Brand Background & Objectives
COVERGIRL has been a staple in American makeup bags since 1961, famous for its affordable, diverse beauty products. For decades, the brand’s been all about breaking down barriers and making beauty feel attainable.
But let’s face it: today’s beauty scene is crowded, and winning over Gen Z (a generation that craves authenticity, inclusivity, and cultural savvy) meant COVERGIRL had to shake things up.
To help the brand stay relevant, we had to raise awareness for COVERGIRL on the platforms where Gen Z was going for inspiration (and competitors were fighting for attention).
Enter the #BEACOVERGIRL Contest. Instead of just saying “anyone can be a COVERGIRL,” the brand decided to show it—by throwing open the doors and letting everyone audition for the spotlight.
No gatekeeping, no filters. Just real people, real stories, and a chance to redefine what a “COVERGIRL” looks like.
Along the way, we needed to maintain high brand visibility, impact, and trust (VIT) as well as strong earned media value (EMV).
Context
In 2023, the social media conversation around “girl” grew 477% year over year, with 1.3 million mentions of it being the "Year of the Girl."
There were monoculture moments like Barbie, the Eras Tour, and the Renaissance Tour, as well as social media trends like Feral Girl Summer, #girldinner, and Tube Girl.
Everyone (not just young women) who could relate proudly championed their inner "girl.”
Idea
COVERGIRL has been an iconic brand for girls all over the world since its founding.
Part of the brand’s ethos is that "anyone can be a COVERGIRL."
So, off the back of what could be called the “Year of the Girl," we proved that truly anyone can #BEACOVERGIRL.
We turned the search for the next cover girl into a contest open to anyone - a first for the brand!
To enter, you didn't have to be flawless, feminine, or famous; you just had to be your authentic self and share what being a COVERGIRL in this age of better representation means to you.
Platform
We chose TikTok as the platform for this campaign as it's the leading platform for beauty inspiration and education among Gen Z.
It's also often the source of the cultural zeitgeist and best suited for this contest, which required video submissions.
Creators and Communities
We prioritized beauty/makeup creators to ensure the audience for the contest would have an affinity for makeup and a familiarity with the brand.
EXECUTION
The creators launched the contest on TikTok, encouraging their followers to enter. A week before the contest closed, they followed up with reminder videos that included a call to action.
The driving force behind the contest, our creators used their platforms to spark excitement.
They turned what could have been an intimidating ask into a shared adventure — inspiring their communities to take a risk and be part of something bigger.
We engaged a mix of mega and mid-tier creators on TikTok for maximum exposure:
The initial scope of work asked for a total of 13 creators producing 19 social assets.
We exceeded these expectations by securing 14 creators who produced 33 assets.
Our comprehensive approach amplified the #BEACOVERGIRL contest, ensured widespread participation, and reinforced COVERGIRL's relevance among Gen Z audiences.
From a combined 17.5M followers, our 14 creators struck a chord with the culture and achieved:
Audience appreciation:
🗨️Demetruis Brown: “I’ve uploaded 2 videos and applications!!! I’m super excited and I’m excited about it!!! By the way your beautiful ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️”
🗨️Rubie: “This just made me so excited 😊😊 I feel like I’ve been a cover girl Tyra taught me well easy breezy beautiful covergirl”
🗨️Casey: “Cover girl was the brand I started using way back in my early teens and they still go hard”
🗨️MCB (Paris Jade): “I watched your video several times and it really inspired me to post the other day!! Thank you for your honesty and encouragement ❤️”
🗨️⍟ Ghouly ⍟: “It’s so inspiring for trans folks everywhere to see us represented and empowered! ❤️❤️so happy for you girlie!”
