YSL Beauty launched its latest campaign today. The L’Oréal-owned brand's campaign, entitled “Mistaken for Love,” will bring awareness to abusive relationships and how they are sometimes mislabeled as “passionate love,” according to Vogue Business’s Kati Chitrakorn.
While this campaign seems to be a drastic turn away from its past campaigns featuring
ambassadors like Austin Butler and Lila Moss caked in makeup; it is in succession to its 2020 "Abuse Is Not Love" program intended to “raise awareness and combat intimate partner violence (IPV).”
Chitrakorn shines a light on why cause-related marketing (CRM) is essential for brands. She explains that YSL Beauty chose a CRM campaign instead of just another beauty campaign because it “is seeking purpose beyond the products it sells.”
My college marketing professor, Emory Serviss, taught his classes about the importance of CRM. He explained that marketing strives to achieve two objectives: make money/sell products and help worthy causes. CRM is only becoming more and more imperative for consumers; “modern consumers expect brands to have a positive impact.” Chitrakorn recalls Balenciaga and Noah creating “woke” t-shirts to support Australia after the country suffered wildfires in 2020.
Serviss stated statistics that were staggering but not surprising in this new political and social change climate: 70% of people said they would choose a company based on their causes, and 64% would boycott canceled brands.
My International PR professor, Terri Knight, taught her class about the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), which, I believe, goes hand-in-hand with CRM. While CSR is more focused on perfecting its internal processes and CRM is mainly constructed around charities and spreading the word of a cause, both are important for a brand to have and share with its public. Knight explained that CSR is important for three reasons: It impacts purchasing decisions, gives corporations a “license to operate,” builds trust, and helps businesses attract top talent.
Chitrakorn celebrates YSL Beauty for its CRM but warns companies to go beyond just spreading the word of the cause by actually making a difference. She cites Milile Kendall, the British Beauty Council founder and CEO: “Real impact is what counts, not a byline or press release.” One of the many benefits of CRM/CSR is that it builds trust between the brand and its consumers; Kendall states that if a brand refuses to take a stand or make a difference, it can be devastating to the credibility of the brand and, therefore the loyalty and trust of its consumers. Dr. Hakan Karaosman, assistant professor at Cardiff University, Chief Scientist of FReSCH, and chair of the Union of Concerned Researchers in Fashion, told Chitrakorn that “Brands pay the price of reputational damage [if they get the CRM wrong] and that a huge risk in luxury, which is about building long-term success.”
While it is still early in its campaign, YSL Beauty seems to be getting it right. Along with the campaign to spread awareness of hidden abuse, it has also built a four-pillar program about IPV: “working to implement a domestic abuse policy that provides benefits to employees suffering from forms of violence across the L’Oréal group; providing training and resources for staff; striking partnerships with local grassroots organizations to have an on-the-ground impact (the brand currently works with non-profits in over 25 markets); and driving new global research and thought leadership.”
YSL Beauty also partnered with En Avant Toutes, “an Inclusive feminist association for the end of violence against young people, women, and LGBTQIA+,” to collect abuse survivors stories and turn them into poetry and spoken word by “Dan Whitlam, a British poet, and musical artist; Zoë Love Smith, a multi-disciplinary artist from The Netherlands; and Widya Soraya, a content creator, activist and survivor of domestic abuse.”
I believe this is a great PR move for YSL Beauty. However, my only critique is that I would love to know more about how and why YSL Beauty chose IPV as its cause. This worthy cause needs as much support and recognition as possible; however, YSL is not very outright with this information. Chitrakorn asked Juleah Love, the global head of brand corporate engagement, why this cause was, and she answered: “Yves Saint Laurent was always fighting for women’s independence and freedom, and we wanted to follow in those footsteps. IPV is one of the most prevalent yet underfunded and underreported forms of violence against women. For us, it was obvious to take a big stand on this issue.”
I appreciate YSL Beauty taking this campaign in a different direction for two reasons: it thoroughly supports an incredible cause and is different from other beauty campaigns. If YSL Beauty did one of its classic campaigns, I would not be writing about it. Therefore, this is a fantastic PR/CSR/CRM move!
If you or someone you love is struggling in an abusive relationship, find help by calling +1 (800) 799-7233 or texting “88788” to +1 (800) 799-7233.
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