| MD's naked ambition for a lift in sales
By ANDREW WILKES and POLLY DUNBAR - More by this author » Last updated at 10:46am on 13th May 2007
As managing director of her own company, Joanna Gardiner likes to dress to impress, and that usually means a smart suit.
But when it came to advertising the firm's latest product, the boss decided it was time to show a little naked ambition - and turned to her birthday suit.
The 37-year-old mother of three shed all her clothes to film a 60-second promotional video for her new skincare product.
And it has now been seen by more than 340,000 people via website YouTube.
The advert, believed to be the first featuring full-frontal nudity to target the UK market, features Mrs Gardiner sitting naked behind a laptop in a mocked-up laboratory, surrounded by dozens of other naked "scientists".
"The idea behind the film is that many skincare products are filled with harsh chemicals and irritants which promote conditions such as eczema, whereas ours are natural and organic," said Mrs Gardiner, who runs Ovelle Pharmaceuticals.
"I thought having everyone naked would get the message across that we have nothing to hide.
"I realised that by appearing myself, it would demonstrate my commitment to the product and show I really do care about the issue.
"But as a mother of three children, I didn't think I was the right choice for the front of the ad so we went for someone a bit easier on the eye.
"I'm the one in the background, behind the laptop - but I'm definitely naked."
The advert parodies the familiar format of a beautiful white-coated "expert" strolling around a busy cosmetics institute - but in this case the voluptuous blonde is nude.
The advert, produced in March, was filmed on a closed set with all the production staff naked to put the actors, and Mrs Gardiner, at ease.
She said: "We filmed in New Zealand and on the flight over, I was nervous about stripping off in front of all these beautiful people, but I couldn't think about myself, I just wanted the advert to be perfect.
"Now I know what it must be like to visit a nudist camp because what they say is true: you do actually stop noticing you're naked after a while.
"Everyone on the set was naked so we were all in it together.
"And in any case, New Zealanders are so laid-back that they made it seem totally natural."
Mrs Gardiner, who juggles running the company with bringing up three children - Sophie, 11, Tom, ten and four-year-old Patrick - took over Ovelle seven years ago.
The business, based in Dundalk, Ireland, was started by her grandfather in 1934.
The advert promotes their Elave range with the slogan "Nothing to Hide". The range has been on sale in Boots and independent pharmacies since late last year.
Mrs Gardiner's husband, Fergus, a 40-year-old solicitor, was initially less than keen on the idea of the advert.
"Most men would be a little uncomfortable with the idea of everyone seeing their wife naked, and when I told him I wanted to be in the film, he was definitely slightly taken aback.
"As a solicitor, he understandably didn't like the thought of his clients and colleagues watching the advert.
"But he relaxed when he realised I was only in the background. He now thinks it's great and he's really proud of me for going through with something so brave."
Two weeks ago, the company's 48 members of staff met to watch the advert before it was posted on the internet.
"I showed it to everyone in the canteen ten days ago and they nearly fell off their chairs.
"They couldn't believe they had seen their boss naked, and neither could I but we all realise that, however outrageous the advert seems, it's perfect for illustrating what we're doing.
"I have never seen an advert like this before and I'm proud that we've done something which has become such a talking point."
Ovelle has seen a 500 per cent rise in sales, both online and in the High Street, since the campaign was launched on May 5.
"The response has been phenomenal," said Mrs Gardiner. "We've even had responses from America and Canada where we don't have any retail outlets."
The company has a turnover of £2.7million and claims its colour, alcohol and soap-free products do not include potentially harmful chemicals. |
05-14-2007, 09:20 AM
