MAC Cosmetics + Cindy Sherman: Genius or Lunacy?

Posted by Shirley Brady on August 2, 2011 12:30 PM

MAC Cosmetics has been known for some fairly far-out collaborations, but this one's definitely the furthest-out collaboration the Canadian-born makeup brand has forged to date. MAC's fall collection, slated for Sept. 29th, is modeled by American artist Cindy Sherman, the art world's queen of reinvention and cosmetic disguise.

Known for putting herself into sometimes haunting, often disturbing images that she stages, styles and photographs, Sherman has been reinventing her image and pushing buttons long before Madonna and Lady Gaga (both previous MAC collaborators) thought to do the same.

It's not likely to move product for MAC, but that's not the goal. Instead, consider it a gutsy move for a brand eager to create more buzz, inspire its customers to tap their inner artists, and put itself on the cutting edge of art and style.

The goal of the collaboration, according to MAC's press release:

With the help of props, makeup, prosthetics, wigs and sets, artist Cindy Sherman embodies this Power of Transformation—from off-kilter Hitchcock heroine to fresh corpse, Caravaggio Portrait to Park Avenue Plastic Surgery Maven—all elaborate exercises in trying on different personas. In the campaign we've longed forever to conceive, Cindy Sherman for M·A·C created three characters using three different colour stories. We're living in a time when people of all persuasions have become bolder than ever about the ways they choose to express themselves: with a colourful palette of possibilities, You are the Artist, You are your own Subject, and no matter how fearfully you begin, you become fearless in the process.

Tell us: do you think MAC fans and others will get all that, or it too high-concept?

More about: MAC Cosmetics, Cindy Sherman, Collaborations, Campaigns, Advertising, Inspiration, Fashion, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Beauty, Art

Heather says:

I'm very much into beauty and cosmetic products and am a member of several online beauty communities.
The M.A.C. Brand to me has different scales of followers, from those who are just getting their feet wet to a cult-like following. I think it's important not to lose sight that make-up is about art and art is about individuals' interpretations and beliefs. It's a make-up artist's nature to take products and transform their canvas, therefore I don't think the M.A.C. community and/or client base will shy away from this collection at all! Outsiders of the make-up community may not understand that general consumers won't use the collection exactly like Sherman, so M.A.C. could end up repulsing potential buyers.

The art of the collection could also be overlooked by many and just looked at for what it is, a product.

August 3, 2011 11:05 AM #

The Lion Share says:

I'm loving this!
I think young consumers (prime targets for makeup manufacturers) will thrill to the possibilities of interchangeable self-inking.
Boomers entering their empty-nested second adolescence will get all sentimental remembering their grandmothers' use of intense color in wispy, looking-off-into-space photos.
All women will love this reminder that makeup is paint - the stuff of artists and those who love to play.
I think this is a winning brand identity for MAC, which I've used before but not kept top of mind.
This I won't forget.

August 3, 2011 08:19 PM #

So Blonde says:

MAC obviously has specific goals with this campaign and is trying to make an artistic point, reaching back MAC's roots: theatre make up, thus creative make up. As a fervent follower of MAC and faithful customer sharing their Canadian roots, I manage to put my creative hat on and understand that. And although I think MAC followers appreciate the brand enough to have a very open, and creative reception of this campaign, I think it is risky to base an entire campaign (especially since they do very little campaigning) on such "far fetched" concepts for one basic reason: it makes it difficult for new customers to appreciate the brand and project themselves using that makeup. The company deserves a strong pat on the back for having built its business and awareness on word of mouth and very limited advertising while standing out radically with the few camapgnis they do each year. Do you know many companies that devote the limited campaigning they do to such artistic, non-commercial goals, with a campaign that DOESN'T make people look beautiful? Well, that's probably why it will work!

August 4, 2011 06:07 AM #