Wider reading on Sephora Black Beauty Is Beauty
1) What was Sephora trying to achieve with the campaign?
Achieving a commitment to advancing racial equality in the beauty and retail sectors.
2) What scenes from the advert are highlighted as particularly significant in the articles?
The opening scene where the camera pans and whilst the narrator asks "What is Beauty without Black Beauty?" - as a lot of trend of beauty and make-up came from black people, but it is forgotten about, whilst white make-up business owners monetise from this.
3) As well as YouTube, what TV channels and networks did the advert appear on?
BET, OWN Hulu, HBO Max.
4) Why does the Refinery29 article suggest the advert 'doesn't feel performative'?
That no one feels left out and that the advert has more diversity and is more inclusive than a 2 hour film.
5) What is the 15 per cent pledge and why is it significant?
That at least 15% of their brands will be from black-brands. It helps accelerate black-brands with business.
Advertising agency feature
1) Why did Sephora approach R/GA to develop the advert?
Sephora wanted to do something about racial inequality.
2) What was the truth that R/GA helped Sephora to share?
The influence of Black people have had on many beauty trends, ingredients, tools and language we all enjoy.
3) How did the advert 'rewrite the narrative'?
A launch film created to show the beauty tools influenced by the Black people and an editorial partnership with The cut and an SEM takeover allowed them to continue sharing that history giving the credit the Black community deserve.
Sephora website: Black Beauty Is Beauty
1) How does Sephora introduce the campaign?
Sephora introduces themselves as promoting equality but also seeing the differences that people have in a positive light.
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?
A filmmaker and artist who focuses in race class and history and was the first black women to win best director for a director at the Sundance which was nominated for best documentary feature at 2021 academy award. This advert was her commercial debut.
Media language: textual analysis
1) How does the advert use camerawork to communicate key messages about the brand?
Range of eye-line matches connect the audiences to the company.
2) How is mise-en-scene used to create meanings about black beauty and culture?
- Costume - range of different costumes to show how black beauty has made its mark in all places, portraying the impact that they have had on a range of styles.
- Lighting - creates a warm ambience and home-like, which is dim, and feels nostalgic. Sepia-tinted creates a feeling of authenticity and elite-ness.
- Actor/Placement/Movement - Mother and daughter sitting creates warm feelings and shows how the tradition is passed down to younger generations.
- Make-up - range of different make-up styles, illustrating the impact of Black Beauty in todays society.
- Props - The recurring motif of the hairbrush suggest the impact of Black Beauty.
- Setting - Range of different settings to show how Black beauty has made its impact in all places.
3) How is editing used to create juxtapositions and meanings in the advert?
The use of swipes and split-screen created a nostalgic feeling for older audiences, juxtaposing the old scenes with newer ones, showing the difference and impact of Black beauty trends.
4) How are verbal codes used to create meanings in the advert - the voiceover and text on screen?
The text on screen forces the audiences to understand and focus on the purpose of the advert. The voiceover is done in an American accent which perhaps could suggest that movements like BLM started in USA so this movement also started in USA.
5) What is the overall message of the advert?
Giving the deserved credit to the Black community for all their impact on beauty trends.
A/A* extension tasks
How is the Sephora advert an example of recent changes in media representations of ethnicity?
That the black community is underrepresented (or misrepresented) in the media and that when there is a black person in the media it is usually to do with crime, so this advert puts the black community in positive light. With movement of black lives matter, this advert is an example of representing the black community, giving them the credit that they deserve to do with beauty.
What does the advert tell us about the way new technology is changing the way adverts are constructed?
That adverts are moving more to a social media audience then TV and covers a whole narrative in a short amount of time. This is because most social media users are young people and are use to seeing narratives, so appeals to a younger audience. Also the different techniques used, e.g. the relaxed editing pace and voiceover also appeals to a younger audience.
Why have brands moved towards online and social media platforms in their advertising?
There are more viewers on social media than they are on TV, so most of the market is there. Also more younger audience use social media, who are more likely to be open minded and so this advert would be good for them for understanding the credit black people deserve.
How does the idea of ingrained racial bias in algorithms link to some of the postcolonial ideas we have studied recently?
Where the algorithm only recognises white faces and not black faces, this can be seen as othering as the black people are alienated from the society and therefore seen as different. This can also link to cultural conviviality as it maybe everyday racism that people experience, as they are marginalised from society.
