Libra confronts period stigmas and societal pressures in new #LiveLiberated campaign via Cummins&Partners, Melbourne

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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