Dive Brief:

• Procter & Gamble brand Olay today launched Face Anything, a new multi-channel campaign that aims to inspire women to be "unapologetically" bold, confident and true to themselves, according to a news release provided to Marketing Dive. 
• One component of Face Anything is a 10-page spread in the September issue of Vogue featuring nine diverse women, including comedian Lilly Singh, gold medalist Aly Raisman, plus-size model Denis Bidot and more. Each will share a quality that they have been told they have "too much" of, with the "too" crossed out to show that they are not afraid to be bold. Olay is also launching a behind-the scenes video of the Vogue shoot on a microsite. 
• Instagram makeup influencers are kicking off a 28-day challenge on Aug. 13 in which they will use a custom bundle of Olay products and share their results on social media. Out-of-home ads in New York City's Times Square and the Grand Central train station will invite consumers to join in. The challenge will help the influencers prepare to walk the runway at New York Fashion Week makeup-free, alongside some of the women featured in the Vogue spread.

Dive Insight:

Consumers continue to expect real-life portrayals of women and beauty in marketing campaigns, and marketers are responding, with Olay's multi-channel Face Anything a recent example of the trend. With the far-reaching campaign, the skincare brand aims to help women be confident and shun suggestions that they are "too" emotional, ambitious or other expectations placed on them. By using a combination of print ads, experiential marketing via the runway show, Instagram influencers and out-of-home ads, the brand is ensuring its message has broad reach across age groups.

Embracing makeup influencers will help Olay extend the campaign's message and potentially boost sales by showing off its product lineup in an authentic way via Instagram, which is popular with fashion and beauty influencers. Younger audiences often find influencers more trustworthy and engaging than celebrities and other branded content, and 42% of consumers say they have tried a product recommended by an influencer, according to Fullscreen and Shareablee research.  

The theme of authenticity will resonate with millennials and Gen Z consumers, who expect brands to forgo traditional gender stereotypes and embrace more inclusivity and diversity. According to data included in the Olay news release, 54% of millennial women prefer the "natural look," but 84% believe social media drives the definition of beauty. 

Olay has been embracing innovation to connect with consumers and recently reported success with its artificial intelligence-powered Skin Advisor platform that it launched in 2016 to offer skin and product advice based on selfies. The skincare brand doubled sales conversion rates, reduced its bounce rate for online visitors by one-third and increased average basket size. 

Olay isn't alone in embracing real beauty its marketing efforts. Unilever brand Dove's Real Beauty platform has continued to resonate with consumers for years. CVS Pharmacy recently launched "Beauty in Real Life," the retailer's first campaign with unaltered images.