Dig deep into consumers’ lived experiences
“When we got this brief, we realized we had never seen undone Black hair and unfiltered Black womanhood celebrated on screen together,” says Cartwright creative partners Chelsea Ceasor and Taylor Whitelow, who led the creative work for the P&G film. The film goes on to tackle all the things “they” (society) tell Black women they need to become: patient enough, desirable enough, manageable enough. And that Black women are taught and told that beautiful is something “we become.”
The film redefines what the word “unbecoming” means for Black women; that by unraveling themselves, and their hair, they are free to define beauty as who they are. It ends with: “What’s unbecoming of a Black women? It’s becoming who you are.”
As marketers, let’s not forget it’s that powerful insight we uncover that helps us understand how we can surprise and delight our consumers. In order to find that insight, we need to truly understand the lived experience of our consumers.
The P&G film reminds us we have a responsibility to help shatter stereotypes of what Black women face every single day. This includes facing white beauty standards that do not represent and reflect who they are, as well as the pressure they face to conform to what society deems is beautiful. We as marketers have the power to help reimagine and redefine what beautiful means in the beauty industry.
Deliver products that serve the community
“While Black women love the versatility, pride and strength derived from their hair, there is inherent tension there,” shares Lela Coffey, P&G Beauty’s vp for North America hair care. “Through Unbecoming and our My Black is Beautiful products, we are re-affirming our prioritization of hair health for Black women, with formulas that embrace the inherent beauty of their hair texture.”
P&G’s journey to be an ally to the Black community doesn’t just include representation of Black women in this film; it also includes representation with products that work for Black women. The My Black is Beautiful collection celebrates Black beauty and culture, created by Black women for Black women. All products are designed to nourish type 4 natural hair, for healthy coils and curls, from styling, scalp care and moisture for natural hair, with specially formulated ingredients like coconut milk, turmeric, ginger, honey and coconut oil.
