Face covering is not mandatory in England anymore, which means that one facial expression that we missed so much throughout these times is back on. Smile, ‘cuz smiles are back in business! To commemorate this moment and to mark the UN’s International Day of Happiness (celebrated on 20 March), Boots‘ beauty brand No7 seized the moment to give customers one more reason to smile: A new campaign and a limited-edition lipstick range that is likely to make them grin from ear to ear.
The “Unstoppable Lip” campaign is developed by Free The Birds, which “freed” its branding experts to design a memorable and pinkish comeback for the smiles — and lipstick, of course. As part of the campaign, the London-based agency created a new packaging featuring the brand’s logo and naming for the lipstick line, consultation on social media assets, online content, point-of-sale comms, and experiential activations. At the heart of the initiative lies the “Universal Smiles” brand world, a comprehensive brand strategy that serves as a glue to bind all of the campaign’s elements.
Four lip shades of No7’s iconic Moisture Drench line have been renamed as part of the campaign: Respect Rouge, Hope Taupe, Freedom Plum, and Equality Coral as a way to pay homage to the company’s “Unstoppable Together” positioning. They come in intense colors with a formula that will leave your lips moisturized for up to eight hours. These rouges — which are a nice way to treat your lips — are supporting the company’s partnership with the United Nations Foundation’s Equal Everywhere campaign, which is set to end gender discrimination.
Bethany-Rose Smith, Global Brand Manager, No7, commented: “We wanted to collaborate with a design agency that valued the heritage of No7 and our Moisture Drench range but could elevate this to celebrate the happiness and the return of seeing people smiling again. Free The Birds also went the extra mile by building the ‘Universal Smiles’ brand world, which helped shape the broader campaign.”
The creative team has also worked on the No7’s logo, adapting it to reflect the happiness that embraced the company at the news that smiles are coming back. As such, the new symbol is decorated with a smiley icon that’s cleverly included inside the letter “o” of No7.
The two-tone pink logo is visible on the lipstick casing as well, placed so strategically on the packaging that it can be interpreted as a call for the world to unite and continue to bring smiles back.
Speaking about the initiative, Matthew Gilpin, Design Director, Free The Birds, explained: “To ensure the Unstoppable Lip collection packaging remained recognizable, we maximized the brand logo to create an impact in a small space while putting a little smile on the customer’s face. This balance of heroing design principles whilst elevating a brand’s positioning is the ‘beautiful thinking’ we like to bring to every project.”
Nick Vaus, Partner and Creative Director, Free The Birds, added: “In the first of three limited-edition collections, this was a wonderful exercise to work with such a significant high street brand to collaborate our creative knowledge with their influence on women in the UK. We can’t wait for you to see the other two ranges this year!”
To support the campaign, Boots scheduled a Festival of Smile event in stores within London’s square mile, enabling influential people to further explore the importance of smiling.
