Project

Superdrug & Savers Unlearn – inclusion and diversity campaign

Project

Superdrug & Savers Unlearn – inclusion and diversity campaign

Client

Superdrug & Savers

Industry

Health & Beauty, Retail

Services

Inclusion and diversity as a representation of the workforce

Services

In today’s world where inclusion and diversity are paramount, and rightly so, Superdrug, a leading UK health and beauty retailer, and sister company Savers, wanted to reshape internal and external perceptions and practices of their approach to equality. The project needed to create a bold statement that would challenge and redefine the conventional understanding of inclusion. It was not just about promoting diversity but about actively engaging with and transforming the everyday experiences of employees across the UK.

We were briefed to create a short film around inclusion and diversity for both the Superdrug and Savers brands. We wanted the video to represent people’s experiences inside both brands and to be emotionally engaging. The video was to be used internally and externally to represent Superdrug & Saver’s views on inclusion and diversity.

The heartbeat

Unlearn prejudice, judgement and ignorance

From the initial campaign video brief we wanted to evolve the thinking to be more of a rounded campaign, where the video would be the centre piece.

We created ‘Unlearn’, a campaign that questioned the point of when and how prejudice is learned. We depicted this through showing people, real Superdrug and Savers employees, as children, before they were ever ‘judged’, when they were curious, kind and loved, and then show them as they are now, assumed by others, stereotyped and generalised for their difference.

Unlearn supports the idea of ‘unlearning’ prejudice, judgement and ignorance regardless of its point of infusion, consciously or subconsciously. We wanted to confront the viewer to show that Superdrug and Savers’ support everybody, regardless of their identity, gender, background, age, race etc. We wanted to brand the campaign to have more stand out and create a juxtaposition on perceived learning material and acceptance.

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The centrepiece of the Unlearn campaign was a compelling video that visually and emotionally captured the essence of the campaign’s message. The video featured real Superdrug and Savers’ employees from diverse backgrounds, sharing personal stories of bias, transformation and understanding. The video created a sense of confrontation in a way that asked for empathy, understanding and equality.

We created a script and storyboard in collaboration with the Superdrug and Savers team, and moulded the copy around the people that could take part in the video, ensuring everyone was represented and heard. We were so grateful for the participants that took part, to be able to put themselves out there and stand for and become representatives of the values they share with their company.

Campaign Toolkit

To ensure the Unlearn campaign’s message reached every corner of the UK, a comprehensive toolkit was developed and distributed to all Superdrug and Savers stores and offices. The toolkit was designed to facilitate the campaign’s rollout and included a variety of materials tailored to different needs, enabling the internal marketing team to use as they saw fit.

We created eye-catching posters that were displayed in-store and in office spaces, featuring key messages and impactful visuals from the video. A suite of social media assets were also created to amplify the campaign’s reach online. This included shareable graphics, short video clips and pre-written posts to engage with the wider community and encourage dialogue on social media platforms.

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The Results

The Superdrug and Savers Unlearn campaign stands as a testament to the power of authentic, inclusive communication. By focusing on the personal and collective journey of unlearning prejudice, judgement and ignorance, the campaign has successfully engaged its audience in a meaningful, participative dialogue about diversity.

The campaign’s innovative use of video, comprehensive toolkit, and emphasis on real stories created a lasting impact, that has now featured in the company’s ESG yearly report and a pillar in their iniatives, cycling up to parent company AS Watson.