L’Oréal Paris & NEIWAI launch it takes boldness to be nude campaign via McCann Shanghai

L’Oréal Paris has joined hands with NEIWAI，a leading Chinese lingerie and loungewear lifestyle brand, to launch a first of its kind co-branded campaign with agency partners McCann Shanghai called, “It takes boldness to be nude”.

The campaign showcases L’Oréal Paris’ and NEIWAI’s shared focus on diverse beauty and female empowerment, by launching two product lines featuring a true-to-life colour palette that complements Asian skin tones, with the aim to encourage every woman in China to boldly embrace her natural skin tone and true authentic self.

Lily Li, General Manager, DMI L’Oréal Paris, says: “Since L’Oréal Paris first came to China 25 years ago, we have been committed to working with Chinese women to discover their unique beauty. Nude tones suit every Chinese woman and are the perfect base to showcase natural beauty. We want to encourage every woman to embrace her unique self, and to feel empowered by her natural beauty.”

L’Oréal Paris, with its iconic tagline “Because I’m worth it”, has always been committed to growing female empowerment and confidence, imbuing belief in both natural beauty and a sense of worth. NEIWAI, is also dedicated to advocating and supporting Chinese women’s collective growth on self-identity, embracing the true diverse beauty of the “self” – inside and out. Together, this co-branding campaign shows the public a new lens of beauty championed by the rise of Chinese female empowerment.

While looking for insights, the McCann China Beauty Team asked women a lot of questions: what’s their definition of ‘nude’ colors, their perspectives on courage, and so on. During this process, the team observed that, in the current social environment, many women still associate ‘confidence’ with their physical appearance, and traditional beliefs around ‘beauty’ can cause women to lose confidence.

“Everyone accepts themselves differently, some people can easily accept themselves the way they are; other people can’t. However, one thing is certain. A woman who dares and is willing to show her natural self is a woman of courage. We sought to creatively showcase the products to empower consumers and encourage them to be their true selves,” says Kanny Chan, Executive Creative Director of the McCann Shanghai Beauty Team.

To communicate this, both the new limited-edition lipstick collection by L’Oréal Paris, and the new cotton underwear collection by NEIWAI, will be launched with exact-match colour tones – named after natural body features – Little Freckles, Wheat-Color Tan, Sun Blush, Beauty Marks, and Nude Birthmark.

The McCann Beauty Team also selected everyday women to feature in the campaign, with the accompanying copy sharing the real thoughts of these women on self-worth, thereby delivering a powerful and authentic voice.

“Many people think that an underwear and a lipstick are two completely unrelated products,” said Hailey Xue, the brand director of NEIWAI, “Women wear one inside and one outside. Both of them are mediums for women to express themselves, and love themselves bravely and wholeheartedly.”

The Behind-the-Scenes Story
For McCann’s China Beauty Team, it was a welcome challenge to demonstrate their skills in terms of project leadership and strategic thinking. But more importantly, with two distinct brands, each with their own voice, it was necessary to ensure the right communication angle that could bring out the best of these two different brands.

In addition to casting the talent, how to find the right visual and color balance, how to handle a proper shooting angle and speed, and how to skillfully display the interaction between lipstick and body in the commercial… are all delicate points, to help the fusion of the two brands looked harmonious and natural.

Gillian Yeo, General Manager of McCann Shanghai’s Beauty Team, said: “We are thrilled to work with these two brands. The tonality of the two brands is very different, but they are both passionate about spreading and advocating female empowerment. Sophisticated and elegant L’Oréal Paris with its roots in Paris, prefers brave and empowering expressions, while NEIWAI, on the other hand, addresses more on a warm, diverse, and relaxed narration. We honed in on the commonality, which is to always be on the side of women, inclusive and strong, and developed a positioning for this range of products, that beautifully melded both brands’ unique styles.”