No7's female empowerment campaign aims to help women impacted by the 'Shecession'

No7, the Walgreens Boots Alliance beauty brand, casts a spotlight on the so-called "Shecession" in a global call-to-action designed to help women return to the workplace.

To prompt conversation around the issue of of women being held back by the pandemic, No7 has created a brand film pointing to alarming statistics that have emerged over the course of 2020. For example, four times as many women have lost their jobs as men, and women are three times more likely to have sacrificed their careers for family. However it also highlights the achievements made by women, including the inauguration of the first female Vice President in Kamala Harris and the rise of more female CEOs. The film also features a mural created by artist Sydney G. James, whose work explores themes of the racial and gender positioning of Black women in America.

The film was created by WPP's WBA team in partnership with Berlin Cameron, VMLY&R and DeVries and produced by an all-female crew including Honor Society director Juliana Curi. It will be accompanied by social media films highlighting individual women from the spot who have been impacted by the "Shecession."

The campaign directs viewers toward a website that shows how No7 is responding to the issue. For example it is partnering with influential female advocacy groups to provide free, easily accessible educational resources for women. It will hold a virtual job summit on Feb. 24, in partnership with Fortune, Hello Sunshine and The Female Quotient, with speakers such as Maria Shriver and Arianne Huffington. It's also offering free careers sessions from The Female Quotient.

“The unequal impact of this recession jeopardizes the progress towards a more equitable society that women, and No7, have strived towards for decades,” said Anisha Raghavan, chief marketing officer, Global Brands Americas at Walgreens Boots Alliance, in a statement. “As a company with an 85-year history of supporting spirited women as they’ve led the changing views of women in society, it is important for No7 to join the conversation and provide tangible resources to women.”

"We wanted the creative to center around the real facts and figures that women are up against today, as well as highlight the resiliency and progress we've seen from women over the last several months," added Berlin Cameron President Jennifer DaSilva. “Through this brand film, we wanted to shift the narrative with an eye towards recovery, because we know that women are unstoppable."