Collaboration for Menopause Awareness Month

Elle Sera is a female-founded, non-hormonal supplement brand: dedicated to helping women thrive in menopause. After hearing about the brand’s benefits through her own mother and sister, Associate Creative Director at Continuous, Olivia Downing, reached out to Elle Sera to see if they would be interested in collaborating with her work as a guest lecturer on Marketing Communications (BA) and honorary Master of Arts at LAU. Continuous has a range of women’s health policies, including menopause leave, menstrual leave and baby loss leave, so the value systems in place matched perfectly.

Collaborating carefully with Operations Manager, Kelly Bond at Elle Sera and Heather Jackson co-founder of Gen-M: a company that works with brands to better represent the menopause to improve the menopause experience for everyone, a brief was written for the students to use their advertising skills to ‘spot the signs, and give her a golden life again’. Unlike most campaigns for menopause, their work targeted the partners or adult children of women going through menopause, encouraging them to be aware of the 48 signs of menopause, so they could recommend Elle Sera as a way to help support them. Presenting to Elle Sera at Continuous on Friday 6th October, the students demonstrated that this unique collaboration helped them understand the needs of the client, as well as the changing cultural zeitgeist for menopausal women at large.

Founder of Elle Sera, Elissa Corrigan says:

“We are delighted to collaborate with Leeds ArtsUniversity and Continuous on their upcoming menopause awareness campaigns. It‘s an incredible opportunity for all involved to break the stigma and create a positive impact through innovative and artistic storytelling – something we at Elle Sera work towards constantly. We hope by coming together, we can redefine narratives surrounding menopause and foster a more inclusive and understanding society.”

Marketing Communications (BA) Senior Lecturer, NickYoung says:

“We’ve been working with Continuous for over 6 years: our students get so much out of working with such an enthusiastic creative team, who care passionately about helping the next generation’s creative talent. The chance to work on a real brief and pitch it to the client, gives the students a real life experience that they will carry with them as they develop as creatives.”

Associate Creative Director at Continuous, Olivia Downing, adds:

“Working with students has always been a highlight of my job: their take on the world around them is fresh, considered and creatively authentic. I’m also proud to work at Continuous: where our own internal policies regarding menopause leave and women’s health reflect Elle Sera’s values. To me, it felt like an opportunity for everyone.”