This Women's Underwear Ad From Australia Is Way More Than a Chick Flick

For the launch of the first women’s-only Bonds Originals line of underwear, Leo Burnett Melbourne conceived “The Queendom.”

Going down the list of neo-femininity as understood by ad land, there’s plenty here that we’ve seen before—women with fuller bodies, splashes of diversity, underarm hair and glaring swagger. But that’s also part of what the brand is playing with. “The Queendom” is replete with overturned references, beginning with its opening title: “A chick flick by Bonds.” 

Katherine Heigl and her 27 dresses wouldn’t be caught dead in this wilderness.

“The Queendom” stars Indigenous model Zhoe Trotter, who sets out in search of the fabled land of women. When she finally arrives, she joins their community, engaging in various acts of surly (but photogenic!) roughin’-it—chopping wood, cracking nuts with fists, and doing nails with local flora. Everyone is outfitted in Bonds underwear. 

If it feels like a fantasy, that’s probably intentional. These are Amazonian warriors, revisited for a generation more interested in breathable cotton than heavy armor, mashed up with stereotypes of the Australian outback, down to big fat spiders. 

Directed by Gracie Otto, the all-female cast of six also features “Thelma,” a friendly huntsman spider. New Zealand artist JessB created the song, “Day Ones.” It was shot in Australia’s Blue Mountains … or “Bush Land,” as the film puts it.

“The Queendom, a sassy twist on the traditional Kingdom, felt really natural,” says Leo Burnett copywriter Holly Burgess. “We were keen to throw a few stereotypes out the window and have a bit of fun with it in the process.”

The campaign hit televisions on July 23 in Australia and New Zealand. A wider social campaign will include short-form content and interviews, alongside an in-store fundraising event with the REACH Foundation. Bonds Originals profits made on Aug. 11 will go to workshops for young girls.

“The brief was to create a space where confidence rules, without losing our Bonds sense of humor,” says Bonds head of marketing Emily Small. (That sense of humor famously included a pair of talking testicles a few years back.) “This range was made for young women, and so we were excited to make some content that spoke to them.”

CREDITS
Client: Bonds
Brand Manager: Kedda Ghazarian
Creative Director: Daniel Pizzato
Head Of Marketing: Emily Small
Marketing Manager: Kelly McBride, Michelle Taylor
Assistant Brand Manager: Taylah Johnson

Creative Agency: Leo Burnett Melbourne
Copywriter: Holly Burgess
Art Director: Lucy Logan
Chief Creative Officer: Jason Williams
Photographer: Nicole Bentley
Group Business Director: Amanda Nicoll
Senior Broadcast Producer: Eliza Malone
Print Producer: Kirstie Gadsden
Content Producer: Lucy Appleyard
Director of Integrated Strategy: Ilona Janashvili
Motion Designer: John Angless
Account Director: Chloe Erftemeyer

Production Company: Playtime
Executive Producer: Oliver Lawrance
Director: Gracie Otto
DOP: Stefan Duscio
Offline Editor: Rohan Zerna – The Butchery

Production Service: Level Two, Electric Dreams
Producer: Tom Slater
Wardrobe Stylist: Ella Murphy
Makeup Artist: Alan White & Gillian Campbell
Song: Day Ones

Singer/Songwriter: JessB
Sound: Sam Hopgood – Bang Bang Studios

Online Artist: Chris Betteridge – The Refinery

Colorist: CJ Dobson – The Refinery