How The Beauty Campaign Film Became A Vehicle For Social Impact

A campaign film going viral on social media is every brand’s dream when it comes to generating sales, but Yves Saint Laurent Beauty has a somewhat different objective in mind for its latest offering.

At first glance YSL Beauty’s “Don’t Call it Love” short looks like any other luxury brand advertisment but the 1.45 minute short has not been conceived to promote one of the brand’s products.

Instead it subverts tropes typically favored by the genre to call attention to the warning signs of domestic abuse or intimate partner violence (IPV).

The film, released March 6 to coincide with International Women’s Day, is the latest iteration of YSL Beauty’s Abuse is Not Love program which debuted in 2020. It aims to help tackle the issue by raising awareness via training and education among young people, encouraging them to build healthy relationships and supporting local NGOs with resources for those experiencing abuse.

The plot of YSL Beauty’s new campaign film

The film opens with a beautiful and confident women dancing with a handsome partner in their picture perfect Parisian apartment and segues through romantic mise en scenes like a glamorous party, romantic midnight stroll by the River Seine and stylish gaggle of friends in a classic convertible.

However, the romantic narrative is punctuated by subtle moments of unease, each barely perceptible on its own but which, taken together, build into something rather more sinister. At this point the action is paused with the question emblazoned across the screen “Did you see signs of abuse in this film?”

There follows a rewind which zooms in on the signs of abuse: smartphone messages read during a romantic clinch, stalking disguised as concern, jealousy, emotional manipulation and love bombing geared to isolate the protagonist from her support group.

What’s the big idea?

I asked YSL Beauty International Manager Stephen Bezy what prompted the brand to draw on the traditional motifs of luxury commercials to animate the program. “We believe in the power of beauty to drive positive change,” he said. “We decided to use timeless and expected codes of luxury advertising to capture viewers’ attention, yet with a twist, giving us the opportunity to share a powerful message.”

“We wanted to amplify that warning signs can hide in plain sight, that perpetrators can come in any shape or form and unhealthy behaviours are oftentimes romanticized – encouraging viewers to be able to identify this behaviour before it escalates.”

The aim of the campaign, he said, is “to create a ripple effect that extends beyond traditional advertising campaigns and drives meaningful change.”

Why it matters

Dr. Sara Kuburic, a leading practitioner of psychotherapy, known as The Millennial Therapist served as head consultant on the production to ensure accuracy and responsibility while NGO partners like En Avant Toute(s) were also involved in the process.

“Intimate partner violence is often misunderstood, minimized or overlooked entirely,” said Kuburic in a statement. “Don’t Call it Love challenges that by exposing the subtle, insidious ways abuse takes hold—through visuals and scenarios that deeply resonate.”

Lending the project further creative industry credibility, YSL Beauty also tapped director Léa Ceheivi who has worked with both Chanel and the musician Justice, and cinematographer Nicolas Loir, talent behind campaign films for Louis Vuitton and Chloé.

How is the campaign connected to the brand’s DNA?

Regarding the proximity of the issue to the house, Bezy explained how its founder, Monsieur Saint Laurent, was dedicated to liberating and empowering women: “He broke taboos, challenged conventions through designs and fought for the liberation from gendered conventions. These values are deeply rooted within the brand’s legacy. In line with this, women’s empowerment is at the very heart of YSL Beauty’s sense of purpose.”

Further meaningful initiatives

YSL Beauty is not alone in its deployment of programs that generate social impact. Estée Lauder Companies founded its Pink Ribbon campaign to fight Breast Cancer in 1992 while MAC’s Viva Glam Fund was established in 1994 to raise money for and increase awareness of HIV.

L’Oréal Group NYX Cosmetics supports global LGBTQIA+ organizations such as the Los Angeles LGBT Center and MAG Jeunes LGBT+ in France.

Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty founded the Rare Impact Fund in 2020 to increase access to youth mental health services and education. For the last two years the brand has also partnered with Sephora for World Mental Health Day with Sephora donating 100 percent of Rare Beauty sales to the fund.

Most recently brands including Benefit Cosmetics, Rhode Skin, Rare Beauty and Laura Mercier all made donations to relief efforts for those affected by the Los Angeles wildfires while Josie Maran founded new nonprofit Beauty Together with the support of over 30 brands from across the beauty industry in support of the cause.

YSL’s new campaign film follows the December launch of am educational package for schools and communities—Decoding Love Leaflets—promoting healthy connections and spotlighting key warning signs of abuse. Since its inception, it has trained and supported more than 1.3 million individuals worldwide across over 25 markets.