CoverGirl is a cosmetic company that has has been around since 1961 and has been an icon in the industry. The company has Katy Perry, Sofia Vergara, and Ellen DeGeneres all representing the brand. However, recently CoverGirl has decided to make their brand gender neutral and hired their first male model spokesmodel James Charles. Charles is a 17-year-old Youtube star and a makeup guru. For more information on James Charles click here.
I can finally announce that I am officially a new @COVERGIRL. 🎉🎈 First boy ever & I am so excited to see whats coming! #COVERGIRLJames pic.twitter.com/0wVHJYQ9M9
— James Charles (@jcharlesbeauty) October 11, 2016
This is a major move for CoverGirl as the try to create a gender neutral brand. The company can now not only gain support from Charles’s fans (he has about 84,000 followers on Twitter, over 110,000 subscribers on YouTube, and over 745,000 followers on Instagram), but the LGTB community which Charles, who is openly gay, embodies. He also is a representation of the new market which includes millennials and Generation Z, both of whom seem more open to the idea of a “CoverBoy”than past generations would have been.
CoverGirl seems to be restructuring their brand and aiming at these younger generations. James Charles is famous because of social media and CoverGirl selecting him, is a sign that they are trying to keep current with the changing times. This move seems to be a great marketing strategy for CoverGirl as they are reaching a wider market. If they start advertising make-up for men, they would be the first major cosmetic company to do so, and this could be a huge business move for not only the organization itself but the entire cosmetic industry. It does seem clear that CoverGirl is shaking up the makeup business and the results of their actions will be interesting to see.
AQ // PR Blog 