Procter & Gamble unveils a new campaign that many are calling a ‘movement’ directed at the African American woman. The campaign, My Black is Beautiful, is expected to roll out in 2008 with a conversation tour.
The campaign is a great initiative that seems to include everything. Not only will the tour visit select cities, it will offer beauty and lifestyle tips. Elements of it will be included in the Pantene Total You Tour, which travels to four metro markets. A social networking component to keep females connected will also be added to myblackisbeautiful.com.
But the message of the campaign is the real success — teaching women young and old that they are beautiful, inside and out. A recent article says a poll P&G conducted with Essence during the summer revealed that 71 percent of black women feel they are portrayed worse in the media than any other racial group. Sixty nine percent said that young woman are negatively influenced by those images.
P&G launched the effort earlier this year. Brands connected to My Black is Beautiful are Pantene Pro V Shine, Covergirl Queen Collection, Crest and Always.
I’m not African American, but I was easily influenced by the images of women I saw portrayed as a child– Charlie’s’ Angeles, The Bionic Women. I could have benefited from engaging in a social network about those images.
Encouraging and helping women to define their own beauty standard, whatever that may be, and whatever race you are, is ideal at any age.
Kudos to Procter & Gamble.
It’s interesting to note that P&G is following the lead of Unilever’s very successful Dove Campaign for Real Beauty. However, unlike Unilever, P&G is supporting the concept across multiple brands. In the end, that move may help P&G avoid the cries of hypocrisy from Unilever’s critics who claim that their Axe ads run contrary to Dove’s message, showing that a company without an integrated strategy runs the risk of appearing bi-polar.
I can’t believe this story hasn’t generated more buzz. Double kudos to you for getting the word out!
Thanks Carol. We thought it was a good story too.
Hello Michele,
Black has always been beautiful to me. I just hope that making money isn’t Proctor & Gamble’s only motivation for the “My Black Is Beautiful” campaign.
Thank you for sharing this information with the rest of us. I will visit the website today to investigate further.
Manchild
I love and appreciate the “My Black is Beautiful” campagin and I am on board with the converstaion, especially with our young African American girls. It’s not all take, I am taking action!
I have been trying to get tickets for the tour, but they’re unavailable on the website, however it advertises them in the July issue of Essence.