Challenging traditional perceptions about beauty and sports is the goal of “Pretty Badass”, the advertising campaign launched by Sephora Canada together with the Toronto Tempo women’s basketball team. The platform invites society to review its prejudices by conveying the message that women cannot be defined by a single label, trait or expectation.
With the help of the creative agency Courage, the brand gives a twist to the concept “pretty”, which as an adjective means “pretty”, but as an adverb it means “quite” or “very”. Thus, she associates the term with other words, such as “strong”, “brave” or “impressive”, to celebrate the many facets of women and reject the preconceived idea that they should be pigeonholed into a single category.
The campaign stars Toronto Tempo players, including Marina Mabrey, Kiki Rice, Nyara Sabally, Isabelle Harrison, Temi Fágbénlé; and also head coach Sandy Brondello. The duality of all of them is expressed through the combination of scenarios and situations, in such a way that they are associated with both beauty and sports practice in a natural way.
“Pretty Badass” is the communication platform of Sephora Canada as a founding partner and official beauty partner of Toronto Tempo. The Canadian team is the first team in the United States women’s basketball league outside the country, and is the result of the expansion of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) to Canada, announced in May 2024. The team is owned by Kilmer Sports Ventures and will begin playing in the WNBA in the 2026 season.
Sephora Canada announced its sponsorship agreement with Toronto Tempo in January 2025. The collaboration is embodied in the brand’s presence on the kit, as well as integrated campaigns, joint initiatives, in-store activations, social media integration and in-stadium experiences. The firm sees the alliance as an opportunity to harness the power of sport to expand the perception of beauty and promote inclusion.
And that is precisely the focus of “Pretty Badass.” “With the WNBA already in Canada and the start of the Toronto Tempo season, we want to promote this momentous cultural moment throughout the country” said Allison Litzinger, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sephora Canada, in a statement. “Our platform is based on celebrating these athletes both for their unstoppable talent on the court and for their strong personality, expanding the perception of beauty and demonstrating that their way of expressing themselves is precisely what makes them unique and with character.“.
“For decades, women have been asked to choose between labels that were never supposed to coexist.explained Joel Holtby, Founder and Co-Creative Director of Courage. “‘Pretty Badass’ seeks to reject that false dichotomy. By partnering with Toronto Tempo at a pivotal cultural moment, Sephora is helping to redefine beauty as encompassing strength, ambition, individuality and self-expression all at once.”.
The campaign will be broadcast nationally on television, connected television, social media, in the stadium, and in outdoor advertising in the markets where Toronto Tempo plays. It will also include social media content that will give visibility to prominent women in the Canadian community.
On the other hand, Sephora Canada will also promote user participation with an invitation on social networks to share the real and inspiring stories of women who embody the “Pretty Badass” spirit. Thus, from June 4 to 11, Canadians can visit the brand’s Instagram profile to nominate a “Pretty Badass” woman in their lives. Winners will see their stories highlighted and get exclusive tickets to a Toronto Tempo game in the front row.
