2018 was the year of the explosion of diversity campaigns. Seven million posts tagged #bodypositive on Instagram show an increasing demand for brands to cater to all.

Advertising within the industry is moving towards a more inclusive and real offering with progressive media campaigns popping up all over the industry.

Missguided launched a campaign ‘In Your Skin’ aimed to change the perception of what normal skin is. The ad focused on six women with different skin types from burns to albinism. Meanwhile, UK retailer Boots took it a step further and created a faceless ad to celebrate contemporary beauty. With six models, each one a different age, shape, and ability, the campaign looked to celebrate the women without needing to use their faces.

CVS in the US opted to create new standards for beauty imagery with the launch of its Beauty in Real Life promotional material, while Procter & Gamble overhaul the marketing for its Venus brand, with the ad campaign, ‘My Skin, My Way’. The campaign shunned societal perceptions of ‘normal’ and featured images of people with large tattoos, nose rings, and skin pigmentation. In the words of P&G, “Some of the brand’s campaigns in the past have shown only one version of beautiful skin, but the brand is hitting refresh by devoting itself to representation through a new lens. With the ‘My Skin, My Way’ campaign, Gillette Venus will represent more women and stories, shining a light, especially on those who defy conventions.”

It poses the question of whether a brand is truly diverse if they feel the need to speak loudly about it. In the words of comedian Romesh Ranganathan, “Trumpeting diversity undermines what you are trying to achieve in the first place. It should happen without fanfare.”

Are brands becoming more inclusive or just looking to tick a box that will lure in liberal consumers?
The 17-year-old model Isabella, who starred in the Missguided campaign summed up the brand’s need to create campaigns focused on disabilities; “But, ultimately, the goal is to have a mixture of women in the same space, so women with a disability or disfigurement are also considered normal.”

Diversity Campaigns in the Beauty Industry