Salon Line hair products commercial that pays homage to kinky/curly hair
Note from BW of Brazil: “They took us out of our kingdom but they didn’t take away our nobility.” These are the opening lines of one of Salon Line’s recent campaign that pays homage to the kinks and curls of the black women who are the biggests supporters of the product. And it is a necessity that black people as a whole remember this. This video brings a representation of black girls, teens and women that is rarely seen on Brazilian airwaves and for such a short promo, it does not disappoint.
Needless to say, I’m impressed with the final result, from the variety of ages, skin tones and hair textures of the black girls and women featured, to the African-inspired rhythm in the music, the lyrics and the colors. The visuals and feel of the videos kinda remind me of those old Afro Sheen, Dark and Lovely and even….forgive me, the old Care Free Curl commercials that used to come on in the United States. I know no one wants to go back to the old jheri curl days, but I’m not actually speaking of the products themselves, but rather the feeling of seeing people who look like you on our ultra Eurocentric airwaves.
The visibility that such comercials bring to the black community, the black Brazilian woman in particular, is bigger than the product itself. For the more we see ourselves, the more likely we are to identify ourselves with our history, our heritage, our culture and our people. And in a country like Brazil, where black identity has always been undermined, the more likely it is that girls and women who see others who look like them in these sorts of ads will look and say, ”she’s beautiful, she looks like me, thus, I am also beautiful.”
Check out the two ads in the first of two posts I dedicated to this campaign here and see the vídeo below for a look into the behind the scenes, making of vídeo.
Salon Line launches campaign produced by the MOOC collective
The campaign pays homage to cabelos crespos e cacheados
Salon Line Brasil, a hair care brand, released on Monday, September 2, the “Celebrando Cacheadas e Crespas” (Celebrating Curly and Kinky Hair) commercial that honors black women and their cabelos crespos e cacheados (kinky/curly hair).
The video stars the brand ambassadors, including actress Erika Januza and social influencer/entrepreneur Ana Paula Xongani, and was produced exclusively by the Movimento Observador Criativo (Creative Observer Movement Collective or MOOC), a group of eight young black people who work with audiovisual and creativity.
The ad was launched amid the publication of a survey conducted by the Grupo de Planejamento (Planning Group), which shows that only 13% of agencies in São Paulo have inclusion and diversity programs.
In addition, it was announced on the same day that the São Paulo Public Prosecutor’s Office and leaders of the largest agencies in Brazil will sign on September 23 an agreement aimed at the greater inclusion of black professionals in the advertising market.
It is foreseen in the pact the periodic elaboration of census of employees from the persepctive of race/color and gender and with management and board indicators, disclosure of the agency’s organization chart to all employees, with information about race/color and gender in the positions, initiatives of capacity building and education of leaders and recruiters, and agency commitment to help qualify young blacks to play key roles in advertising agencies.
What did you think about the Salon Line campaign? Check out a video of how it was produced:
Subtitles
“Since I’ve kept up with Salon Line, I think I’ve always waited for this moment. And even cooler, we see this campaign happen beyond the final result, which I am sure will be beautiful, we see what’s going on here behind the scenes.”
“Camera, Action!”
“As a black woman, I feeling 100% at ease. There’s no way to not feel completely represented” – Mona Nunes
“All the work we do, we like to portray what symbolizes what it is to be black, you know, and this is very special for us because we’re talking about ourselves.”
“And even within what Salon Line already says, which is something that comes very close to us, family issues, and what it has been bringing to the present times, it’s interesting for us to be able to insert our look, our experiences, things that we understand as property and as our truth and bring that in a creative way in art.”
– Rafael Fidelis and Louis Rodrigues, Directors of the Campaign
“The self-esteem is one thousand from everyone. We are feeling represented, feeling welcomed by the content. So, it’s beautiful! You are seeing all this campaign, from there, know that, from this side of here, we’re all very emotional, too.” – Ana Paula Xongani
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