While not illegal to show women’s breasts, media companies create so much red tape that it may as well be.

The social hypocrisy about what is deemed offensive is testament to an outdated standard, often set by men and adhered to without question by Australian and global media companies. There is still the prohibition of showing the female nipple on TV and online, and within paid media in facebook - focussing on a body part, regardless of context. It’s hard to sell bras to women when you can’t focus on breasts.

Australia is a progressive country by world standards, but there is still work to do when it comes to female representation in media. Within Australian advertising and mainstream media, women are typically featured as objects viewed through a male gaze. As a result, the majority of Australian women, particularly above 30 might have never seen bodies or boobs like theirs shown in an ad before - let alone a bra ad that told the truth.

This was a film made both by, and for women, and through a female lens, aimed to empathise with, rather than objectify women.

The idea: It’s time to be kind.

Bras haven’t been kind to women, and neither has bra advertising. To launch Berlei’s kindest bra ever, we used something rarely seen in bra advertising- the truth.

Our idea “Womankind” started with the naming of the bra itself, then we aimed to make women question the bras they are wearing with a bold campaign led by a powerful film.

The launch film told the story in full. Directed by Kim Gehrig, a quick, punchy edit focuses on the boobs of real women of varying ages and backgrounds, revealing some of the more awkward, painful and humorous moments boobs- and womankind as a whole- have endured over time.

Finally, “No more” a visible relief to the women and the viewer, a final ripping of tape triggers the release of boobs from the bras, and concluding with the words “It’s time to be kind. Womankind”

We set out to create a cultural conversation, not just a communications message.

Our marquee moments played out on TV and YouTube in primetime placements. Following the launch, Facebook banned paid posting of the film - as women's breasts, shown in a non objectified, honest way are too shocking for Australian audiences.

Although limiting initial reach, this ban added fuel to the fire, as women rallied behind Berlei and against the double standards of advertising.

Knowing backlash was a possibility we engaged key opinion leaders like Mia Freedman (the number one female-centric publisher in Australia), so we would have a cavalry on side if we needed to make noise. Using the ban to propel our message into the media and the national consciousness was the second phase of the campaign.

Throughout these phases we had a fully integrated campaign running across social, digital and partner publishers.

We delivered 58 pieces of coverage across mass reaching sites delivering 260+ million impressions above paid media.

NPS increased 90% from +9 to a record +17.

Key brand imagery statements reflected the shift in how Berlei spoke to women:

Berlei is a brand that cares for women – 94% said yes.

Berlei is a brand that celebrates women’s different body shapes – 84% said yes

Berlei is a brand that helps you feel confident – 83% said yes

Beat all campaign targets. Sold 20,000 bras at 6% sell through rate - 50% higher than our target. There was a 125% sales uplift in week 1 of the campaign, followed by a further 60% uplift in week 2.

Since tracking the brands’ performance, this was the first time Berlei’s consideration score increased 2% in less than a year, rising from 29% in 2016 to 31% by the end of September 2017.

The key insight: Talk about kindness amidst the cruelty.

Women’s bodies haven’t always been treated kindly. Historically, corsetry has been a byword for cruelty. Despite bras improving, research confirmed that many bras were still considered "unkind" and were "the first thing you want to take off when you get home". We also found that 67% had been let down by a bra, either from "straps falling down", "cups not fitting the shape of your breasts", "red marks, when you take it off" or "backache".

When we researched further, we found everyday stories of self-inflicted cruelty. Taping, binding, compressing - these weren’t things that a few women did they were things that most women did. Yet, stunningly, no-one had told this story.

We realized that the combination of the Berlei bra’s unparalleled comfort and this hidden narrative of the daily unkindness we put ourselves through could be a game changer.

Leading bra brand Berlei has been supporting women for over 100 years, designing Australia’s first maternity bra, the first sports bra, and the first post-surgery bra for mastectomy patients. Brand ambassador Serena Williams has been wearing their sports bras exclusively for 18 years. While Berlei had strived to support women of all ages and sizes through the design of their bras, and through the representation of women in their communications, there was more work to do.

The brief was to launch Berlei’s most comfortable bra ever- the ‘Spacer’ bra. A bra that is molded and shaped by the woman who wears it. We needed to launch the bra and reconnect with the next generation of Australian women- convincing them comfortable bras can be aspirational and modern.

Our objective was to not just launch the bra but challenge the dated, static, gender backward norms of bra advertising. We wanted to make comfortable, kind bras something aspirational for the next generation of Australian women- because bra advertising is a horrific vestige of the patriarchy getting their hands on everything, even our boobs. It was time to show some much needed honesty, empathy and respect. It was time to create a new normal.