The Body Shop
Spread Love: an explosion of inclusivity
Challenge
Relaunch The Body Shop’s best-selling product, the original Body Butter. It’s an icon. The product that invented the entire category in ʼ92. One problem. Even though The Body Shop has been on the free trade, sustainable, body acceptance train since before B Corps were a thing, younger target audiences needed to be introduced to this vibrant brand. This product relaunch had to relaunch the whole brand.
Solution
“Spread Love.” An explosion of inclusivity and recognition of Black TikTok creators. We partnered with genius music video director Alan Ferguson and TikTok creators Layla Muhammad, Tracy Joseph, Sunjai Williams, and Amari Smith to make this a choreographed, value-packed integrated campaign that celebrates all bodies. The campaign dropped in social feeds, Times Square, taxi toppers, and as a creator-led TikTok challenge.
impact
1.4B media impressions. $12.9M in earned media. 329% increase in page visits. Big business results and cultural impact. Body Butter flew off shelves as millions spread love. On the recognition side, one month after the shoot, Layla won the first-ever VMA for best viral dance. Then two months after the shoot (and after amassing 6M followers), TikTok finally gave Tracy her blue checkmark.
The Body Shop has been an agent of sustainability, fair trade, and a defender of self-respect and humanity since day one. The internet was reckoning with the #BlackTikTokStrike. Our Third3ye™ crew was adamant that The Body Shop needed to represent all bodies, genders, and skin types. We bundled up those values under the banner of “Spread Love” and used them to shine a spotlight on Black creators and all types of bodies.
We had a killer original track from Beacon Street Studios. A new dance created by TikTok’s best dance creators. With ingredients like that, you gotta use them for more than a single video. So we took their #SpreadLoveScoop and turned it into a whole TikTok challenge to give 10 people a year’s supply of the new Body Butter.
We wanted Spread Love to make a massive statement. So we went really, really big on our Out Of Home. Our dancers are showing up on everything from taxi toppers to big-ass billboards in Times Square. They’re everywhere.
Full credit to our director, Alan Ferguson, for creating a set unlike any we’d seen before. We were blown away by his humility and generosity. It was the opposite of the attitude you’d expect from the music video visionary who has worked with stars like Lizzo and Beyoncé. Alan set a tone of trust and respect for the whole shoot. He gave all of himself to the cast and crew to make this music video something special. And he introduced us to A-list collaborators like Emmy-nominated choreographer Jemel McWilliams and Law & Order breakout star Shauna Harley.
This new Body Butter is actually amazing. Everyone in the agency, cast, and crew took at least a tub home from the shoot. We had to get it into people’s hands for them to try and wanted to bring the fun of the music video there, too. So we put dancing street teams out on the street to spread love one sample at a time.
