Rather than follow in the footsteps of other beauty brands who have used celebrities or famous bloggers to plug their campaigns, Lancome has taken the novel approach of instead featuring ordinary, high-achieving women of all backgrounds.
It features 40 impressive women who are leaders in their fields, including Gurinder Chadha, movie director, Joanne Sui, civil engineer, Laura Kenny, Olympic cycling champion and Oti Mabuse, dancer.
Ordinary as extraordinary
In the UK campaign, Lancome has mirrored its sister brand L’Oréal Paris (both owned by beauty giant L’Oréal) in launching a campaign centred on diversity.
However, unlike L’Oréal Paris, Lancome has made ordinary but successful women the lead.
In the campaign’s central film, the women each discuss their career and achievements, rather than their looks - while also mentioning what their Lancome shade number is.
The 40 women have been chosen to highlight each of the 40 shades of foundation in Lancome's Teint Idole Ultra Wear.
Diversity hot ticket
Tamara Sender, Senior Fashion Analyst at market research firm Mintel, recently wrote of the importance of catering to diverse consumer groups.
Brands have begun to demonstrate that they are “acknowledging the complexities women of different ethnicities face trying to find makeup that perfectly matches their skin tone,” she said.
The analyst suggests that attracting younger consumer will become increasingly dependent on a brand’s ability to display an ethical profile in this kind of area.
“We are seeing a shift occurring with more brands aligning themselves with ethical or political causes. Half of millennials “are the most likely to choose a brand based on their ethics,” she confirmed.