L’Oréal / ‘The Non-Issue’
In early 2019, L’Oréal Paris partnered with British Vogue to challenge the representation of older people in the media.
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The publication featured Dame Helen Mirren, Jane Fonda, Christiane Amanpour and Jennifer Saunders. Meanwhile, the stylists, writers, photographers and make-up artists behind the issue were also all women over the age of 50.
Created alongside McCann Paris and McCann London, the publication’s articles, images and content were designed to undermine age-based stereotypes. The inspiration came from that fact that 40% of all women are over the age of 50.
However, only 15% of women represented in the media hail from this demographic, according to the case study film.
RESULTS / According to the agency, the Non-Issue resulted in roughly 40,000 new readers for the magazine in just two weeks as well as 19 million organic impressions. The Non-Issue has achieved more media coverage than Vogue’s most successful September issue, a benchmark edition in the fashion industry.
INSIGHTS / Older women are noticeably absent in images associated with the fashion and beauty industries, as well as in the media. Given that L’Oréal Paris targets a female audience of all ages with its beauty products, challenging stereotypes to positively shape people’s perception of age feels like something the brand can authentically own. The partnership with British Vogue shows L’Oréal Paris publicly setting out an example of how to address the ageism issue.