Sexy is a state of mind. That’s the line delivered by plus-size model Ashley Graham in the latest Addition Elle TV spot, created by Mookai Communications.
The Montreal-based agency emphasized Graham’s celebrity status in the ad, which features the model flanked by two square-jawed security guards, on the runway and surrounded by paparazzi.
It’s promoting Graham’s lingerie collection with the retailer, but represents more than just the product line, says Lori von Sychowski, who directed the spot and is owner and creative director of Mookai Communications. “It was really to introduce Ashley Graham,” she says. “She’s a really iconic supermodel in the plus size world.”
The commercial, which runs nationally in English and French on TV, has also proved popular online with more than 175,000 views on YouTube.
With research group NDP reporting that plus- and special-size shopper are being underserved, this retail segment is likewise growing with stars like Melissa McCarthy gracing the cover of Elle, a plus-size clothing line showing in New York Fashion Week, and larger bloggers and models becoming increasingly influential.
“This isn’t just about the clothes,” von Sychowski says. “This is about changing the perception of plus size… challenging the status quo around beauty, desirability and fashion norms.”
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Mookai wanted to promote local talent in producing the spot, so it used the song “Turning Heads,” from Charlotte Cardin-Goyer, a finalist in the well-known TV show La Voix, the Quebec version of The Voice.
The creative agency has worked on five campaigns with Addition Elle since their first collaboration in 2011. The media agency for this ad is Touché, and the PR was done by Brill in Toronto and VRoy in Montreal.
