Advertising: Sephora Black Beauty Is Beauty CSP

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 Wider reading on Sephora Black Beauty Is Beauty


Complete the following questions/tasks:

1) What was Sephora trying to achieve with the campaign?
 The campaign is part of the retailer’s broader commitment to advancing racial equity in the beauty and retail sectors.

2) What scenes from the advert are highlighted as particularly significant in the articles?
The camera pans over Black women waiting under dryers as the narrator poses the question, “What is beauty without Black beauty?
3) As well as YouTube, what TV channels and networks did the advert appear on?
TV networks and digital channels like BET, OWN Hulu, HBO Max and YouTube; branded
 content and podcast advertising through Vox and New York Magazine’s The Cut; and digital ads across social media networks
4) Why does the Refinery29 article suggest the advert 'doesn't feel performative'? 
No one feels left out. The film has more inclusion in its under-a-minute runtime than two hour features have in their whole film. Rather than dipping a toe in “diversity,” Bradley and Sephora fully submerged us and created a beautiful film that sees us

5) What is the 15 per cent pledge and why is it significant?
Sephora’s page has links to Black-owned brands, and Sephora pledges at least 15% of their shelves for Black-owned brands. 


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 came to R/GA ready to do something about racial equity in the beauty industry.

2) What was the truth that R/GA helped Sephora to share?
We helped Sephora share a truth Black people have known forever: The ingenuity and influence of Black people have led to many of the beauty trends, ingredients, tools, and language we all enjoy.

3) How did the advert 'rewrite the narrative'?
The Sephora "Black Beauty is Beauty" advert sought to rewrite the narrative surrounding beauty standards by challenging traditional norms and promoting inclusivity and diversity. Here's how it may have achieved this

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?
At Sephora we believe in championing all beauty, living with courage, and standing fearlessly together to celebrate our differences

2) What statistics are highlighted on the website? 
3% of brands at major beauty retailers are black owned

3) What do we learn about Garrett Bradley - the director of the advert? 
An American artist and filmmaker whose work focuses on themes including race, class, and the history of film in the US. In 2020 she was the first black women to win best director of a documentary at Sundance for her film Time.


Media language: textual analysis

Watch the advert again and answer the following questions that focus on technical and verbal codes. Use your notes from the lesson to help you here.  

1) How does the advert use camerawork to communicate key messages about the brand?
Close-up shots of diverse Black models' faces could highlight the brand's commitment to inclusivity and representation

2) How is mise-en-scene used to create meanings about black beauty and culture?
The advert might feature settings that reflect the diversity of Black experiences, such as natural environments. Costumes and styling would showcase a range of fashion and beauty trends within the Black community, celebrating both traditional and modern aesthetics

3) How is editing used to create juxtapositions and meanings in the advert?
Quick cuts between different models, scenes, and products could emphasise diversity and variety, showcasing the breadth of Sephora's offerings.

4) How are verbal codes used to create meanings in the advert - the voiceover and text on screen? 
Verbal codes, including voiceover narration and text on screen, would contribute to the overall messaging of the advert

5) What is the overall message of the advert? 
By carefully using camerawork, mise-en-scène, editing, and verbal codes, the advert would communicating key messages about the Sephora brand's values, its celebration of Black beauty and culture, and its commitment to inclusivity and empowerment

Media factsheet

Finally, go to our Media Factsheet archive on the Media Shared drive and open Factsheet #259: Sephora Online Advert - Black Beauty Is Beauty. Our Media Factsheet archive is on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets. If you need to access this from home you can find our factsheet archive here (you'll need to use your Greenford login).

1) Look at the exam hint on the first page. How does Sephora as a brand and the CSP specifically reflect contemporary social and cultural contexts? 
Sephora's campaign reflects with the trend of celebrating Black beauty and affirming the value of diverse representations. This resonates with contemporary social movements advocating for greater visibility and recognition of marginalized communities.

2) Media theory: how are Butler, Gauntlett, bell hooks and Gilroy applied to the CSP?
This is represented in the advert when drag queens, who are anatomically male, perform traditionally female rituals by applying make-up. Gauntlett discusses the idea that identity is not fixed, and audiences can use media texts to help shape their sense of self by selecting versions of ourselves we want to “adopt”. Gauntlett says, “Identity is complicated, everyone’s got one.” In the advert, the Sephora brand aims to attract a diverse audience, and all the females featured are people of colour.

3) What aspects of media language are highlighted on page 3 of the factsheet? 
binary opposition, Medium close-up shots, split screens and mirror shots

4) How does the factsheet summarise the advert on the final page?
At the end of the advert, the message “Join Sephora in supporting and celebrating Black beauty” conveys the idea that Sephora is a brand leading the campaign for equality.

5) What are the four ideologies in advertising highlighted in task 8 on the final page of the factsheet? In your opinion, do you feel the Sephora CSP advert challenges or reinforces each of these?  
Consumerism - Sephora is a business operating and its marketing campaigns promotes consumerism by encouraging individuals to purchase beauty products

Identity- The campaign celebrates Black beauty and encourages individuals to embrace their unique identities.

Capitalism Sephora is still a business with the purpose of promoting Sephora's brand and products in order to increase revenue

Gender Fluidity- Beauty and grooming products are increasingly marketed in gender-neutral or gender-inclusive ways, challenging traditional notions of masculinity and femininity

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