MAYBE THEY’RE BORN WITH IT
Growing up, I used to love Maybelline commercials. I loved the catchy jingle and would find myself flipping my braids and singing along to the catch phrase, “Maybe She’s Born With It, Maybe It’s Maybelline”, which has been the company’s advertising slogan since 1991. To this day, the brand continues to deliver on great visuals, flashy colours that can grab the attention of even the most unlikely audiences. Looking at Maybelline ad campaigns always leaves me feeling like running to the nearest Dischem store and stocking up all their mascaras, which means their approach to marketing is both appealing and effective. What the brand has also done well is utilising the ‘spokesperson strategy’, which is always great for creating borrowed equity, helping the brand gain high levels of awareness. 
Over the years, Maybelline NY has aligned with a number of celebrity figures and currently has an array of faces, including Victoria’s Secret Angel Adriana Lima, actress Christy Burlington, models Erin Wasson, Jordan Dunn and Gigi Hadid to name a few (they have over 10 spokespeople). Personally, I battle to resonate with a brand that employs that many people to represent them. Of course a brand’s target audience is often diverse, and I imagine the type of woman they’re targeting is not one dimensional, but over 10 (active) spokespeople seems overwhelming and confusing. I guess it’s because I like to associate brands to a certain type of person, so when a brand can’t commit to certain type of personality due to shared values, I struggle to relate to the said brand. 
In the modelling world, models earn the most revenue not through the number of shows they walk, but through their endorsements, the most lucrative being beauty contracts. Whether it’s Kendall Jenner and Joan Smalls at Estée Lauder, Karlie Kloss at L’Oreal Paris, Taylor Hill at Lancôme, Gisele Bundchen at Chanel Beauty or Bella Hadid at Dior Beauty, it’s evident that to earn stripes as a supermodel of the moment, one needs to at least cinch a beauty deal. 
Let’s get to know a few of the faces behind the Maybelline NY brand:
Adriana Lima – 35
In 2014, Adriana Lima made her return as a spokesperson for Maybelline NY. Lima had previously represented the brand from 2003 – 2009 (this is my first time hearing of someone representing a brand more than once). Adriana is the longest-serving Victoria’s Secret Angel and was ranked as the second highest paid model in the world after Gisele Bundchen, with a whopping $10.5million in reported earnings this year, according to Forbes. Lima has represented brands including Guess, Donnna Karan, Vogue Eyewear and Marc Jacobs fragrance. Adriana was recently announced as the face of Spanish fashion label, Desigual and is rumoured to be dating media mogul Ryan Seacrest, which I think is a very smart and calculated move on Ms Lima’s part if true.
Jourdan Dunn – 26
Jourdan is one the most important models of our generation, having broken down a lot of barriers facing young black women in the racist and elitist world of fashion. Jourdan made waves in 2008 for being the first black model to walk a Prada runway in over a decade. She was also the first black model in the UK to make Forbes top-earning models list in 2014, following an estimated $4Million in earnings that year. In 2015, Jourdan became the first solo black model to grace the cover of British Vogue in 12 years. Miss Dunn currently hosts her own cooking show on Jay Z’s Life + Time Youtube channel and has a deal with multinational retailer Marks & Spencer whom she designs a kidswear clothing collection, inspired by her son.
Gigi Hadid – 21
Gigi is one of the hottest models at the moment, alongside BFF Kendall Jenner and younger sister Bella Hadid. It’s incomprehensible that Gigi has been modelling since the age of two, after being discovered by Paul Marciano from Guess. Following a break to focus on school, Gigi made her big fashion comeback in 2011, and resumed her work with Guess when she was named the face of the brand’s 2012 campaign. Gigi is also quite the video vixen (lol no shade), having starred in videos for musicians such as Miguel, Taylor Swift, Calvin Harris and her bae Zayn. This year, Gigi was revealed as the face of Philippine-based casual wear brand, Penshoppe, co-designed a capsule collection for Tommy Hilfiger, and starred in an interactive campaign for BMW M2, while gracing countless Vogue covers.
Herieth Paul – 20
The first time I got to hear about Herieth Paul was when she was the Elle Canada cover star at the tender age of 14 in 2011. The cover was striking, with a “Move over Naomi” caption. Strangely, I failed to keep track of her career, I guess I had my hands full trying to keep up with the Ks. Apparently, in 2013, Paul was one of the three models in the Tom Ford Fall/Winter 2013 Campaign shot by Mr Ford himself, which went on to be named one of the Top 10 campaigns of 2013 by Business Of Fashion. Herieth is the latest addition to the Maybelline NY family, and had this to say about her global beauty endorsement, “I actually got a lot of emails and messages saying you’re a black girl, you have short hair and that’s not the ideal that society thinks is beautiful – you have to have blond hair and blue eyes” *side eyes Gigi*
Images: Maybelline NY
