In 1971, 23-year-old Ilon Specht was a copywriter at McCann-Erickson, and one of still relatively few women on Madison Avenue. Surrounded by a cadre of male colleagues on the L’Oréal account, Specht defied the status quo when she wrote something different—iconic slogan “Because I’m worth it.”
It’s been more than 50 years, and L’Oréal is still using “Because I’m worth it,” sometimes repositioned as “Because we’re worth it” or “Because you’re worth it.” McCann claims that it is the longest-running ad copy in history.
Specht died in April. But earlier this year, she collaborated with IPG’s Traverse32 and two-time Academy Award-winner Ben Proudfoot on a documentary film about her life and career. Aptly titled The Final Copy of Ilon Specht, the film premiered June 10 during a Tribeca X event at New York’s Convene One Liberty Plaza. Marketers and filmmakers attended, including Jane Fonda and Aja Naomi King, who represent Specht’s famed tagline in their roles as L’Oréal Paris brand ambassadors.
McCann Worldgroup representatives describe the film as a “deathbed account” of Specht’s work in advertising and her contribution to the feminist movement. As Specht battles cancer during the final months of her life and tells the story of her career, her recollections and family anecdotes capture what it was like to be a woman in advertising half a century ago.
Proudfoot’s collaboration with IPG is another example of how brands and agencies are teaming up with renowned directors to produce stories that resonate with people. Traverse32, IPG Mediabrands’ production studio, backs brand-funded films like the United States Postal Service’s Dear Santa and HIV/AIDS documentary 5B. In celebrating Specht, Traverse32 sister company McCann looks earnestly at its own thorny beginnings and at a woman within its ranks who challenged advertising’s sexist ideals.
“[It’s] kind of remarkable, the timing of how it all is coming together in this world of both celebrating her life and grieving her untimely loss. But it was a heist that we were in cahoots on to get the story told, which we took as a great responsibility to make sure we did it well,” Proudfoot said during a panel after the film premiere.
