Slightly dowdy cosmetic company CoverGirl has certainly pulled the brand into the Millennial age after announcing a seventeen year old male as its new ambassador.
American teenager James Charles has been announced the new face of the brand, famous for chainstore lipsticks and mascaras. Charles has become a social media star in the US for his elaborate make-up looks and tutorials he posts on Instagram and YouTube. He’s already reportedly amassed over 600,000 online followers.
The US business site Fortune described Charles’ appointment as “genius Z marketing” and predicted “more marketers may soon follow suit” as the Zs (born around the 2000s) are more “open to more fluid definitions of gender and sexuality”.
Charles said of his new global marketing stardom: “I am so beyond excited and overwhelmed and happy and astonished I truly hope that this shows that anyone and everyone can wear makeup and can do anything if you work hard.”
CoverGirl is approaching its sixtieth birthday and, to its credit, had veered away from traditional models for more quirky types to represent the brand including Ellen Degeneres, Sofia Vergara, Zendaya, Queen Latifah and Jenelle Monae.
Speaking to Fortune, influencer marketing expert, Laura Brinker, said of the brand’s new male move: “Our population is becoming increasingly diverse. These trends are certainly something millennials have appreciated as they’ve grown up, but they’ll be even more important for Gen Z.”
