CoverGirl is ditching its iconic slogan
The iconic drugstore beauty brand is ditching its signature "Easy, Breezy, Beautiful" tagline as a part of its biggest brand refresh in history, which also includes a new logo, tone, updated packaging and product design.
"The beauty category and consumer have changed dramatically since we launched 'Easy, Breezy, Beautiful' nearly 20 years ago," said Ukonwa Ojo, svp at CoverGirl. "People don't think of beauty as one-dimensional, or matching traditional ideals and standards of perfection. Beauty should be diverse, dynamic and authentic."
The brand and its agency, Droga5, said it discovered that people don't think of makeup just as a cosmetic, but as a tool for self-expression and transformation. The brand's new positioning tries to reflect that insight.
"From a woman rocking a bold purple lip in the board room, to a teen wearing winged eyeliner while manning the cash register, makeup today is bold and colorful - very different from easy and breezy," said Katy Alonzo, group strategy director at Droga5, the agency behind the rebrand. "The core challenge for us was to modernize CoverGirl for the modern woman."
The marketer is attempting to do that by centering itself around a whole new tagline, "I am What I Make Up," designed to challenge cultural perceptions around makeup and when, where and why its worn. CoverGirl believes that giving its target consumers permission to do whatever they want with makeup will help the brand stand out from the crowd, especially at a time of heightened competition and massive shifts in the category prompted by disruptor brands like Sephora.
"We just couldn't stick to the convention in terms of how we communicated our message out," said Shannon Washington, creative director at Droga5. "Women want to see themselves in what brands portray today, they are demanding to see themselves."
The rebrand effort kicks off with "Made in the Mirror," a new "anthem video" for CoverGirl which showcases its bevy of brand ambassadors, including Insecure actress Issa Rae, singer Katy Perry, 69-year-old model and dietitian Maye Musk and professional motorcycle racer Shelina Moreda.
It opens with a Toni Morrison quote, moving on to show these women wearing makeup as their own individual form of self-expression with Jefferson Airplane's track "And I Like It" playing in the background.
It also includes eight other films, as well as a print and social media campaign around the #IAmWhatIMakeUp hashtag. CoverGirl is also refreshing its photos, print ads and in-store signage.
If the "I Am What I Make Up" tagline rings familiar, it is because it seems to draw inspiration from one of Droga5's most successful campaigns for Under Armour featuring ballerina Misty Copeland, called "I Will What I Want."