Covergirl unveiled a new ad staring the newest cast of iconic Covergirls which includes actress Issa Rae, chef Ayesha Curry and Massy Arias, and it's epic!
In what looks like a dramatic departure from the days of “Easy, Breezy, Beautiful", the “I Am What I Make Up" tagline emphasizes that women's empowerment and beauty go hand in hand. The ad features each woman in her own individual light dominating each moment with faces beat for the gawds.
The cast—which also features singer Katy Perry, professional road racer Shelina Moreda, and even Elon Musk's Mom, Maye Musk—glistens during scenes of strength (like motorcycles racing and weightlifting) juxtaposed to flashes of lashes, lipstick and beauty shots. The ad promotes that all women should be living life on their own terms with style at any age. This is perhaps Covergirl's most diverse line-up, which should be a breath of fresh air for many women. It is a fresh take on what it means to be a “Covergirl".
Fitness influencer Massy Arias, formerly known as Mankofit, shared the news to her Instagram account while expressing that she could have never imagined, in her wildest dreams, she'd be a Covergirl.
I remember watching America's next top model growing up as a young girl. Dreaming of a chance to experience for just one minute what it'd be like to take pictures with pretty makeup and pretend I was a model... A Covergirl. Oh, but did I ever believe I would one day become one. It's extremely humbling now to be in a position where I can possibly inspire young girls and women around the world.
With so much going on lately in the advertising world in regards to women—particularly women of color—it is not only a welcome visual, but it is likely to provide Cover Girl with additional appeal in the wake of the success of lines like Fenty Beauty. It is great to see companies make the effort to be increasingly inclusive with their marketing efforts, and it will be interesting to see if it translates into sales.
Are you here for Cover Girl's new way of embracing diversity and women's empowerment?
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While an evolution is a natural progression that happens as businesses grow, a rebrand is a total change. Lola tells xoNecole, "A total rebrand is necessary when a business’s current reputation/what it’s known for is at odds with the business’s vision or direction.
"For example, if you’ve fundamentally changed what your product is and does, it’s likely that your brand is out of alignment with the business. Or, if you find your company is developing a reputation that doesn’t serve it, it might be time to pump the brakes and figure out what needs to change.
She continues, "Sometimes you’ll see companies (especially startups) announce a name change that comes with updated messaging, visuals, etc. That usually means their vision has changed or expanded, and their previous branding was too narrow/couldn’t encompass everything they planned to do."
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The Brand Doula was born in 2019, and its focus is on putting "the experiences, goals, and needs of women of color founders first," as well as brands with "culture-shifting missions."
According to Lola, culture-shifting is "the act of influencing dominant behavior, beliefs, or experiences in a community or group (ideally, for the better)."
"At The Brand Doula, we work with companies and leaders that set out to challenge the status quo in their industries and communities. They’re here to make an impact that sends ripples across the market," she says.
"We help the problem solvers of the world — the ones who aren't satisfied with 'this is how it's always been' and instead ask 'how could this be better?' Our clients build for impact, reimagining tools, systems, and ways of living to move cultures forward."
The Brand Doula has worked with many brands, including Too Collective, to assist with their collaboration with Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty and Balanced Black Girl for a "refresh," aka rebrand. For businesses looking to rebrand, Lola shares four essential steps.
1. Do an audit of your current brand experience — what’s still relevant and what needs to change? Reflect on why you’re doing the rebrand in the first place and what success would look like after relaunching.
2. Tackle the overall strategy first — before you start redesigning logos and websites, align on a new vision for your brand. How do you want your company to be positioned moving forward? Has your audience changed at all? Will your company have a fresh personality and voice?
3. Bring your audience along the journey — there’s no need to move in secret. Inviting your current audience into the journey can actually help them feel more connected to and invested in your story, enough to stick around as changes are being made.
4. Keep business moving — one of my biggest pet peeves is when companies take down their websites as soon as they have the idea to rebrand, then have a Coming Soon page up for months! You lose a lot of momentum and interest by doing that. If you’re still in business and generating income, continue to operate while you work on your rebrand behind the scenes. You don’t want to cut existing customers off out of the blue, and you also don’t want so much downtime that folks forget your business exists or start looking for other solutions.
While determining whether the rebrand was successful may take a few months, Lola says a clear sign that it is unsuccessful is negative feedback from your target audience. "Customers are typically more vocal about what they don’t like more than what they do like," she says.
But some good signs to look out for are improvements in engagement with your marketing, positive reviews, press and increase in retention, and overall feeling aligned with the new branding.
For more information about Lola and The Brand Doula, visit her website, thebranddoula.com.
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