Directed by Rocio Crudo (represented in the US by Easy Mondays) and created via DEPT, Philips “Lumea” IPL rips the metaphorical band-aid (and the literal follicles) off the hair removal process. Women (and some men) are shown struggling with the task of removing hair from faces, armpits, bellies, legs – and elsewhere – juxtaposing that nightmare with the gentle light of Lumea.
For Crudo, whose work for clients like TIAA and Avon traverses the rich territory of female empowerment, the spot offered an opportunity to destigmatize female body hair. “Women almost have a duty to look the way that society expects them to,” said the director. “For ages, women (and men) have suffered through different methods to get rid of body hair, but nobody shows this reality in advertising. The Philips campaign celebrates the different expressions of hair, in all its colors, textures – and locations.”
Humor plays a distinct role in commercial storytelling in general, and in Crudo’s work in particular. “I feel that having humor transforms things in life. It makes a strong connection even with strangers, makes you close in an intimate vibe,” she said. “I love a small gag, a smile. I feel this quickly creates a relatable atmosphere for a short story.”
Raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Crudo emerged from Universidad del Cine (FUC) in 2012, and recently won a special mention degree at Lions Masters of Creativity at the Cannes Lions Festival. “I had started working as a photographer early on,” she recalled. “I worked one month for Kodak in Cuba. I loved the contact with people, the interaction and the connection between myself and the lens, and the effect it makes once it's revealed.” She began taking fashion photos, where her fascination with “the magic behind that moment” led her to imagine her pictures in motion, via the world of cinema. She enrolled in FUC one week after.
Other recent work directed by Crudo includes commercials for Renault and Rockstar. Rocio Crudo is represented exclusively by Easy Mondays in the US, and by Rebolucion in South America.
