A beautiful campaign directed by an Indigenous creator, telling First Nations stories.

Client: Colgate Palmolive

The challenge

Palmolive’s latest product, Skin Food body wash, is infused with native Australian superfoods. During product development and discussion with key industry supplier NATIVE EXTRACTS, the brand came to learn about the huge underrepresentation of First Nations peoples in the native agriculture supply chain.

They came to Genero to produce a campaign aimed at raising awareness of this issue and supporting First Nations growers, while also educating their audience on the product’s native superfood ingredients, hyper-nourishing formula and Palmolive’s partnership with First Nations growers.

The approach

The campaign was split into two parts with different objectives. First, a content series that tells the stories of three First Nations growers, shining a light on their beautiful native Australian ingredients, traditional agricultural practices and connection to land. This series ran on Australia’s National Indigenous TV station and aimed to educate and inspire First Nations involvement in the agriculture sector.

The second is a fun and upbeat consumer-focused campaign featuring Indigenous actor and Skin Food enthusiast, Miranda Tapsell. The campaign ran on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

Through Genero, Palmolive was able to source a creative team that could tell these stories in a genuinely authentic way. Production agency ‘We Believe’ led by Executive Director Andrew Coyle and First Nations Director Cornel Ozies delivered this unique campaign. Cornel is highly experienced in telling stories that build connections between Indigenous and mainstream Australia, and producing campaigns for big brands based around positive outcomes for Indigenous people.

“Our central philosophy for this campaign was the First Nations value of 'we not me’, which reflected the growers’ approach to native agriculture. They all believed, if you care for country, country will care for you. And through their inherited knowledge they generously showed us how we can care for the land by using traditional methods.”
Cornel Ozies, First Nations Director

“Our aim was to create a campaign that built a connection between native agriculture and a wider audience. Along the way we were inspired by their knowledge, brought to tears at times and elevated by the connections we made with our First Nations growers. This all happened because we took the time to listen. My hope is that our audience may have a similar journey”.
Executive & Creative Director Andrew Coyle

Also involved in this collaborative campaign were composer Tristan Barton, the VMLY&R Strategy team and Kantar Research.

The results

By investing in authentic partnerships, strategic media buying, and compelling content, we helped elevate Palmolive’s powerful commitment to addressing the under-representation of First Nations People.

The campaign also had a phenomenal impact on sales:

6% increase: In sales vs the previous 8-weeks
$540K: In retail sales for Skin Food body wash

"We are immensely proud of the profound impact our Skin Food campaign has made in illuminating the under-representation of First Nations People in the native agricultural sector. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Genero for their contribution and collaboration in bringing our vision to life. The NITV partnership and content series that shared the stories of Indigenous growers put purpose and diversity at the heart of the campaign. Together, we have set a precedent for the industry, and we look forward to continuing our journey of empathy, empowerment, and cultural appreciation in the future."
Kate Johnson, Senior Brand Manager, Palmolive