Make-up adverts can be dreary with their overused “ideas”. TBWA\Chiat\Day LA and Sephora have taken a dramatically different route to engaging customers, calling on the signature wit of director, Taika Waititi, for their holiday campaign. The work is a shift in thinking for the beauty category, leaning into human humour and warm approachability, instead of sentimentality and cold perfection.
In Don’t Overthink It. Give Something Beautiful, Sephora conquersthe annual challenge of choosing gifts with delightful humour. The brand’s fun spots remind audiences that getting the right gift for all the people in their life can actually be wildly easy.
Waititi’s wonderful wit features relatable characters such as your fabulous Aunt Aya, and your BFF’s Kid, Xander, and solutions that triumph over gifting dilemmas. The campaign grew from research which showed that 28% of the brand’s audience feel shopping for beauty is too specific or personal, and 37% reported the beauty store to be an intimidating place.
“The fine folk at Chiat and Sephora were very collaborative and made the shooting experience super fun. I was drawn to their scripts which were small and simple, yet big on heart. The stories appealed to my sensibilities, so it was an easy fit,” Waititi commented.
“Venturing into humour and wit for our holiday campaign is an exciting new direction for Sephora, and collaborating with Taika on this campaign has been an absolute creative dream come true. We’re thrilled that our partnership with Sephora has resulted in such a fresh approach to the season. Pairing that with Taika’s filmic charm has allowed us to reimagine holiday storytelling in a way that feels both bold and fun,” added Kirsten Rutherford, ECD, TBWA\Chiat\Day LA.
Created in an ongoing partnership with creative agency TBWA\Chiat\Day LA, the campaign will launch with a series of :30s and :15s and additional cutdowns across TVC/Cinema, OLV/Paid Social and extending beyond to Streaming Audio, and OOH.
Credits:
Client: Sephora
Chief Marketing Officer: Zena Arnold
Vice President: Anne Cambria
Campaign Director: Candace Payne
Campaign Manager: Shana Wickett
Vice President: Susan Park
Creative Director: Cara Mia Wilde
Executive Producer: Charles Reed
Creative Agency: TBWA\Chiat\Day LA
Executive Creative Director: Kirsten Rutherford
Creative Directors: Lindsei Barros & Maud Deitch
Art Directors: Irene Li & Devin Gillespie
Copywriters: Suzanne Sherwood & Heather Ryder
Creative: Sarah Hoffmann
Directors of Production: Anh-Thu Le & Robert Punchard
Executive Producer: Kira Linton
Artist: Dena Moore
Producer: Aubrey Larson
Coordinator: Sydni Gift
Chief Executive Officer: Erin Riley
Chief Strategy Officer: Jen Costello
President: Courtney Nelson
Strategy Directors: Katie Acosta, Sarah-Jane Boyd & Hannah Schweitzer
Strategist: Joshua German
Brand Directors: Carla Weaver & Cady Pozolo
Manager: Val Fernandez
Brand Manager: Devin Villacis
Operations: Danna Dolich & Klarika Huszar
Project Manager: Kellee Bassaragh
Director of Business Affairs: Robin Rossi
Business Affairs Manager: Andrea Pastor
Traffic: Maritza Castro
Content Producer: Samanta Aponte
PR Director: Autumn Drummond
Production Company: Hungry Man US
Director: Taika Waititi
Director of Photography: Mike Berlucchi
Executive Producer: Kim Dellara
Head Of Production: Hannah Stone
Production Manager: Marian Mikhail
1st AD: Ben Glickman
Production Designer: Jon Blud
Makeup Artist: Luci Romero
Hair Stylist: Marta Blasi
Wardrobe: Cara Cano
Production Service: 24/7
Executive Producer: Lola Ramirez
Producer: Pere Cavanillas
Editing: The Den Editorial
Editor: Jess Brunetto
Edit Assistant:Angela Gardner
Executive Producer: Jenn Mersis
Producer: Lucia Villalta
Grade: Company 3
Colourist: Kath Raisch
Producer: Jake Rioux
Post Production: Framestore
Flame Lead: Louis Schachte
Finish: Amanda Harris
Compositing: Matt Dobrev
Animation: Dave Wave & Darren Dai
Executive Producer: Brittney Walker
Producers: Rachel Creasey & Katie Buckley
Sound: 750mph
Sound Engineer: Mark Hellaby
Producer: Aishah Amodu
Casting Director: Kirsten Troy
Music: Caya
