L'Oreal Paris - Ilon Specht (Cannes)

Fifty years after “Because I’m Worth It” was written, its meaning had been eroded by time. What began as a statement of rebellion had softened into a tagline—spoken everywhere, but rarely felt. Our idea was not to reinterpret it, but to reclaim it. We did so by going back to where the line began, to Ilon Specht, the young McCann copywriter who fought so hard to bring those words to life. We worked with two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker Ben Proudfoot to capture Specht, in her senior years and facing a terminal illness, in her New York apartment. She reflects on making the original ad at a time when so many forces were working against her and all throughout, her fire and unfiltered voice come to life: sharp, defiant and unapologetic. No brand messaging. No products shots. Just truth. The ultimate embodiment of “I’m worth it.” We gave Ilon Specht back her words and her authorship. We didn’t modernize her line. We reminded the world of its original power, and the world listened.  The film earned +2.B impressions worldwide, was the first-ever branded content piece acquired by TED and led to a +70% jump in brand consideration for L’Oréal Paris.