Lindsey Hickman
December 13, 2013
CGD 318 Public Relations Practices & Promotional Writing
Instructor: Deloris Freemont
CoverGirl makeup was introduced by Noxzema Chemical Company in 1958 as a test product makeup line, launching nationally in 1961 with a Clean Liquid Makeup campaign. The company rose to become the leading makeup manufacturer by 1967, launching countless sweet faced, cover girl models’ careers after working as brand ambassadors for the company. Although acquired by Proctor and Gamble in 1989, it wasn’t until 1997 that the company’s infamous brand slogan was introduced, hiring well-known, dynamic spokespeople to debut CoverGirl’s ultimate public relations goal of portraying clean, fresh, natural and approachable makeup as “Easy, Breezy and Beautiful.” During the course of the company’s existence, overcoming image crisis in response to poor ambassador behavior has been a slight challenge, but overall the company has faired well; while being at the front of 21st century public relations practices has seemed effortless from a buyer’s perspective. In this paper I will analyze how public relations has impacted CoverGirl’s success, while applying knowledge acquired and synthesizing coursework from this class to compare and contrast the difference between this for-profit company and non-profit organization’s use of public relations.
CoverGirl was originally launched with a clean-liquid-makeup branding in 1958. From the beginning public relations for the company wanted to show true to the product by only using their makeup line on models for photo shoots and live fashion, choosing models who would uphold the wholesome, girl-next-door look with their fresh and easy approach to makeup. Brand strategy is the how, what, when, and to whom companies plan to communicate their product or service. Having a clear and concise brand strategy leads to stronger overall brand equity. The brand is not the product, the logo, the website, or the company’s name; it is what the customers perceive about the company or product, and how the public relations outreach makes them feel toward it. (Sorenson, 2012).
CoverGirl has considered its target market women anywhere from the ages of 18 to 45 years old, plus, all races and cultures (Davies, 2012), and has focused marketing toward young consumer’s taste, alongside the working-woman who needs a quick fix glow, expressing that the products could give consumers the naturally beautiful look they were in search of, without the fuss, at drugstore affordability, as opposed to department store prices. In recent years, CoverGirl has also begun marketing to teen females between the ages of 12 and 18 residing in the United States, creating what they call a campaign focused on conveying their messages in a sensitive way, while understanding the needs and wants of these girls, all while gaining mom’s approval (Davies, 2012).
CoverGirl also targets ethnic diversity, specifically choosing Sophia Vergara, as their first spokeswoman to convey the “girl next door” feel with a glamorous and affordable undertone, while capturing cultural diversity. With countless brand ambassadors, CoverGirl public relations uses magazines as their primary source of advertising, while riding the coat tails of beautiful, celebrity ambassadors with good public relations track records to promote the products.
Too promote inner beauty to go alongside their clean face campaigns, CoverGirl launched a “CoverGirl Clean Makeup for Clean Water” campaign in 2010, partnering with Children’s Clean Drinking Water to donate more than $500,000 to deliver clean, purified water to those in need internationally. This humanitarian act also acted as a public relations draw for media attention, linking the proceeds from specific products to the donation. Beyond that, to create user engagement, consumers were encouraged to enter an online contest by submitting a short video explaining how they give back to make the world a better place, and why this makes them beautiful inside and out. For each entry received, CoverGirl pledged to provide one week's worth of clean drinking water to a child in need (Alexander, 2010).
Social Media in the 21st Century
For fifty years, CoverGirl has created must-have beauty products that bring out the best in women. We understand the transformative effect makeup can have not just on the outside, but the inside as well and have always been an advocate of women rocking their unique kind of beautiful. Since 1961, Covergirl has made it easy, breezy, and beautiful to be yourself (Covergirl, 2013).
Beauty brands may have the most to gain from engaging in social media marketing in all its forms. In the real world, beauty products have long been at the center of social gatherings: Best friends help each other decide the right shade of eye shadow, mothers tell daughters which lipstick color looks best, sisters help each other do their hair just so, and the list goes on. So when a beauty brand is able to tap into the strength of online bonds, it is a jackpot for public relations. Girls and women can be intimidated by the prospect of seeking out advice and how-to tips in person. Mainstream fashion and beauty media outlets are already aware of the demand for these services; the clever marketer or PR pro will figure out a way to supply this need via social media. Proctor and Gamble have used social media to engage women with not just free samples, but also with a forum for women to talk to each other in a nonthreatening, inviting community (Makler, 2010).
Procter & Gamble's CoverGirl is also currently experimenting with several different ways to engage mobile activity alongside its print advertising in magazine, including QR codes and shoppable ads. In Allure’s September issue, CoverGirl included a QR code that leads to a listing of CoverGirl offers, and in the tablet version, CoverGirl integrated a shopping feature into its ads. In Vogue Magazine, on the other hand, CoverGirl used a complex augmented reality feature via Blippar technology. CoverGirl also partnered with cinema hit “Catching Fire” to target their younger audience, launching a two-page ad in Vogue Magazine, with a Blippar logo and copy that reads, “Blip each image to unveil exclusive content, and unlock another haute district look!” Below that is copy that says, “Download Blippar app free” (Borison, 2013).
Crisis Management
Although public relations has been powerfully positive for the CoverGirl branding, because the company uses real models as spokeswomen and brand ambassadors, there are occasions that require crisis management to avoid bad publicity. In 2011, an ad for the company’s new, ultra-glossy CoverGirl NatureLuxe Mousse Mascara was removed after catching the attention of an ad industry watchdog group for excessive photo-shopping. The company, which has always prided itself on real women wearing their real makeup, voluntarily pulled the mascara print when it was flagged by the industry’s self-regulatory group, The National Advertising Division (CNN, 2011). The ad reportedly implied the message that buyers would get lashes like those portrayed in the advertisement, when the truth was, they had been digitally enhanced. In reaction, CoverGirl’s director of marketing immediately pulled the ad, releasing an apology statement.
Another example of CoverGirl’s incidents with crisis management would include their choice to replace three-year spokeswoman, Rihanna, after she publicly returned to her unhealthy, abusive relationship with Chris Brown. It was decided in 2010 that she was not an appropriate ambassador for the wholesome brand CoverGirl public relations worked hard to create and maintain. “Rihanna’s choice to go back to an abusive relationship sets a bad example for young women, if a man hits you once they will hit you again,” stated Oprah Winfrey, later released by the brand's agency is Grey Global Group (Neff, 2010).
“Crisis management is a critical organizational function. Failure can result in serious harm to stakeholders, losses for an organization, or end its very existence. Public relations practitioners are an integral part of crisis management teams” (Coombs, 2007). According to Dr. Jack Welch, there are five-steps of crisis management. People always think it is smaller than it is, this is not true, it will mushroom; there are no secrets, companies forget that it will come out eventually; the media will betray you because of your secrets, they will not just understand; there will be blood on the floor, someone is going to pay for the mistake; the company will come out ahead, after the cloud passes.
Because theses incidents were small-scale scandals, it seems these crisis were handled very well before media attention got out of public relations’ control. With the incident regarding digital enhancement, the company started off with the proactive phase to help prevent the conflict from arising or from getting out of hand (Cameron, Wilcox, Reber, & Shin, 2008). By immediate acknowledging the mistake and removing the campaign, the company was able to save face with its consumers and the media. As for the incident with Rihanna, she was removed from their campaign in order to maintain their goal image, and the issue was addressed publicly. By responding quickly and efficiently, the organization positions itself as a source, thus, begins to present its side of the story, first, signifying that it is the one that is in control (Combs, 2007).
For-Profit Verse Non-Profit
The main difference between for-profit and non-profit companies and organizations is their motive to supply a service or product in return for wealth. Non-profits seek to serve others. When a non-profit becomes profitable, making more money than their budgetary needs, they reinvest it into their cause, by perhaps expanding their scope, quality or quantity. Non-profits are expected to use their money to maximize benefit to their designated cause, while For-profit companies are generally founded to generate income for entrepreneurs and their employees (Ingram, 2013). Another large difference between a for-profit and non-profit company is their taxation. As a for-profit company, CoverGirl reports a $700-million annual revenue for the Proctor and Gamble parent company (Davies, 2013), for which they must pay taxes on. For profit companies like Covergirl also have shareholders who invest in the organizations and buy and sell stocks (Cameron, Wilcox, Reber, & Shin, 2008), while non-profit companies rely on private donations, fundraising and government grants for funds. The Proctor and Gamble CEO received $16.2-million in compensation in 2011, up more than 24% from the year before due to increase value of stocks and company revenue (Ziobro, 2012).
CoverGirl has maintained a nearly flawless public relations brand for more than fifty years, supplying approachable makeup to their vast target market. By carefully choosing spokeswomen who are naturally beautiful, wholesome and non-controversial, they are better able to create a brand that fulfills those qualities as well. In incidents where crisis management was needed, the company reacted swiftly to deter media disaster. Public relations was responsible for the infamous CoverGirl slogan, “Easy, Breezy, Beautiful,” following it up with humanitarian efforts that encouraged consumers to act as well. The company as a whole has effortlessly embraced the 21st century social media and mobile accessibility, while staying true to the brand created decades prior.
Reference
Alexander, Antionette (2010). CoverGirl launches 'CoverGirl Clean Makeup for Clean Water' campaign. Retrieved on December 13, 2013 from http://drugstorenews.com/article/covergirl-launches-covergirl-clean-makeup-clean- water-campaign
Borison, Rebecca (2013). P&G's CoverGirl goes all out on mobile to liven up print media buy. Retrieved on December 13, 2013 from http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/software-technology/16007.html
Cameron, G. T., Wilcox, D. L., Reber, B. H., & Shin, J. (2008). Public relations today: Managing competition and conflict. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Coombs, Timothy, W. (October 30, 2007). Crisis management and communications. Institute for Public Relations. Retrieved from: http://www.instituteforpr.org/topics/crisis-management-and- communications/
CNN Entertainment (2011). Taylor Swift’s Covergirl Ad Pulled. Retrieved on December 13, 2013 from http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/21/taylor-swifts-covergirl- ad-pulled/
CoverGirl Newsroom. Retrieved on December 13, 2013 from http://covergirl.newshq.businesswire.com/about/history
Davis, Brittany. CoverGirl Mystery Market Executive Summary. Retrieved on December 13, 2013 from http://brittanydavies.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/covergirl-imc- campaign.pdf
Ingram, David (2013). Non Profit Organization Vs. Profit Organization. Chron. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/non-profit- organization-vs-profit-organization-4150.html
Makler, Stacy (2010). What Social Media Means For Beauty Brands. Retrieved on December 13, 2013 from http://havaspr.com/us/?p=5895
Neff, Jeff (2010). Advertising Age. Retrieved on December 13, 2013 from http://adage.com/article/news/rihanna-scandal-damaged-cover-girl-brand/135249/
Sorenson, Loren (2012). 7 Components That Comprise a Comprehensive Brand Strategy. Retrieved on December 13, 2013 from http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/31739/7-Components-That- Comprise-a-Comprehensive-Brand-Strategy.aspx
Ziobro, Paul (2012). Market Watch. Retrieved on December 13, 2013 from http://www.marketwatch.com/story/procter-gamble-ceo-to-get-162-mln- compensation-2011-08-26
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