Advertising: Sephora Black Beauty Is Beauty CSP

Wider reading on Sephora Black Beauty Is Beauty

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

In the campaign, Sephora were trying to fix their brand image and rebuild their reputation. It aimed to address negative perceptions such as Sephora is racist and show that the brand is more inclusive and diverse . They wanted people to feel represented and valued

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

beauty salon with Black women under dryer, drag show dressing room with drag queens getting ready, Black mother and her daughter, showing generational beauty practices, white person applying makeup contrasted with Black origins, reference to Lyda D. Newman and the invention of the hairbrush

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

BET, OWN, Hulu and HBO Max

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

Because it goes beyond surface level diversity. It includes real history, representation of different identities and  storytelling. The campaign fully immerses viewers in Black culture rather than briefly acknowledging it, making it feel authentic and genuine rather than just a marketing tactic.

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

retailers to dedicate at least 15% of their shelf space to Black-owned businesses. It is important because it helps increase representation and opportunities for black owned brands

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?

Firstly the use of the closeup hair products like the hair brushes suggests the influence of what black beauty has had on hair paired with their influence on other cultures. The use of the spilt scree showing a close up of a makeup and an old photo of a historic photo evokes the time passed and the changing of beauty standards. Plus the closeup spilt screen of a blue print and close up of combs reference to Lyda D. Newman and the invention of the hairbrush. Additionally, the close up of a white person doing a black culture makeup style( cut crease), suggesting the influence on which is has had on beauty. Also close up and a mid shot of drag queens doing their makeup. Along with girks fixing their makeup and hair in the bathroom. The long shot of the mum doing her daughter's hair emphasies the cozy setting of the living room. Along with the medium long shot of the girls in fancy costumes showing the different types of body types making the advert inclusive to anyone. Close up of an Asian girl applying makeup on her eye/cheek showing again the infleuence black beauty has had on different cultures. Towards the end of the video multiple frames within frames feature different faces from the advert to show the range of styles and looks that have been showcased. It borrows its icongraphy from social media and connotes community. A diverse range of people are shown using the makeup, connoting that the brand is for everyone. They are close up to allow the audience to see transformative effect of the product

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

Firstly in the opening scene, the use of props such as the pictures on the walls of the salon celebrate black beauty and emphasise the significance of hair stying to beauty culture in general, and the distinctive qualities for styling black hair. The use of casual costume shows ordinary women with casual dress code, strongly signifying that black beauty is for everyone. Use of a white person of with a cosy atmosphere with a homey setting, her applying makeup suggests the comfort makeup has brought to women. Additionally the women getting ready in the bathroom and a the drag queens too getting ready, showing confidence makeup has brought and forming friendships through makeup. The daughter and the mother scene is set in a cozy and warm environment with homely decor and family photographs connote positive messages about beauty. The central positioning of the 

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

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

5) What is the overall message of the advert? 

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? 

2) Media theory: how are Butler, Gauntlett, bell hooks and Gilroy applied to the CSP?

3) What aspects of media language are highlighted on page 3 of the factsheet? 

4) How does the factsheet summarise the advert on the final page?

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?  

A/A* extension tasks

Read this Marketing Dive feature on how Sephora is trying to alter Google search trends and highlight racial bias in algorithms and machine learning. You may then want to think about the following questions: 

How is the Sephora advert an example of recent changes in media representations of ethnicity?

What does the advert tell us about the way new technology is changing the way adverts are constructed?

Why have brands moved towards online and social media platforms in their advertising?

How does the idea of ingrained racial bias in algorithms link to some of the postcolonial ideas we have studied recently?