I love #WithSephora Ad Campaign
I critique advertising and in many instances, I do this unintentionally. Too many campaigns negate women of colour and plus size women. I occupy both of these spaces and the limited representation is problematic. I am thrilled to see Canadian specific advertising campaigns such as Sephora Canada’s campaign’s #WithSephora
Sephora vs Sephora Canada
I have written about the difficulties of marketing indie Canadian make up brands. Many multinational brands will create assets and marketing materials that are shared amongst different organizations for promotion. Each agency adapts the materials and uses them in multiple channels. One size DOES NOT FIT ALL. This approach is particularly painful when adapting assets for the French Canadian market.
Influencers
We no longer rely on only celebrities to promote products and services- influencers are working with brands in major campaigns. Sephora Canada was thoughtful with the influencers that they collaborated with. Social media is the great equalizer and not considering your audience is one of the worst transgressions a brand can commit. Please commit this to memory: Thou shalt not forget your audience. I have a thing for commandments. Check out my blog post the 10 commandments of self love.
Tokenism & Pandering
Where most campaigns fail, is when inclusion is actually tokenism because the brand is disingenuous. They pander to a new segment that is glaringly evident in their tone deaf delivery. If your not committing fully to the cause just walk away. The effectiveness of this campaign will be seen in Sephora’s long term investment into inclusion and diversity.
