Companies must constantly reinvent themselves to stand out from the crowd and make an impression on consumers. The beauty and cosmetics sector, which is highly competitive, cannot escape the need to renew itself and be creative in order to win over new customers. In a society where advertising is omnipresent, brands must use creativity and imagination to seduce. Alioze reveals some of the best beauty ads of the last few years.
1 – Dior Makeup
One of the winning strategies is to link a digital communication campaign to an event. Let’s take the case of Dior Makeup, which is launching a short film in October 2018 on the occasion of Halloween.
Conceived in-house by Creative and Image Director Peter Philips, the commercial highlights some of Dior’s flagship cosmetic products in a disturbing world. The model Bella Hadid evolves in an imaginary world to the sound of scary music. Three sequences showcase beauty looks in black, white and red. Dior red 999, the real hero of the first few seconds, is then combined with Dior red blush 999, followed by geometric designs to enhance the model’s face. Through this fantastic dream, Dior invites you to travel to a magical universe by transforming yourself for a moment and giving way to your imagination.
The impact of this beauty ad was immediate. Many tutorials have appeared on the Internet to reproduce the looks with Dior products, a good method to make the brand shine.
2 – Chanel, women as advertising muses
Chanel always chooses iconic women to promote its N°5 fragrance. After Marilyn Monroe, Catherine Deneuve, Carole Bouquet, Nicole Kidman, it’s the turn of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis’ daughter to represent Chanel. Wishing to conquer the millennials, Chanel seeks to adapt to the Internet market and social networks. The brand changes its muse from a powerful and mature woman to a sparkling and free teenager. In 2016, a commercial featured youth and their contradictions. The slogan ” You know me and you don’t ” is aimed at young women who know about perfume but have never really dared to approach it.
Most recently, in 2019, Jean-Paul Goude is celebrating Christmas with magic. Lily-Rose Depp sits on an oversized perfume bottle and reads the future in a snow globe. The number 5 then comes out as a gift. Chanel marvels, between softness and freshness.
3 – Sephora, the power of beauty
One of the most beautiful beauty ads of the last few years was made for Sephora with the campaign ” The infinite power of beauty “. It takes the form of a commercial broadcast on the Internet, in the cinema and on television. The international company evokes a universal subject, yet one that is rarely addressed: the deep intimacy of women, their relationship with their bodies and their beauty, and their self-confidence. The film follows the life of a woman from childhood to middle age. Discreetly, cosmetics accompany the key moments of her life. Facing the mirror, her gaze never ceases to evolve until she accepts herself as she is.
Sephora is hitting its customers hard with this committed speech. It also manages to conquer a new audience, the target being very wide. The brand is positioned here for women of all ages and throughout their lives.
4 – Dove is all about natural beauty
The subject of a woman’s view of herself is also the theme of Dove’s powerful commercials. For several years now, the brand has based its marketing strategy on natural beauty and features “normal” women, far from the aesthetic canons generally imposed by advertising.
Dove has always highlighted the different beauties and proves it once again with this communication campaign ” You’re more beautiful than you think “.
In 2004, following a study in 10 countries around the world which revealed that only 2% of women found themselves beautiful, Dove decided to base its communication on the beauty of all women with their particularities by filming women with natural beauty. The campaign was a success and was covered by the media and the women’s press.
In 2006, the film ” Dove evolution ” retraced in one minute the transformation of a woman with digital tools, showing to what extent the perception of beauty is distorted by advertising that conveys false images.
In 2013, Dove made a new film in which a woman describes herself to a man who draws her portrait without seeing her. Then a close friend describes her in turn. The result is striking. When the woman compares the two portraits, she sees one person more beautiful than the other. This experience shows the gap between reality and the way we perceive ourselves.
5 – L’Oréal, the power of simplicity
In 2020, L’Oréal pulled off a major communication coup by surfing on the period of confinement. Thanks to Eva Longoria’s tutorial on her grey hair dye, the brand got a lot of exposure. The ambassador uses her smartphone to film herself doing her hair colouring at home. The strength of this video lies on several levels. First of all, the brand is able to use the time of containment to good effect. It shows that the star is a person like everyone else and allows customers to identify with her completely.
We are all in the same boat. Thanks to the humorous tone, the simplicity of the message and the technique, L’Oréal plays more than ever on the proximity and its image of a brand accessible to all because, as their advertising slogan says and is still remembered: ” we are worth it “.
Don’t hesitate to call onAlioze‘s expertise if you too wish to create impactful beauty ads.