Sephora Black Beauty Is Beauty CSP

Article questions

1) What was Sephora trying to achieve with the campaign?

Sephora was trying to celebrate the countless Black traditions and inventions which have propagated the beauty trends most common in society today. Moreover, the campaign aimed to advance racial equity in beauty and retail sectors.

2) What scenes from the advert are highlighted as particularly significant in the articles?

One scene which is highlighted as significant is when the camera pans over Black women waiting under dryers while the narrator states "What is beauty without black beauty?". This is significant because it reveals that many famous trends and looks are created from black people but no acknowledgement is received. Instead, white industries capitalise on "Black Genius".

3) As well as YouTube, what TV channels and networks did the advert appear on?

The advert also appeared on BET, OWN, Hulu and HBO max.

4) Why does the Refinery29 article suggest the advert 'doesn't feel performative'? 

The advert 'doesnt feel performative' because a strong focus on inclusion is shown, in fact the advert has more inclusion in under a minute than most two hour features have in their whole film. The article also says that black history month doesn't need to be waited for as black people are acknowledged through this short film/advert.

5) What is the 15 per cent pledge and why is it significant?

The 15% pledge was announced on June 10 2020 and it meant that 15% of products being sold/shelved in Sephora stores would be from black-owned brands. This is significant because it shows inclusion and acknowledgement of 'black genius' and trendy/high quality black products.

Advertising agency feature

The Black Beauty Is Beauty advertising spot was created by global creative agency R/GA. Look at their website feature on the project and answer the following questions:

1) Why did Sephora approach R/GA to develop the advert?

 

Sephora wanted to tackle racial inequality but many people could argue that it was a response to one of their employees profiling a customer assuming they were stealing products.

2) What was the truth that R/GA helped Sephora to share?

 

R/GA helped Sephora share the fact that black people are the sole reason to many of the famous products/trends in todays society such as layed edges or the brush ect or the ingredients used.

3) How did the advert 'rewrite the narrative'?

 

The advert allowed them to continue sharing the truth behind many famous trends and innovation and more importantly the recognition that the Black community deserve.

Sephora website: Black Beauty Is Beauty

Visit the Sephora website page on Black Beauty Is Beauty. Answer the following questions:

1) How does Sephora introduce the campaign?

 

Sephora introduced the campaign by revealling to the audience that they promote equality and that they see differences in people in a positive light as in the advert famous inventions from Black people are constantly shown.

2) What statistics are highlighted on the website? 

 

- 3% of brands at major beauty retailers are Black owned.

- 1% of venture capital funding goes to Black-owned businesses  

- 78% of shoppers across the retail industry don't see enough brands owned by or made for people of colour

- 2 in 5 shoppers in the retail industry have personally experienced unfair treatment on the basis on their race or skin colour 

 

3) What do we learn about Garrett Bradley - the director of the advert? 

 

We learn that she focuses on race class and history and was also the first black women to win best director at Sundance, this was also nominated for best documentary feature at the 2021 academy award and this advert was her commercial debut.

 

Media language: textual analysis

1) How does the advert use camerawork to communicate key messages about the brand?

 

Many zoom ins to show the different ethnicities and eye level matches are done in order to connect the audience to the brand.

2) How is mise-en-scene used to create meanings about black beauty and culture?

 

A wide range of custome was used to show the various styles that black people have and the impact that they have had on costume, Make up was also used to reveal how black people have influenced popular trends and designs. The hairbrush is an example of props as it reveals the impact that black people have had on the products we use in society today. The lighting helps to create a warm and home-like environment which helps to create a sense of nostalgia.

3) How is editing used to create juxtapositions and meanings in the advert?

 

The use of antique or older footage in comparison to newer footage along with the use of older styles of editing such as swipes helps to create a sense of nostalgia in the advert and also the fact that black culture has been here for a while and has influenced a lot of trends, styles ect.

4) How are verbal codes used to create meanings in the advert - the voiceover and text on screen? 

 

The voice used is American even though the company was founded in france, this could be used to suggest movements like BLM as this also started in America.

 

5) What is the overall message of the advert? 

 

The overall message is that we as a society should come together and give black people the respect and recognition that they deserve as they are responsible for a lot of trends and styles that we use today.