Alessandra Ferri, age 19, dances beside Alessandra Ferri, age 52 in Mother London’s remarkable ad for Walgreens Boots Alliance (No7)
Why remarkable? Because Mother has worked out how a 52 year old women feels about herself. Because the campaign line is Ready for More, the expression of how a woman feels about herself. Because it’s an ad for an anti-ageing serum that doesn’t put all – or, indeed any of – its eggs in the basket of a Photoshopped face. It’s an ad about what a woman can do, not what she looks like. Because Ferri’s 52 year old face is allowed to be seen…not Photoshopped.
Alessandra Ferri was the youngest ever Principal dancer for The Royal Ballet, and at the age of 52 she continues to dazzle audiences across the world.
Her talent makes for a striking spot but Alessandra was chosen because she epitomises the new global brand direction for No7 – Ready. The ad recognises that beauty is about more than looking pretty, it’s about women getting out there and making a positive impact in their world. That’s a message that young women would do well to take on board, but it’s also a message that opens the doors of No7 to a growing target market, older women.
Kristof Neirynck, vice president, global category director – skincare, global brands, Walgreens Boots Alliance explained, “Over the last few years, No7 advertising has dramatised the feeling women get when beauty really works. As the brand evolves from a British beauty icon to a global destination brand, we wanted to take that thought further – to demonstrate what women then go on to do when they feel fantastic. READY is a recognition of the positive impact women make in their world when they are in control of their own beauty: Alessandra epitomises this for us – her talent and her attitude defy age: she is Ready.”
The ad was directed by Tom Harper, the BAFTA-nominated director behind War and Peace. Its choreographer was Wayne McGregor, another highly awarded creative.
Ferri dances with a hologram of her younger self, when she first performed as a principal for the Royal Ballet in a production of Romeo & Juliette. The use of hologram in this way – as a key protagonist in the TV spot – is a world-first but it’s not used as a gimmick. It is fundamental to the ad’s message.
Alessandra Ferri commented, “I used to compare myself to my younger self, but now I don’t. I don’t compete. I live in the present. I’m proud of what I’ve done and who I was when I was younger, but I’m also proud of what I’m doing now and who I am now. I want my skin to have the same energy that I do, and No7 understands and celebrates that – they understand that I want to look and feel the best I can for who I am now. I find it so exciting that No7 is delivering this message and I’m honoured to be part of it.”
The campaign went to air on April 16 on ITV during a Britain’s Got Talent advert break.
A 60 second and a 30 second ad will then be seen throughout April in the UK, supported by print and digital advertising and a fully integrated PR and digital campaign.
Credits:
Musion: Creators of the hologram
Tom Harper: Director
Tomboy Films: Production company
Wayne McGregor: Choreographer
Mother: Creative agency
