Digitas NewFronts Presentation Gives a DEI Guide for Brands

Digitas tackled diversity, equity and inclusion in its 15th NewFronts presentation, highlighting the documentary The Beauty of Blackness as a guide to how brands can deliver connected experiences through storytelling. Centering on thought leadership rather than selling has been a staple for Publicis Groupe’s Digitas for several years. In 2021, the agency and a panel of experts discussed a content partnership with KitchenAid and production company Hello Sunshine. This year, during a NewFronts session dedicated to DEI and minority-owned businesses, Digitas used its time to spotlight the new feature-length documentary from Sephora, Digitas, Vox Creative, Ventureland and Epic Digital. The film covers the rise of Fashion Fair, the first national cosmetics company focused entirely on Black women. It was launched by Eunice Johnson, the founder of Ebony and Jet magazines, in 1973 and went on to be a beauty mainstay for young Black women and girls. The film follows current Fashion Fair CEO Desiree Rogers and president Cheryl Mayberry McKissack charting a path as Black women entrepreneurs at the helm of the revived iconic brand. Digitas svp, national paid social lead and head of media (west) Danisha Lomax moderated a panel that included Candace Payne, senior director of campaigns and content at Sephora; Kiana Moore, vp of content production and head of Vox's Epic Digital; and Natasha Wellesley, executive producer at Ventureland. The four discussed not only the impact of the film but also how branded entertainment continues to evolve, and what Black beauty means to them. Building brands through storytelling Sephora wanted to bring the Fashion Fair story to a new generation because many younger people don't know it, though it was a part of the upbringings of so many Black women. “What we really wanted to get across was the fact that, because we're brand builders at Sephora, we are always looking for brands that have not only amazing products but amazing stories as well. And this one has an incredible story,” Payne said. The panel agreed that Johnson’s story is a masterclass in brand building, because she rose up at a time when there was no blueprint for what she was trying to achieve. She identified a gap in the market, then used her built-in marketing engine at Ebony and Jet magazines to build an iconic brand. Moore oversees Epic Stories, a team of journalists who work as brand documentarians. They find the backstories of why people like certain brands, including the memories they bring up, the personal histories and emotional connections, then weave those stories together for a compelling narrative. The Fashion Fair story was a “home run” for the Epic Stories team, according to Moore. “Fashion Fair touched so many people," she said. "We wanted to make sure to hopefully touch upon that with those stories so that the legacy that we're telling shines through." People just want to be entertained Creative studio Ventureland had previously collaborated with both Vox and Digitas on a KitchenAid branded entertainment project, and they had such a good experience that they wanted to find another way to work together. “Shining a light on the inequities that Black women, and the Black community at large, have faced within the beauty industry was really important,” said Wellesley. “It was just an honest portrayal, which is what I think makes it such a successful piece of branded entertainment.” Ultimately, people just want to be entertained, said Wellesley, so if a brand’s story can entertain and inform, it can cut through in a crowded marketplace and connect on an emotional level. The Beauty of Blackness takes brand storytelling a step further, helping to lift up Black founders and creators. Moore said telling Black stories is highly important since so many of them have been manipulated or taken from the Black community. “It's important that we don't lose our culture and our impact in society, which year by year is minimized,” Moore added. Digitas' NewFronts Presentation Focused on Strength of Content Partnerships

NewFronts

Digitas Touts 'Beauty of Blackness' as a DEI Guide for Brands at NewFronts

The documentary on Black beauty brand Fashion Fair is a success in brand storytelling

Kyle O’Brien

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Kyle O’Brien