Advertising: Maybelline CSP case study

Advertising: Maybelline CSP case study

Our second Advertising and Marketing CSP is the 2017 Maybelline 'That Boss Life Pt 1' mascara video advert.

This gives us an opportunity to explore the idea of gender fluidity in society and the media - plus compare the changing representation of masculinity in advertising. Notes from the lesson are here:

Gender fluidity

Gender fluidity is when gender expression shifts between masculine and feminine. Indeed, gender identity has become a major media and social issue in the last 10 years. 

Young (and some older) people are increasingly identifying as gender fluid – and some have credited the internet for this change. They suggest that millennials grew up with the internet so can easily find information on topics like gender expression.

You can read more on this view and gender fluidity in this CNN article here.

Maybelline 'That Boss Life Pt 1'

The Maybelline ‘That Boss Life’ advert is part of a digital campaign for their ‘Big Shot Mascara’ product. It has now been removed from YouTube but is available for Greenford students at this link (you'll need to sign in with your Greenford username and password).

The campaign is significant as it was the first time Maybelline used a male brand ambassador and digital influencers. The use of YouTube stars Manny Gutierrez and Shayla Mitchell means the brand can reach their combined 5.1 million Instagram followers and 2.5 million YouTube subscribers. 

In addition, Gutierrez (‘MannyMua’) is Mexican-Spanish-American and openly gay, offering a very different representation of masculinity and sexuality to the 1967 Score hair cream advert.

Blog task: Maybelline 'That Boss Life' case study and wider reading

Work through the following tasks to make sure you're an expert on the Maybelline CSP and particularly the wider social and cultural context.

'That Boss Life' close textual analysis

Use your notes from watching the video to write about the connotations and representations created by the following technical and audio codes. Write at least a paragraph on each:

1) Narrative & genre: narrative theory and sub-genre

The ad follows Manny and Shayla as they arrive in New York and need to get 'bossed up'. The narrative alludes to stories such as Cinderella, with the mascara presented as a magic wand that transforms the actors into glam stars. Todorov's theory of equilibrium can be applied, as the actors are in a new city, which is a state of disequilibrium, and are saved by the mascara which leads them to getting 'bossed up' in a state of new equilibrium.

2) Cinematography: camera shots and movement

The camera is almost never still; It's constantly moving, panning and zooming until the shot where they begin to apply the make up. Here it enters a more vlog-like style of camera shots, with extreme close ups and a static camera. This is important as this highlights the hybridity of the advert and how different it is compared to the usual type of beauty adverts that lack the type of progressiveness that this one has.

3) Mise-en-scene: costume & props

The actors initially wear dull white that matches the room the begin in, however after they apply the make up they change into sparkling black and gold. The golden room has more props and set pieces than the duller room before, and the duller clothes of the bell boy have also changed. The gold suitcase has connotations of wealth and is a common symbol that audiences would be familiar with, as a suitcase filled with gold or money is a well recognised trope in media. This further associates the product as being extremely valuable and desirable.

4) Mise-en-scene: actors, setting, lighting and colour

The setting of New York is associated with aspirational ways of living. This would be desirable to the audience, with connotations of wealth and high class and lifestyle. New York is also very modern, which links with the style of the video and Maybelline as a brand. The actors being Youtube influencers and people of colour (With Manny being the first male brand ambassador and openly gay) is also very modern and shows just how much the approach to gender fluidity is changing in advertising. The beginning scene sets up the idea of wealth and riches for the advert to carry on with.

The room they start in is white and minimalist, seemingly a hotel or flat, again contributing to the sleek modern feel of the advert. After they apply the make up, they transition from the duller white room into a golden lit room with an emphasis on the extent of the transformation due to the product, which makes the audience want to desire it.

5) Editing: pace, transitions and visual effects

The advert doesn't use transitions, instead using hard cuts to change shots (If they're not panning the camera). This creates a faster paced advert that emphasises the ideals of luxury and wealth when the footage is slowed down. The ad is sometimes sped up and then slowed down to either normal speed or slower, creating a somewhat hyperactive and adrenaline filled advert overall. When they open the suitcase, a golden glow can be seen on the actor's shirts which could perhaps create intrigue as well as emphasise the wealthy aura the product gives off. When the product is revealed, a golden sparkle visual effect is used to emphasise the magical and luxurious quality of the mascara. When they flip the suitcase, they enter slow motion, perhaps to emphasise the quantity and abundance of the golden product. As they apply the make up, they blink in slow motion and more sparkles appear and when they enter the golden room, the gold is emphasised with more sparkles.

6) Graphics: text/graphics on screen

The video starts with anchorage text and the brand name Maybelline, cluing in the audience to the name of the ad campaign and the two influencers used in the advert. The maybelline logo can be seen in the bottom left hand corner throughout the video, switching to the hashtag #BIGSHOTMASCARA when the product is revealed and other times throughout the video. This obviously is utilised in order to create a viral buzz on social media and to get people talking about the product. The font used is a modern and sleek sans serif, pairing well with the Maybelline brand. The black and gold text used in the anchorage also has connotations of wealth and high class.

7) Sound: dialogue, music and sound effects

The dialogue is quite forced and unrealistic in my opinion, but it helps emphasise the narrative of the advert in getting 'bossed up', give exposition of the setting and praise the product they're trying to sell. The music is sort of club-like and the beat drops when the mascara is applied. The music helps set the pace and tone of the video. There are glittering, magical sound effects used (like those tacky ones on vlog youtube channels) when the make up is applied and when a sparkle effect is shown.

Maybelline 'That Boss Life': wider reading

Read the following articles on this campaign:

Glamour: Manny Gutierrez Is the First Man to Star in a Maybelline Campaign, and It’s a Huge Deal

Your Story: Cosmetics giant breaks gender stereotypes by choosing male model as a face of the brand

Complete the following questions/tasks:

1) Why was this campaign such a landmark for beauty product advertising?

"Not only has it teamed up with beauty influencers for the first time, this also marks Maybelline's first-ever partnership with a man as the star of a campaign."

2) What do the articles suggest regarding the changing representation of sexuality and masculinity?

There's still a long way to go in the beauty industry, but the field has become more diverse and inclusive with black and asian supermodels, plus size models and transgender models.

3) Read this WWD article: Maybelline Taps Digital Makeup Influencers for New Mascara Campaign. Why might 'digital influencers' be so attractive to companies?

As industries evolve and everything becomes digitised, companies would find characters that have large and direct influences over their fans to be very attractive, as getting them to endorse a product means almost guaranteed support from the influencer's fanbase.

4) Why do you think Maybelline chose to use MannyMUA and MakeUpShayla in particular?

Because they both have a large following and are make-up artists, with Manny being a gay man and Shayla being a black woman. Companies that are trying to be more progressive and inclusive would find these two perfect candidates.

5) What does the WWD article suggest is the crucial factor for brands regardless of whether they use influencers or more traditional celebrities?

A wide social media following and reach.


Media Magazine: The Changing Face of Masculinity

Now go to our Media Magazine archive and read the feature 'The Changing Face of Masculinity' in MM63 (page 15). This will allow us to compare our two advertising CSPs - the Score hair cream advert and the Maybelline digital campaign. Answer the following questions:

1) What message does the article suggest the Score hair cream advert is trying to communicate to the 1967 audience?

If you buy the product you'll become the idealised male fantasy and can have whatever you want.

2) How does the article suggest the Score hair cream advert uses narrative to sell the product?

The advert is using female sexuality to show men they can have power: you can conquer, you will be desired... "The narrative is clear: the consumer can have everything they want in the world if they buy the hair product."

3) What 1967 stereotypes does the article suggest the Score hair cream advert reinforces?

Women are objectified are portrayed as serving a man, being inferior objects that men can own. It also enforces the typical portrayals of masculinity, being overly macho and aggressive.

4) Applying Stuart Hall's reception theory, what does the article suggest the preferred and oppositional readings could be for the Score hair cream advert?

The preferred reading is that the product will make you desirable and give you power as a man. The oppositional reading is that the macho-laden ideas presented in this image are damaging to male self esteem and present women as passive and merely decorative.

5) Moving on to the Maybelline advert, why is the background of Manny Gutierrez and Shayla Mitchell significant?

It shows that the make-up industry is becoming more inclusive by having less represented groups lead their adverts.

6) What is the narrative of the Maybelline advert?

The product will transform you from plain to 'boss'.

7) What does the article suggest the Maybelline advert's message is?

You don't need to conform to masculine or feminine ideals to be comfortable in your skin.

8) The final section of the article focuses on masculinity. What do the Score advert and the Maybelline advert suggest regarding the changes in society and media between 1967 and 2017?

There have been significant changes in depictions of masculinity and gender since 1967. The score advert celebrated the patriarchy and the power of men over women, whereas the maybelline celebrates the fluidity of gender between men and women and that both genders can be equal in expressing themselves.