus and the Australian Defence Force. Teaming Lee, who is known for her skill as a performance director and working closely with talent, with cinematographer Zoe White, was always going to yield impressive results. White has shot two episodes of HBO’s Westworld, and 12 episodes of Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale — the latter earning her a PrimeTime Emmy nomination.
Says Lee: “It’s so important who your collaborators are. Zoe has come from shooting drama, which means we talked a lot about how to design the shots around character.
“I wanted my shooting style to be bold and unapologetic, like the message of the campaign. That’s why we went for strong colours both in the wardrobe and lighting, and camera moves that are striking and energetic. The casting had to be women who were representative of each of the characters we envisaged. We wanted to represent women of all shapes and sizes, ensuring we had a broad cross section.”
The 30-second TVCs are set to the classic track “You Don’t Own Me”, remastered by Australian artist SayGrace. The track was chosen because of its evocative spirit, empowering message and historic context – it was originally released in the early 1960s and is a throwback to a time of revolution, and struggle for social change and equal rights.
The #LiveLiberated campaign is also encouraging an essential dialogue on Libra’s social media through the #AskGem platform, offering women a safe (and anonymous) space in which to ask questions they might otherwise be too embarrassed to seek answers to.
Says Macgregor: “We wrote something that we ourselves would have loved to have seen as young women. Something that told us it’s ok to love yourself, believe in yourself, and, of course, live liberated.”
View Gemma Lee’s reel here.
Creative: Cummins&Partners
Sarah McGregor – Creative Director
Leah Dunkley – Senior Copywriter
Chay O’Rourke – Senior Art Director
Karley Cameron – Executive Producer
Bec Alexander – Strategy Director
Georgie Bugelly – Group Account Director
Juno Forster – Senior Integration Manager
Film Production: The Producers
Gemma Lee – Director
Victoria Connors – Executive Producer
Esme Fisher – Executive Producer
Zoë White – DOP
Raechel Harding – Editor
Trish Cahill – Colourist
Social Media: Overport
Leah D’Sylva – Account Director
Channelle Calderwood – Creative Director
Nasia Syrakis – Designer
Georgia Donaldson – Social Media Manager
Media: OMD
Antonia Glezakos – Managing Partner
Penny Shell – Melbourne Head of Product and National Head of Planning
Valerie Murphy – Account Director
Meghan Papadoulis – Trader
Madeline Chatterley – Social Account Manager
Emily Leviston – Social Account Executive
Libra
Caitlin Patterson – Executive General Manager – Retail
Laura Demarchi – Libra Marketing Manager
Julia Spargo-Ryan – Libra Senior Brand Manager
Taylah Johnson – Libra Brand Manager
37 Comments
I am 100% here for this spice girls reunion.
Zigazig ah!
Sarah
Leah
Chay
Karley
Bec
Georgie
Juno
Victoria
Esme
Zoë
Raechel
Trish
Leah
Channelle
Nasia
Georgia
Antonia
Penny
Valerie
Meghan
Madeline
Emily
Libra
Caitlin
Laura
Julia
Taylah
Look at the list of strong names, thanks for calling those out.
I read this morning that the Pantone matching system now has a red called Period.
It was not in The Onion, The Chaser, The Shovel or The Betoota Advocate.
It was in The Guardian.
How fast can you read? Out of a possible 10 poorly crafted supers, I was only able to read 3.
Go bad..
And how is that credit list a bad thing? Of course women should be working on period products. Probably helped them win the account.
The last two period campaigns on here were a lot better than this
Beautiful and empowering. Well done Gemma and team
Powerful stuff. Well done to all women and men involved. A strong message I, among many others, needed to hear.
Looks cool and tune is good
(I have nothing to do with agency or client)
This is an ad.
2020. The year that advertising acknowledged menstruation and its PR potential.
@Diversity Dragon – Last time I saw him Chay O’Rourke was a man. Still a great list though!
This feels so outdated and such a Blood Normal wannabe. It’s cringeworthy.
Why is this empowering or a strong message?
BTW: Before the hate starts I have a wife and two daughters.
This commercial seems very pleased with itself.
Why at 15secs does she look confused/disgusted/scared of the product they’re literally trying to sell? LMAO!
I agree. The other Blood Normal wannabe on here the other week at least had a fresh aesthetic that made it feel modern. This just looks like a Pantene ad. Not ‘empowering’ at all (and yes, I’m a woman). Do better, Aussie ad industry!
This wallpaper of a credit list shows just how many people were asleep at the wheel to make this wallpaper ad.
I take it you’ve never put a tampon in – let alone for the first time.
Are any of those people towards the end meant to be trans ‘men’. I might be ignorant of something here but does that make any sense? As far as I know you can’t have an operation where you get a uterus/period.
why do all of the locations look so decrepit?
Pretty sure the third scene alludes to an MTF trans woman. In which case it raises the question of why she’s included here when she can only get period symptoms, but probably can’t actually menstruate. Like you asked.
But as the release reads, this isn’t an ad about periods per se. It’s just an ad telling women to be themselves, brought to you by a period care brand.
We have seen far too many. This is bad.
All that qualifies you as is a heterosexual male.
H&M Fall 2016 ‘She’s a Lady’ campaign has been recycled. Naughty.
I’m a woman.
This was a mess of trying to hard.
Being “Real” Heavy lighting. And the usual diverse talent kick that look nothing like real Australian women.
And that track. Yeah, they don’t own us. 30 years out of step with modern women.
Terrible.
This feels so dated
Yeah good idea.Next time I am at the Golden Century I will bung my condoms on the lazy Susan…but not too close to the crabs.
This is awkward to watch. Why does everything look so dated and forced?
At least the Bonds and Modibodi spots felt cool and contemporary. For the brand with probably the biggest stake in the market – this is a weird commercial.
Client: Umm, ladies, where is the product shot?? How will anyone know this is our brand?
Agency: Okay, we’ve got it. We’ll set up a whole table of dim sum and instead of an extra dish, we’ll have it spun around on a lazy susan as if it was served out in the open!
Client: Perfect! That makes total sense to be something that happens not only in real life but in context of the narrative of these random characters who are also not at a table eating. You’ve outdone yourself this time Cummins.
Make it stop.
This is all fine and everything, like many of the vignettes depicted, but you do all realise there have been hundreds of tampon ads since the 1990s, actually even as far back as the 1960s, that celebrate women, independence, freedom and ‘girl power’. I’m not sure why these last few to come out have such a self congratulatory narrative as if this is some kind of revolutionary work.
Nice sentiment – but there’s no real idea here.
Why are Cummins so under-cooked on craft?
Why didn’t you just localise Womb Stories? Why go to all of this effort to rip off a H&M ad from 2016? Surely Womb Stories would have connected with an Aussie audience with way more authenticity behind the stories.
Nothing screams women’s empowerment like a blatantly plagiarised piece of drivel
https://youtu.be/8-RY6fWVrQ0