Dive Brief:

• The Body Shop has partnered with national nonpartisan organization HeadCount to register as many first-time voters as possible, per a press release. The effort is part of "Be Seen. Been Heard," a joint campaign with the UN Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth.
• Visitors to The Body Shop's stores and website can register to vote, sign a pledge to support young people's participation in democracy and advocate for fair and accessible elections. The brand's "Changemakers" ambassadors will use livestreams, digital storytelling and live events to boost the effort.
• The partnership with HeadCount comes amid a nationwide push that has made voting more difficult and sees The Body Shop continuing purpose-driven work despite a more fraught landscape that has caused several marketers to pull back such efforts.

Dive Insight:

The Body Shop bills itself as an "activist beauty retailer" and its latest effort, teaming with voter registration nonprofit HeadCount, lives up to that billing. The partnership comes at a time when state legislatures have made it more difficult to vote: At least 24 states have passed laws that impact voters, especially young and first-time ones, affecting access to polling stations, transportation, voter registration and voter ID, per the release.

"Young people have the courage and moral clarity to help build a better world, but our institutions are not doing enough to make sure they are seen and heard. We hope this campaign, and partnership with HeadCount, will inspire more youth to think about engaging with democracy as an ongoing practice, not just during major elections," said Hilary Lloyd, vice president of marketing and corporate social responsibility for The Body Shop North America, in release details.

To promote the partnership, The Body Shop is utilizing its roster of youth activist brand ambassadors, which it calls Changemakers, for livestreams, digital storytelling and live events. The Changemakers include Gen Z Girl Gang founder and reproductive rights activist Deja Foxx and Youth Climate Save founder and animal rights advocate Genesis Butler. 

The effort — in advance of what is likely to be a frenzied 2024 election season — comes amid a more fraught environment that has forced several marketers to reconsider purpose-driven campaigns. Bud Light and Target, most notably, have been in the crosshairs of conservatives who object to the brands' work around LGBTQ visibility. 

While those marketers have arguably fumbled their LGBTQ-focused efforts, The Body Shop has made such work a central part of its brand identity. The brand in 2022 spelled out its support for a wide range of sexual orientations and gender identities as part of efforts to combat bills like Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law. For this year's Pride Month campaign, The Body Shop teamed with drag performers that have been another focus of conservative backlash.

The Body Shop's partnership with HeadCount is part of a previously launched joint campaign with Envoy on Youth, a U.N. effort that aims to increase young people's participation in public life around the world.