LET'S START LOVE FROM THE BEGINNING ‒ EXTREME INTIMO CASE

Honesty is crucial in all relationships, including brands and consumers.

What happens when it is absent, we had the opportunity to see the example of Extreme Intimo and their last year's im(PERFECT) campaign.

Forced transformation of a sensitive, but popular topic, such as body positivity into a performative marketing strategy with bad crisis PR, caused an avalanche of negative comments on social networks and public condemnation.

And with a good reason.

Because in business as well as in life, when you present yourself as something you are not when you do not have what you promised and you lack the understanding, respect, and empathy to understand, the least you can do and what is expected from you, is to admit a mistake and apologize.

And if you care about yourself, whether you're a person or a brand, it's up to you to show with your actions that you're sorry and, more importantly, that you really care.

We learn from mistakes, the best from our own, and we recently received proof that it was not an empty promise, in the form of a new brand campaign called LOVE YOURSELF.

The target is the same, but luckily, the distance is different this time.

As promised, now in the online store we can find sizes from 46-50, while the whole approach to the campaign and the entire understanding of the topic is much more profound.

In addition to visuals and credible models, the campaign is accompanied by a series of short interviews with them, from which we have the opportunity to hear their voices and the background of the story.

Why is it particularly important in this case?

Body positivity is far from a pose and rebelling against imposed standards of beauty.

The struggle to normalize women's bodies of all shapes and sizes dates back to the 1960s when the first "fat acceptance" movement appeared in America.

The forms of activism have changed over time, but the essence has remained the same and we can reduce it to one word:

ACCEPTANCE

Ourselves, our bodies, emotions, differences, and imperfections.

In short, everything that used to be condemned, and that makes us (im)perfect, that is, flesh and blood people.

So the focus again comes and goes from the inside.

When we are open, gentle, and honest with ourselves, all other perceptions change more easily because we try to treat others that way as well.

To be honest, this campaign is far from perfect or unprecedented in our region.

We don't have to admire it, but what we should praise is the fact that they didn't bury their heads in the sand and showed that, as they promised, they have an ear for their customers and the market.

And that's why, if the essence is in ACCEPTANCE, it would be hypocritical if the apology in the form of the LOVE YOURSELF campaign is not treated as such.

As far as I'm concerned.

Author: Vesna Buljan, Junior Copywriter