Wehkamp - Always a Woman

We adapted a well-known, musical ode to women, specifically to connect with a new brand message and its audience. With a female music composer and female singers to reinterpret Billy Joel's classic song "Always a woman". A perfect hymn of self-love.

We adapted a well-known, musical ode to women, specifically to connect with a new brand message and its audience. We with a female music composer and female singers to reinterpret Billy Joel's classic song "Always a woman". The piece was originally created by Joel to defend his wife from the harsh critics received from the music industry which at the time was reluctant to welcome a fierce businesswoman into its network. This song re-written by women seemed like a perfect hymn of self-love.

The challenge musically was to transform a male-to-female classic love song to an empowering tribute to women in the form of an energetic, modern pop song that encompasses the campaign’s story and emotion.

The film is an ode to femininity and shows different women from the ages of 15 to 60+ in different key moments of their life, bringing out the best version of themselves. In the film, we see them in real, raw and honest moments.

The film’s narrative is guided by the classic song “She’s Always A Woman” by Billy Joel, but where Joel’s version is an earnest love song for his beloved, this new version is empowering, sung by women, for women. Each line is sung by a different vocalist who consequently represents each individual woman - from a young girl, to an older lady. To strengthen the brand message, it was imperative to our version that we emphasize and give voice to each of these women in a real, authentic and characterful way.

Wehkamp wanted to grow its market share within the strategic categories fashion & fashionable living. To achieve this, they have to attract a new generation of women, that had a negative perception about wehkamp:

-too old-fashioned

-not for me

We have a unique opportunity! This is the time to re-present wehkamp to the modern (young) Dutch woman. We do this through a refreshed identity, a striking sound and a clear stand for who and why we are there.

We approached the music production in a completely fresh way to support the transformation of the brand. Through a modern production, our goal was to bring energy and a feeling of empowerment to the Billy Joel classic, giving both Wehkamp and their target audience a relatable, catchy and uplifting soundtrack. With a deeper message of support to every definition of femininity and sisterhood.

Jury Feedback

CRAFT – MUSIC / SILVER

The music in this project not just complements the visuals, it really makes the film sing. The vocal performances are fantastic, the production quality is of a very high level and the music beautifully integrates with the performances on set. You can tell music was part of the early conceptual phase of the project, making for a strong synergy in the end result. It reminds us that taking an original song when making it your own in a truly unique way is still a very viable option. Using a song originally performed by a man and changing it into a song performed by multiple women is both inspiring and ties in really well with rebranding Wehkamp, reaching for a fresh demographic.

The jury celebrates this project as being the cream of the crop of what 2019 had to offer musically. With a Gold Lamp requiring a project to be "groundbreaking in its field", we felt this project wasn't that exactly. However, a Silver Lamp is definitely in place and more than deserved!