People expect beginning the empty nest stage to be a time of freedom and enjoyment. It can be a trial. According to social listening data, 64% of conversations about the topic contain elements of sadness and loneliness.
It’s a very new topic for a Mother’s Day campaign but it underlines, Brazilian perfume brand, O Boticário’s commitment to supporting women. Almap BBDO and O Boticário’s present Departures. The film uses the metaphor of a journey by train to show that, while a mother says goodbye to the same child countless times at different stages of life, each also brings a new beginning.
The story, set to a special recording of The Blower’s Daughter by Damien Rice, follows Karina and her son João, who begins the story as a baby. As she boards and gets him settled in his seat, the mother experiences her first departure: as the train pulls away, she sees her baby falling asleep on his own, not needing her embrace any longer. Karina walks through the train cars of her own story, living through different stages of mothering and recalling other departures – when João learns how to say “sneaker” correctly; when he gets too big to be picked up; as a teenager, the first New Year’s Eve he spends with his friends and girlfriend; then through adulthood and the last great departure, when he leaves home to make a life for himself.
Within 72 hours of launch, the film reached 30M+ views, 900K likes, and 900K shares.
“Mother’s Day is one of our most hotly awaited campaigns of the year, because it’s part of our culture to step into the conversation in a truly authentic way,” stated Carolina Carrasco, the director of branding and communications for the Boticário Group. “And, as the favourite brand to give as a gift,* we saw that our role was to go beyond the business itself – to keep on sparking conversations and identification. This year, we chose a universal topic charged with cultural truths: motherhood as a series of new beginnings. We believe that being a mother means mastering the art of saying goodbye at each stage of growth – from your arms to their first steps, the outgrown clothes, the nest that opens up to the world. Through our campaign, we sought to legitimate the emotions that are part of every mother’s journey, showing that motherhood is an eternal departure we call growth.”
“Motherhood is also about learning to let go, and that’s not something that usually comes up in conversations about Mother’s Day,” added Camilla Massari, chief impact officer and VP of client services and business at AlmapBBDO. “That’s why, when we decided to look at the ‘empty nest,’ our idea was to help recognize a reality that’s often silent, but is a powerful presence in the relationship between mothers and their children. By making room for these small goodbyes, which are filled with love, pride, and transformation, we can forge an even more genuine, relevant connection with the people living through those changes every day.”
To support the film, O Boticário has invited a variety of voices in the entertainment and digital influence sphere to reflect on the stages of motherhood, both online and offline. In social media, TV presenter, Fernanda Lima, reacts to the film, Departures, and shares her own goodbyes and new beginnings, revisiting her experience with her children and inviting the audience to reflect on their own lives and share their stories. On YouTube, a squad of movie and TV commentator influencers to analyse the cinematography, soundtrack, and script of Departures along with their mothers, exchanging perspectives and deepening the intergenerational dialogue. Meanwhile, actress, Mônica Martelli, brings a dash of humour to recounting true stories shared by the public, lending visibility to fresh points of view on this stage of life.
“The choice of these figures stems from their genuine connection to departures. They’ve publicly and openly shared the challenges of the female experience, including motherhood, and by bringing out their stories, we’re able to lend even more visibility to an authentic, universal experience,” Carrasco noted.
Credits:
Credits:
Agency: AlmapBBDO
President and CEO: Filipe Bartholomeu
CCO: Pernil
VPs of Creative: Fernando Duarte & Henrique Del Lama
Creatives: Júlia Malavazzi, Rafael Reis, Tiago Embrizi & Victor Laars
Head of Innovation: Sérgio Mugnaini
Head of OOH: Fabiana Carmel
Head of Content: Renan Bianco
Chief Impact Officer & VP of Client Services and Business: Camilla Massari
Client Services: Andressa Duo, Guilherme Lopes, Isabella Oliveira, Isabella Barreto & Gabrielly Muniz
CSO: João Gabriel Fernandes
Strategy: Daniela Ferrari, Felipe Fonseca, Julia Martins & Beatriz dos Santos
Production: MyMama Entertainment
Director: Kid Burro
Creative Assistant: Luigi Madormo
Director of Photography: Bibi Bianchini
Art Director: Luana Demange
Editor (Hero): Caroline Leone
Editor (Digital): Gui Yuki
Producers: André Pinho, Mayra Faour Auad & Gabrielle Auad
Executive Producer: Nathalie Gautier
Post-Production: Nash VFX
Making Of: Murilo Ruocco
Audio Production: Satelite Audio
Client: O Boticário
Client Team: Renata Gomide, Marcela De Masi, Carolina Carrasco, Mariana Tozzini, Ligia Monteiro, Mariana Fiordelice, Letícia Azevedo, Izabella Franceschi, and Rafaela Lopes.
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