CoverGirl

For other uses, see Cover girl (disambiguation).

COVERGIRL is an American cosmetics brand founded in 1960 in Maryland, by the Noxzema Chemical Company (later called Noxell) and acquired by Procter & Gamble in 1989. The Noxell Company advertised this cosmetics line by allowing "cover girls", fashion models who appear on the front cover of women's magazines, to wear its products. COVERGIRL makes up for lack of direct individual customer service by providing a wide variety of cosmetics available at reasonable prices.^[1]

Early history

Christie Brinkley long-running contract with CoverGirl is the longest ever of any model in history.^[2]

In 1962, model (and later, actress) Jennifer O'Neill signed on as COVERGIRL spokeswoman at the age of sixteen, appearing in both print and television advertising that year.^[3] Her unprecedented thirty-year endorsement of the product catapulted COVERGIRL into the top-selling makeup line in the country.^[4]

Cybill Shepherd was one of COVERGIRL's earliest models, appearing in several print and television advertisements for the brand. In contrast to the "made-up" looking fashion models of the late 1960s, Cybill demonstrated a fresh, wholesome look,^[5] appealing to a younger consumer's taste. These advertisements established the "girl-next-door" look that CoverGirl would become associated with.^[6]

Originally offering only six products ("medicated face make-up," in keeping with Noxzema's product theme), sales increased during 1985 due to an advertising campaign featuring supermodel Christie Brinkley.

Recent history

Also representing COVERGIRL are Drew Barrymore, Ellen DeGeneres, Dania Ramirez, Christobelle Grierson-Ryrie, Rihanna, Queen Latifah, and Taylor Swift, who touts the company's foundation product.

COVERGIRL was one of the largest global brands to conduct animal testing but that is no longer the case. Over a decade ago, Procter & Gamble's Beauty & Grooming businesses discontinued testing on animals and committed itself to developing non-animal alternative methods to ultimately permit the elimination of animal testing.^[7]

Procter & Gamble Company, owner of COVERGIRL products, recently^[when?] launched "Clean Makeup for Clean Water", a charitable program aimed toward providing clean drinking water to places and people in need.^[8] Diana Ramirez is the newest spokesmodel for COVERGIRL's Clean Makeup Sensitive formula that is a campaign for COVERGIRL's partnership with Children's Safe Drinking Water. With the help of the Clean Makeup line, COVERGIRL has donated $500,000 to the program, that provided 50 million liters of drinking water to children across the world.^[9]

Competition

COVERGIRL is sold primarily in drugstores, convenience stores, and supermarkets. Maybelline Cosmetics (owned by L'Oréal), is COVERGIRL's biggest competition, as both companies market to similar groups of consumers, and sell their products at similar prices. Examples of more expensive cosmetic competitors sold in drugstores and supermarkets include Revlon, Almay, Neutrogena, L'Oréal, and Max Factor, (Max Factor is the sister company of COVERGIRL). Less expensive competitors in drugstores include NYC Cosmetics and Wet 'n' Wild Cosmetics.

Endorsers

Lana Ogilvie

In 1992, Cover Girl became the first major cosmetic company to sign a black model to an exclusive contract. Canadian Lana Ogilvie became the first black woman^[10] to represent a non-ethnic cosmetics company,^[11] and opened the door for traditionally Caucasian-focused brands to embrace different cultures and ethnicities in their brand.^[12] Today most major brands have one or more black models or celebrities under contract.

Celebrities

Many successful models have represented COVERGIRL Cosmetics, including Tyra Banks, Brandy, Molly Sims, Faith Hill, Queen Latifah, Rihanna, Keri Russell, Taylor Swift, Carrie Tivador, Dania Ramirez, and Drew Barrymore. Because of Jennifer O'Neill's successful thirty-year relationship with COVERGIRL as spokeswoman, her face has become widely recognized as the face of COVERGIRL.^[3]

Christie Brinkley modelled for the company for over 20 years, the longest running cosmetics contract of any model in history.^[13] Recently she was rehired to represent their Advanced Radiance Age-Defying Liquid Makeup foundation. Also, Daniel Harris of Round Rock Texas, became the first male model, and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres has been featured as the model for "Simply Ageless" cosmetic products. Recently, COVERGIRL has contracted American gymnasts Alicia Sacramone, Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin to represent COVERGIRL, the first athletes to do so. COVERGIRL has also given a $100,000 contract to the winners of Cycle 3 through 17 of the popular modeling reality television show, America's Next Top Model, making Eva Pigford, Naima Mora, Nicole Linkletter, Danielle Evans, CariDee English, Jaslene Gonzalez, Saleisha Stowers, Whitney Thompson, McKey Sullivan, Teyona Anderson, Nicole Fox, Krista White, Ann Ward, and Brittani Kline official Covergirls.

In 2011, Paula Patton, Jessica Stam, and Sofia Vergara were named the new faces of CoverGirl. ^{[14] [15] [16]}

References

1. ^ Vasen, Debbie. "Cover Girl - LoveToKnow Makeup." Makeup Tips | Cosmetics. Web. 05 Feb. 2011. <http://makeup.lovetoknow.com/Cover_Girl>.
2. ^ "Christie Brinkley to Receive HBA's Positively Beautiful Award". http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/christie-brinkley-to-receive-hbas-positively-beautiful-award-101642783.html. 
3. ^ ^{a b} The Official Jennifer O'Neill Website - COVERGIRL Video
4. ^ The Official Jennifer O'Neill Website - Biography
5. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXjhUVN3Xyk
6. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh_N5iVHBRc&feature=related
7. ^ "Animal Alternatives". pgbeautygroomingscience.com. Procter & Gamble. 1989. http://www.pgbeautygroomingscience.com/animal-testing-alternatives.html. 
8. ^ "Cover Girl Cosmetics." Mahalo.com. Web. 05 February 2011. <http://www.mahalo.com/cover-girl-cosmetics>.
9. ^ Dunlop, Courtney. "Cover Girl's Clean Makeup for Clean Water Campaign - StyleList." StyleList.com – Fashion, Style, Beauty, Hairstyles, & Celebrities. 5 Jan. 2010. Web. 05 Feb. 2011. [1]
10. ^ http://www.fashionmodeldirectory.com/models/Lana_Ogilvie/
11. ^ http://blog.canoe.ca/blackhistorymonth/2009/02/25/lana_ogilvie_on_modeling
12. ^ Clarke, Caroline V. (1993). "Redefining beautiful: black cosmetics companies and industry giants vie for the loyalty of black women - Industry Overview". Black Enterprise. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1365/is_n11_v23/ai_13831516. 
13. ^ "Christie Brinkley to Receive HBA's Positively Beautiful Award". PR Newswire. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/christie-brinkley-to-receive-hbas-positively-beautiful-award-101642783.html. Retrieved september 28, 2010. 
14. ^ Fashion Etc (14 November 2011). "Paula Patton Named CoverGirl Face". http://fashionetc.com/beauty/celebrity/3535-paula-patton-covergirl-face. 
15. ^ Fashion Etc (14 November 2011). "Jessica Stam’s CoverGirl Campaign Début". http://fashionetc.com/beauty/makeup/3779-jessica-stam-covergirl-lip-perfection-ads-campaign. 
16. ^ Latina Magazine (12 May 2011). "Sofia Vergara Named New Face of COVERGIRL!". AOL. http://entretenimiento.aollatino.com/2011/05/12/sofia-vergara-new-face-covergirl/. Retrieved 13 May 2011. 

External links

• COVERGIRL brand homepage
• http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE7DC1738F937A15756C0A964958260&pagewanted=all