• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer, Yesterday

It's difficult to get away from the hype of artificial intelligence (GAI). But NP Digital's design agency REBL House, which it acquired about two years ago, did it to ensure authenticity was the message in Maybelline's "Born With It" campaign.

Maybelline, a L’Oreal brand, teamed up with REBL House and the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) to redefine confidence. WNBA star Bridget Carleton is featured in the campaign, which emphasizes the process of becoming rather than the end result.

“Built for it, born with it,” Carleton says in the spot.

The campaign follows a young girl’s journey, rooted in the belief that confidence isn’t simply innate potential but is earned through perseverance, grit, and self-expression.

"Born With It" debuted and ran once at a game in July, but officially launched in late September and is scheduled to run for 12 months. It features three 60-, 30-, and 15-second spots for digital and social platforms running nationally across channels, live Jumbotron game features, and exclusive integrations with WNBA programming in Canada.

Alexandra Toulch, founder of REBL, and Ronni Seller, chief production officer at REBL, spearheaded the campaign for Maybelline in Canada.

“It’s not just a solo movement, it’s about the community,” Seller said.

The WNBA’s message is that there’s beauty on the outside, but courageous, confidence comes from deep within, Toulch said.

“The brand’s move sends the correct message to woman who are inundated with superficial and other types of beauty marketing,” Toulch said.

The basketball footage was provided by the WNBA. GAI, which often is used these days in spots, had little to do with the creative, mainly because the group and brand wanted to focus on authenticity to ensure the message resonated with beauty enthusiasts and sports fans.

REBL is working with a brand to build a GAI-driven creative, from concept to completion, but Toulch declined to comment on the brand or the concept.

The agency also recently concluded production on a spot for Pompeian olive oil, and continues to work on an ongoing series for Mitsubishi called “Outlandish Experiences.”