She's been "on the eos train since high school," and now Tongal director Leah Henoch has proudly helmed the body-care brand's Shorty Award-winning Dirty DMs campaign.
eos' hilarious spots — featuring a grandmother reading real NSFW social media comments about the romantic benefits of their body lotion — won the coveted best Video Ad prize at last week's Shortys ceremony in New York.
"I loved the concept from the beginning," says Leah. "Using real comments from real people gave it this unexpected absurd edge in the best way.
"And having a granny read them with total sincerity elevated the whole thing. It felt fresh, and, of course, hilarious. Some things you just can't unhear!"
eos' Dirty DMs campaign
Cheeky Social Media Conversations Inspired Campaign
eos is dedicated to having fun, authentic, and reciprocal conversations with their Gen-Z audience, and this was another example of how in-tune they are with their community.
Their concept, brought to life by Leah and fellow Tongal Creator Matt Porter, was inspired by real social media comments about the intoxicating fragrance of eos' Vanilla Cashmere Body Lotion, and its unexpected aphrodisiac benefits. And the inspired idea was executed with fabulous humor and creative flair.
"It was a really fun set," Leah recalls. "A lot of collaborative energy and constant cracking up.
"Our granny — played by the wonderful Mary Burkin — had us all stifling laughter behind the monitor with her upbeat yet deadpan delivery of the truly wildest NSFW comments. Also, a grandmother's quirky home is basically my dream set so it was a delight to live in all that glorious kitsch for a day."
From eos Fan to Filmmaker
It was a dream directorial gig for Leah, secured via the Tongal platform, as she has been a huge fan of eos since her teens.
"I’ve been on the eos train for a long time, ever since those iconic sphere balms hit the scene when I was in high school," says Leah, who lives in Los Angeles, California.
"The brand has always had a genuine sense of humor. It’s playful, authentic, and plain fun. Our hope was to really bring that to life with this spot."
Tongal director Leah Henoch and the campaign's star Mary Burkin
During the campaign period, eos grew market share by 200bps, and was the fastest-growing body lotion brand in the mass channel. And it earned deserved recognition at the Shortys, which celebrates the best of digital and social media, with three nominations and the big Video Ad win.
This was Leah's biggest ever project behind the camera, having joined the Tongal community to be connected with filmmaking opportunities.
"Over the past few years, I’ve transitioned from acting to directing, and this project was an amazing opportunity," she says.
"I learned so much throughout the whole process from prep to pre-production, and working with Tongal was wonderful. Right now I'm starting a festival run for a short film I wrote and directed. Stay tuned!"
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