In 1971, a 23-year-old American editor named Ilon Specht created the tagline "Because I'm Worth It". With this tagline, L'Oréal Paris set in motion the evolution of women's representation in the media, carrying the values of independence, self-confidence and female leadership.

But in the recent years, a paradox emerged: the more iconic the tagline became, the more the original intentions of the message were diluted. Studies have shown that today, women mainly perceive the monetary dimension of the signature, as if the tagline only meant "I deserve the best", and no longer the aspirational part of the message about asserting oneself and one's personality.

The objective was to give substance to the brand's iconic signature and bring it back to life, in today’s society, where the challenges women face have evolved but remain.

The creative idea aimed to bring back to life the brand's iconic 1971 tagline "I'm worth it". It features acclaimed actress and L'Oréal Paris spokesperson, Viola Davis, who delivers a powerful speech written in collaboration with the agency, where she reveals her personal journey of self-worth, serving both as a rallying cry for women on a quest for self-worth but also as an inspiration for those who doubt or struggle.

L'Oréal Paris was the very first brand to speek about self-worth back in the 70s when women were fighting for recognition in a male-dominated society. While that fight continues, the concept of self-worth has evolved over time. Today, as identity is more complex than ever, many people and communities are fighting for recognition and respect. The agency chose to launch its Lesson of Worth series with one of its spoekspeople, Viola Davis, an acclaimed actress from the African American community. By sharing her personal experience and journey towards greater self-worth, she spoke for and to the black communities around the world but also for and to every individual who is fighting for a more inclusive world, where each individual is respected and empowered to become their best self.

To create this authentic atmosphere and bring the nobility and timeless power of the message to the forefront, we didn't want to add any creative elements that could weaken it. The format is raw and uncluttered: Viola Davis is filmed in front of a simple studio background in a sequence shot with no cuts or editing. When she looks straight at the camera, the raw power of her emotions along with her imperious but humane tone of voice are both powerful but intimate, as if she were speaking directly to the viewer, as a friend.

In the week following the video's release, the digital campaign generated a total of 22M free media impressions, 946K interactions, over 165K shares and an engagement rate of 9.8%.

The video posted by Viola Davis has generated more than 3.9M views on Instagram and 4.8M views on Twitter. L’Oréal Paris’ Instagram account gained over 500K followers and generated over 5M impressions thanks to reposting by the brand’s other spokespeople.