The Body Shop is telling the stories of young women who have experienced homelessness, in a two-part online series and TV ad campaign, created by 4Studio, Channel 4’s recently launched branded entertainment unit.
“Unseen kingdoms”, the title of both the series and the ad – the brand’s first Christmas TV campaign, which is an edit from the series – highlight the retailer’s partnership with charity End Youth Homelessness.
The 60-second ad will debut at 8.10pm this evening (20 November), airing simultaneously during The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice on Channel 4 and Taskmaster on E4. It features a performance from spoken word artist Rasheeda Page-Muir and tells the story of Jamie, a dancer in her mid-twenties from London who became homeless in her late teens, but is now securely housed.
Jamie is the subject of one of the two episodes of the series, while the other focuses on Danni from Bristol, who also became homeless as a teen, but found her own voice as a spoken word artist after meeting fellow poet Chloe Florence.
“Unseen kingdoms” is produced by TCO London, directed by Andrea Kurland and Daisy May-Hudson, and was commissioned by 4Studio commissioner Laura Marks, working closely with commercial lead Matt Ford and the specialist commercial team.
The partnership was managed by Craft Media London, The Body Shop’s strategic communications agency. 4Sales brokered the deal with ePerformance, which handles the brand’s TV planning and media buying.
Linda Campbell, UK and ROI managing director at The Body Shop, said: “It has been a tough and turbulent year for many, especially for those without the safety and comfort of a home.
“Many women who experience or are at risk of being homeless can often find themselves hidden and their voices unheard, so it's been wonderful working with Channel 4 whose vision and platform has helped bring these tough stories to the fore in a powerful, thought-provoking and uplifting way.”
Channel 4 officially launched 4Studio, previously called the the Digital Creative Unit, in May this year, claiming to be the only UK broadcaster to offer advertisers a slate of social-first branded entertainment opportunities.
