Avon Costa Rica is working to become a brand with purpose, creating and supporting campaigns for women empowerment and the defense of women’s rights. Their most recent local campaign, “Tips for always looking beautiful”, moves away from stereotypes and the focus of beauty only as physical to center on feelings and women’s confidence.

For this brief, an idea was requested to show support for the movement #NiUnaMenos (#NotOneLess), which aims to eliminate violence against women. Ideally, the project wanted to speak within the brand’s own role.

On this particular instance, the goal was not only to raise awareness amongst women and encourage them to report abuse and violence cases, but also to reach men with a direct and shocking message that would hopefully cause a reflection during one of the most critical moments: soccer games.

The idea consisted on airing an impactful commercial during the most viewed soccer game in Costa Rica, “el Clásico” (equivalent to running an ad in the Super Bowl in the United States). The commercial, “The Last Makeup”, shows a woman with her eyes closed, having her makeup done by another person from whom you can only see a hand. When the camera turns, we discover that the woman is actually laying on a table, dead, and her makeup is being done by the mortuary staff. Over the woman’s body, the hashtag #NiUnaMenos (#NotOneLess) is shown.

Insight:

-Violence against women in Costa Rica spikes up during soccer matches.

Key message:

-Avon, a beauty brand, wants to support the #NiUnaMenos movement by showing the consequences of gender violence during the most important game of the season.

Target audience:

-Men and women 20+ years old

Assets:

-"The last makeup" ad was aired simultaneosly on TV and online. We were expecting a strong public reaction that would get the media attention.

“The Last Makeup” aired simultaneously on TV during the most viewed local soccer game; on YouTube, Premiere format, which allows to raise an expectation on the piece; and on Avon’s social media (Facebook and Twitter). The TV spots were aired during premium moments of the game: just before kickoff, and before the second half started, when there’s the most attention from the audience.

The reaction towards the TV commercial was immediate. Women and men expressed the effect the piece had on them through Twitter and FAcebook (tears, stirred emotions). The message had full support, there were no negative comments against it. It was rated as harsh, but necessary, and the brand was acclaimed for its bravery. The iniciative was praised for its message and relevance of the time it aired.

In a few hours, the commercial was retweeted by feminist groups outside Costa Rica, which turned it viral. The press from countries like Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, and Honduras made echo of the piece and its repercussion. Thanks to this, the combined views exceeded the 2 million, and the number of impacts were around 5 million.