Pierce Mattie Public Relations New York

They say that imitation is the best form of flattery. If this is the case, then Dove should surely be flattered as CoverGirl takes at stab at their rendition of using real women in their next advertising campaign to promote their new Queen Collection for women of color.

The Queen Collection inspired by CoverGirl’s spokesmodel of five years, Queen Latifah, was launched on January 29th at BB King Blues Club and Grill in NYC, the same day as the casting call for their ad campaign. The Queen Collection is CoverGirl’s newest line to be geared towards women of color, from Latina to African American. CoverGirl is joining the ranks of cosmetics companies promoting their products to this demographic such as Jane Iredale, whose Global Beauty line is also geared towards ethnic women.

CoverGirl will mimic Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty ads by using real women that may vary in ages from 18-48. The difference will be that these women will have an inspiring story about how they have achieved both inner and outer beauty, whether it was through a recent accomplishment, community service, overcoming an obstacle or standing up for something they were passionate about. The winner(s) will be announced in 2 weeks and will appear in the ad campaign slated for release in June.

Do you think CoverGirl’s use of real women of color will continue to bring a breath of fresh air to marketing campaigns or will it be seen as a Dove copycat?