Natura, the largest beauty brand in Latin America, is getting ready to launch a major brand campaign from new U.S. agency of record DAVID as it eyes growth in the American market.
DAVID won the Natura account in December following a competitive review involving three agencies that kicked off last October; the agency declined to share who else participated. While Brazil-based Natura had previously worked with smaller boutique shops on a project basis in the country, this is the first time it is consolidating its U.S. marketing efforts under a single agency.
As Natura’s first U.S. creative agency of record, DAVID handles creative, strategy, influencer marketing, and social media. Media is managed by GroupM.
“We were looking for an agency with global vision but U.S. cultural fluency,” Erik Volavicius, general manager of Natura U.S., told ADWEEK. “DAVID understood how to translate the values of our brand to American consumers. Their strategy was sharp, but they also brought something unexpected—a sense of humor and humanity.”
DAVID will help Natura achieve its growing ambitions in the U.S., where the brand plans to scale its business fivefold over the next few years. Natura will launch an integrated brand campaign on May 1, followed by a summer pop-up experience that brings the Brazilian Amazon to New York and Miami.
The campaign centers on four of Natura’s signature Amazonian bioactives: açaí, maracujá, tukumã, and castanha. Rather than anglicizing these ingredients, DAVID leans into their original Portuguese pronunciations—a creative decision meant to spark curiosity and showcase Natura’s Brazilian roots.
“They’re exotic, they’re intriguing, and they’re already on our packaging,” said Volavicius. “So why not own that?”
Brazilian roots
For DAVID, which has roots in Brazil, the account win carries significance.
“Natura is one of the most admired brands in Brazil,” Carolina Vieira, managing director of DAVID North America, told ADWEEK. “As a Brazilian, I felt a sense of pride and responsibility. This is not just a campaign; it’s a cultural translation.”
Founded in São Paulo in 1969, Natura has long been a regional leader in conscious beauty. The company became a B Corp in 2014 and has been carbon neutral since 2007. According to Euromonitor International, its a leader in Latin America’s beauty and personal care sector, and was recently ranked the region’s strongest brand by Brand Finance, with high scores in consumer familiarity and loyalty.
That category leadership, however, hasn’t yet translated into brand recognition in the U.S.—something Natura aims to change. “We’re building awareness, but we’re also inviting people to fall in love with the product itself,” said Volavicius. “We know that once consumers try it, they come back.”
