Makeup forms foundation of innovative charity ad push

Makeup is forming the foundation of a new charity advertising campaign, showing that beauty is more than skin deep – it’s also a powerful communication tool.

The campaign for cancer-related charity Look Good Feel Better uses makeup and makeup tools to literally spell out how looking good can help women with cancer feel better.

Designed by TBWA\Whybin, and brought to life by photographer Charlie Smith, the print ads highlight the work of Look Good Feel Better. The charity runs morale-boosting workshops for women with cancer, showing them how to disguise the sometimes visual side-effects of their treatment with simple makeup techniques.

The clever combination of makeup and makeup tools to spell out the advertisements’ copy headlines grabs attention, helping Look Good Feel Better to communicate its message.

“We needed to communicate the important link between the makeup and the image transformations we make possible for New Zealand women,” says Yvonne Brownlie, General Manager of Look Good Feel Better.

“Using makeup and makeup tools to form the copy headline was a spark of genius,” she says. “The overall effect gives a fresh look, great relevance to the tools of the beauty trade and creates a very high impact in the process.”

Charlie Smith, of Charlie Smith Photography says he was thrilled to be involved with developing the Look Good Feel Better campaign. His creative drive came from a desire to create visually stunning ads that not only stood out from the clutter, but also reflected the work of Look Good Feel Better.

“The more unusual the idea was, the better it was going to work,” he says.

Jenny McMillan, Account Director at TBWA\Whybin, says he has achieved his aim. “The advertisements are eye-catching and quite unusual,” she says. “I haven’t seen anything like this before.”

Yvonne Brownlie hopes the campaign’s motivational messages will touch hearts.

At Look Good Feel Better workshops women not only learn how to use makeup to combat the appearance-related side-effects of cancer treatments, they also go home with complimentary cosmetic product packs to help them recreate the looks themselves.

And by attending a Look Good Feel Better workshop with other cancer patients they learn they are not alone – other women with cancer are experiencing the same physical and emotional side-effects.

“It’s the most uplifting thing watching a group of women experiencing cancer, walk out of a Look Good Feel Better workshop with their heads high, a smile on their faces and the sparkle back in their eyes,” says Yvonne Brownlie.

The Look Good Feel Better advertising campaign is set to run in New Zealand women’s magazines starting this summer.