180 Stories: Telling the Truth About ‘Boring Housewives’ for bonprix

bonprix had become a pretty successful e-commerce business but they also knew it had a problem if it wanted to continue to expand internationally. They told us you could sense the problem when you went around their office.

And when we went to see them, we could see straight away. They had lost their true voice. A voice that not only represented the passionate, engaged and talented team that worked there, but also a voice that connected with their female 30+ audience. 

This was a company that loved what it did.

They thought their customers were awesome.

They thought all women were awesome.

Absolutely all of them.

And they were obsessed with making sure their products were as diverse and stylish as any woman; which is why they have over 30,000 options. But none of that was coming through with the brand.

They, like much of the category, had become peddlers of formulaic perfection or, and most damagingly, perpetuated the convention of using clothing retail as an antidote to low-self esteem and body confidence woes. They had, as a result, become less relevant to a new generation of 30-something women and instead become synonymous with older, less stylish women. However, they truly believe that their audience are awesome. 

Now was the time to challenge fake but dull perfection. And embrace the beautiful truth. Do you really think we’re for boring housewives? We’ll show you what a boring housewife looks like….

The resulting integrated pan european campaign used real people, not actors, as the focus of the narrative. Their quirks, their dance moves, their energy and their confidence all came from within. The clothes the bonprix team styled them in were an expression of themselves, not a mask to hide their true selves. 

Their stories truly showed how much the company was attuned, both in values and products, to the lives of its wonderfully funny, awesome, complex and interesting female customers.

The result was that bonprix sold out of the products featured in the campaign in five days.

And a company had found its proud and compelling voice again. To find your voice, embrace your truth. And then sing it from the rooftops with all your heart.